30.aug - Day SEVEN (final stage) - Diamantina (MG) - Belo Horizonte (MG)
Liason: 59 km
Stage: 125 km
(shortened to 74 kms)
Final liason: 146 km
Total: 330 km
The 22nd edition of Brazils Rally dos Sertões got to the end this Saturday (30) in Belo Horizonte with a little bit of a controversy. The stage was 125 kilometers long, and bikes, quads, UTVs and 17 cars, including the four T1 FIA, had completed the whole stage.
When the clock stopped, Toyotas Reinaldo Varela/Gustavo Gugelmin had won the stage, with NWM Ford Rangers Cristian Baumart/Beco Andreotti second, Marcos Baumgart/Kleber Cincea third, and in fourth came previous overall leader Mitsubishi duo Guilherme Spinelli/Yousseff Haddad, 5min37s off Varela, losing time due to a puncture with only 10 kms to go. The result would have given the title to Varela, with Cristian second, dropping Spinelli to third.
However, an accident at km 77 of the stage with an ethanol-powered prototype blocked the road and 16 cars couldnt keep going. This led the marshals to call the interruption of the stage, so it was valid only up until km 74, the spot of the last waypoint before the accident.
This changed the result, since up until then the Mitsubishi duo hadnt had any kind of problems and were in a fast pace. Some teams complained with the marshals saying that all T1 FIA cars have had finished the whole stage, so the time still would count for the 125 kms, as it counts for the Brazilian Cross Country Championship. Although, the Sertões has got its own regulations, and in this case all the cars got to the very last waypoint until the blocked point.
For NWM Motorsports and X Rally Team it was the beginning of a good and trusty relationship. Baumgart and Andreotti finished behind Spinelli/Haddad and Varela/Gugelmin, two duos that are way more used to the car they use in Dakar or in the FIA Cross Country World Championship. Cristian and Beco had one day of testing and did barely 200 kilometers before revving up to the Sertões.
QUOTES
P3 Overall (T1 FIA): Cristian Baumgart, NWM Ford Ranger 4x4, #316:
"The Sertões isnt all about the clock, unfortunately. If only, we would have won the rally because we were faster and we didnt make any mistake inside the stages. The only penalty weve got was due to a liason waypoint, which in previous years was applied with a fine. Even the marshals recognized it, but there was nothing they could do. If those are the rules, we have to obey them. But next year we will be even stronger".
P4 Overal (T1 FIA): Marcos Baumgart, NWM Ford Ranger 4x4, #303:
"This Sertões was a big test for all of us. Weve had only a few kilometers with the car, and our competitors had more than two years of experience with their machinery. The Ford Ranger is fantastic. Every day we finished the stage I asked already? to my co-driver. I couldnt get enough of it. I would drive this car for a whole day. That was the first of many Sertões we will do with NWM and Ford, for sure".
Neil Woolridge, NWM Motorsports team principal:
"It was a fantastic first experience racing in Brazil. Cristian and Marcos drove really well despite having only tested the car for 200 kilometers before the start of the rally, whilst Spinelli and Varela drive their cars for about two years. And it was a close finish. Weve had Marcoss gearbox problem, which will be investigated when we fly back to South Africa and be sent do the manufacturer, but overall they showed what theyre capable of. The cars showed their DNA with speed, toughness and great reliability. The team liked the Sertões, despite the end not being what we expected because of some points of the rules. But thats the sport. I am sure we will return next year with more experience and even stronger, because this guys at X Rally Team were superb".
Day SEVEN results (class T1 FIA)
1-) Reinaldo Varela/Gustavo Gugelmin (Toyota Hilux) - 52min49s
2-) Cristian Baumgart/Beco Andreotti (Ford Ranger) - 53min04s (-15s)
3-) Guilherme Spinelli/Youssef Haddad (Mitsubishi ASX) - 54min07s (-1min17s)
4-) Marcos Baumgart/Kleber Cincea (Ford Ranger) - 55min03s (-2min13s)
OVERALL RESULTS(T1 FIA):
1-) Guilherme Spinelli/Youssef Haddad (Mitsubishi ASX) - 17h06min43s
2-) Reinaldo Varela/Gustavo Gugelmin (Toyota Hilux) - 17h08min38s (-1min54s)
3-) Cristian Baumgart/Beco Andreotti (Ford Ranger) - 17h09min11s (-2min27s)
4-) Marcos Baumgart/Kleber Cincea (Ford Ranger) - 28h26min51s (11h20min07s)
To download more X Rally Team/NWM pictures:
Car #303 e
Car #316
Credit to: WEBVENTURE
Instagram: @xrallyteam
FOR MORE PRESS INFORMATION
P1 Media Relations
CLEBER BERNUCI
+55 (19) 992 222 517
cleber@xrallyteam.com.br
