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Although the Abarth
factory team struggled for a good result on the 29th Rally Internacional de Curitiba
at the weekend the domestic Fiat Rally Team got off to
the best possible start in its
bid to retain the Brazilian rally title as
Luís Tedesco and his navigator Raphael Furtado raced to
victory in the
N3 category. The N3 category is reserved for rally cars
with engines
under 2000cc, 4x2 traction system and with limited engine
preparation.
The 29th Rally Internacional de Curitiba
was in the right in the limelight this year: it was the
first round of the Brazilian Rally Championship and
the South American Rally Championship as well as being, for
the first time, the second round of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge
(IRC).
In addition to
their victory in the N3 class counting towards the Brazilian Rally Championship
Tedesco and Furtado were rewarded as the second best national crew
competing among cars fitted with a 4x2 traction system. The
pair also took their first ever points in the IRC 2WD Cup:
after two rounds of this Cup (Monte Carlo was the opening
round) Tedesco is actually in joint third place with eight
points.
At the wheel
of the new Palio 1.8R Abarth Rally, the crew had much work
to do during the two days of the rally, due to the very
intense battle for the best stage times. Another factor that
made the competition even harder for the pilots were the weather
conditions with the level of temperatures achieving 35
degrees Celsius and it was approximately 60 degrees within the
car's
cockpit.
According to all
teams in the event this was without no doubt one of the most
difficult rallies in the national calendar due to
the fact that the organisers of the championship had to
adapt the route to the regulations of the IRC which require
a minimum of 220 km of timed special stages. Another factor
that hindered the preparation for the timed tests was the
long overall route which worked out at
around 400 km and which put to the test the strategies of
the teams. The rally was disputed at high speeds and the
public that came in large numbers and saw great competition and spectacular
jumps.
"We are very
happy with the result and the great performance of the Fiat
Palio 1.8R Abarth Rally that was able to overcome the
difficulties of the rally. The major parts of the stages were disputed over
very hard ground, full
of stones and jumps, the body shell and the suspension
system were required to be strong. All members of the team
were perfect," declared Tedesco after the rally. The next
challenge of Fiat Rally Team in its battle for the 2009
Brazilian Rally Championship title will be the second round
to be held at Santa Catarina on 12th April.
by Claudio Perlini
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