Sertões: Ford Ranger 4x4 keeps getting closer to the leaders

28.aug - Day FIVE - São Francisco (MG) - Diamantina (MG)
MARATHON STAGE
Liason: 223,57 km
Stage: 335,98 km
Final Liason: 81 km
Total: 718 km

Brazil’s Rally dos Sertões moved from São Francisco to Diamantina this Thursday with a 336 km marathon-stage (total of 718 km). And once again both NWM/X Rally Team Ford Rangers 4x4 showed a fast pace, with #316 Cristian Baumgart/Beco Andreotti finishing second and closing the gap from Mitsubishi’s Guilherme Spinelli/Youssef Haddad and Toyota’s Reinaldo Varela/Gustavo Gugelmin. The Overdrive duo won today’s battle by 1min18secs.

Cristian and Beco were the fastest duo in the first half of the stage, and a rear-left tyre puncture, caused by a rock, held them back for two minutes. Once the tyre was changed, driver and co-driver got back to the fine tune and were right back in the same pace. They recovered time to finish second. Now, they’re only 4min24secs off Spinelli and just 20 seconds behind Varela.

On the other hand, as Ford Ranger #316 of Marcos Baumgart/Kleber Cincea was equally faster in the first hundred kilometers, but they were forced to stop with a gearbox failure.

"It was probably the mainshaft, but the team are working on the issue and we will investigate it, because this gearbox is supposed to run more than five thousand kilometers. This one was brand new, it haven’t done a thousand yet. We are going to put the boys back in the race. We truly want to see them at the finish line", said Neil Woolridge, NWM’s team owner.

Tomorrow the teams will stay in Diamantina, since the stage leaves and gets back to the bivouac located 1,400 meters above sea level. There will be 213 kilometers, 160 worth the stage.

QUOTES

P2: Cristian Baumgart, NWM Ford Ranger 4x4, #316:
"We had a staggering pace. We were about 45 seconds faster than the car in front of us and I think we could have won this stage if we didn’t have a puncture. I hit a rock with halfway to go and it torn the rear-left tyre. I didn’t take us long to change, but we had to push as hard as we could to recover. And we did it. We couldn’t win the stage, but without this puncture, I am sure we would have".

DNF: Marcos Baumgart, NWM Ford Ranger 4x4, #303:
"Our pace was fantastic. We were getting close to Cristian and Beco’s car and also Spinelli’s Mitsubishi. Although, close to km 200, I heard a crack while I was upshifting from third to fourth, then the car stopped moving. The engine was fine, but the car didn’t move. It’s a shame, but it could happen to anyone. That’s racing, and now our goal is to keep getting used with this fantastic car and get to the finish".

29.aug - Day SIX - Diamantina (MG) - Diamantina (MG)
MARATHON STAGE
Liason: 23 km
Stage: 159 km
Final liason: 30 km
Total: 213 km

Day FIVE results (class T1 FIA)
1-) Reinaldo Varela/Gustavo Gugelmin (Toyota Hilux) - 4h25min11s
2-) Cristian Baumgart/Beco Andreotti (Ford Ranger) - 4h26min30s (-1min18s)
3-) Guilherme Spinelli/Youssef Haddad (Mitsubishi ASX) - 4h28min09s (-2min57s)
Marcos Baumgart/Kleber Cincea (Ford Ranger) - did not finish

OVERALL (T1 FIA):
1-) Guilherme Spinelli/Youssef Haddad (Mitsubishi ASX) - 13h38min36s
2-) Reinaldo Varela/Gustavo Gugelmin (Toyota Hilux) - 13h42min40s (-4min04s)
3-) Cristian Baumgart/Beco Andreotti (Ford Ranger) - 13h43min00s (-4min24s)
4-) Marcos Baumgart/Kleber Cincea (Ford Ranger) - 9h21min53s


To download more X Rally Team/NWM pictures:
Car #303 e
Car #316
Credit to: WEBVENTURE

Instagram: @xrallyteam


FOR MORE PRESS INFORMATION
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CLEBER BERNUCI
+55 (19) 992 222 517
cleber@xrallyteam.com.br