A completely new world opened for Lance Woolridge. This Saturday, the NWM-Ford Performance driver made his debut at the Rally dos Sertões, Brazils largest off road competition. Sharing the cockpit of the Ford Ranger V8 with Marcelo Haseyama, Lance could get the first taste of competition on the Prologue, held in a 3-km short track located close to Goiânia.
"It was good. Just the outside lane that was dusty, but it was ok. We didnt even start yet. It was very short, and half-paced, so the communication between Marcelo and I was good. Weve just made three kilometers out of 3.2 thousand. This Sunday we will get a better feeling", said Lance Woolridge.
The cars raced in one-to-one battles, and the fastest time set the starting position for the first day, which begins this Sunday when the caravan leaves Goiânia heading to Padre Bernardo on a 364-km day of which 111,17 are against the clock.
In the head-to-head battle against Sertões five-time champion Guilherme Spinelli, Woolridge did not want to take any risks on a dusty and narrow track. He finished the day being the sixth fastest. Reinaldo Varelas Toyota will be the first to see the lights go off on the first stage.
"From what they said in the drivers briefing and based on what we saw on the road book it is going to be a dangerous stage, with lots of precipices. It will be a good day to start adjusting things to the rest of the rally", he concluded.
The other two NWM-Ford Performance Ford Rangers V8 4x4 maintained by X Rally Team were second and third with Marcos Baumgart/Kleber Cincea and Cristian Baumgart/Beco Andreotti, respectively.
Prologue - Top-6:
1º) Reinaldo Varela/Gustavo Gugelmin (TOYOTA), 2min00s3;
2º) Marcos Baumgart/K.Cincea (NWM-X RALLY TEAM), 2min02s1;
3º) Christian Baumgart/B.Andreotti (NWM-X RALLY TEAM), 2min02s3;
4º) Sylvio Barros/R.Capoani (MISTUBISHI), 2min02s8;
5º) Guilherme Spinelli/Y.Haddad (MITSUBISHI), 2min04s3;
6º) Lance Woolridge/M.Haseyama (NWM-FORD PERFORMANCE), 2min05s6.
04/09 - Round 1
Goiânia (GO) - Padre Bernardo (GO)
Stage: 111,79 km
Total: 364,54 km
05/09 - Round 2
Padre Bernardo (GO) - Cavalcante (GO)
Stage 374,84 km
Total: 418,3 km
06/09 - Round 3
Cavalcante (GO) - Posse (GO)
Stage: 376,41 km
Total: 643,48 km
07/09 - Round 4
Posse (GO) - Luís Eduardo Magalhães (BA)
Stage: 361,94 km
Total: 560,15 km
08/09 - Round 5 - Marathon Stage
Luís Eduardo Magalhães (BA) - Mateiros (TO)
Stage: 425,67 km
Total: 461,14 km
09/09 - Round 6 - Marathon Stage
Mateiros (TO) - Ponte Alta (TO)
Stage: 514,98 km
Total: 520,95 km
10/09 - Round 7
Ponte Alta (TO) - Palmas (TO)
Stage: 191,54 km
Total: 243,61 km
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FURTHER INFORMATION IN BRAZIL
P1 Media Relations
CLEBER BERNUCI, Press Officer
+55 (19) 992 222 517
cleber@xrallyteam.com.br
FURTHER INFORMATION IN SOUTH AFRICA
Mileman Media
+27 (82) 897 6145
COLIN MILEMAN, Press Officer
colin@milemanmedia.co.za