Drivers and co-pilots went through Rally dos Sertões third day praising the organization of the event due its toughness. The crews are working hard each stage and this Tuesday the competitors drove 643 kilometers from Cavalcante to Posse, the last city in Goiás state. They were 376 kms against the clock, and victory on this September 6th came to Marcos Baumgart and Kleber Cincea, from the X Rally Team Ford Ranger #303.
It is Marcos and Kleber first stage win this Sertões, and coming in front of the sister car of Cristian Baumgart and Beco Andreotti made the day even more special. "To make a 1-2 with my brother is always awesome. Today was a speed test, very tense, but wonderful to drive. A rally like the Sertões is a chess game, where you have to put every little piece once at a time", says the new second-placed driver in the overall classification.
He stands 16 minutes behind his brother. The #304, second today, had a problem with the driveshaft, but Cristian and Beco fixed the issue rapidly. "We lost about eight minutes and drove the last 50 kms only with front-wheel drive. This Sertões is showing its real DNA. We have to go fast but carefully at the same time. The chances of making a mistake are big, but the car is handling everything well and taking all the harshness of the stages", pointed Cristian.
Lance Woolridge, in the NWM-Ford Ranger #333, felt what it is like to compete in the Sertões. His car stalled twice, and in both occasions, other competitors step up to help the South-African.
"It was a long day", he started. "The car was going well, and I stalled the car into a corner we overshot, so it wouldnt start again. We had to ask someone to tow and pull-start us, and then 30 kilometers away I did the same thing again", Woolridge described. "We had to wait for someone else, so we lost a lot of time because not everyone stopped. Thankfully, Fabricio Bianchini and Michel Terpins were the two guys who helped us, and it was really nice of them", remembered the 25-year-old driver.
"For the rest of the stage I tried to keep it smooth and clean not to lose any more time, keep the car alive. It was a very long and rough stage, but it was good". It sure was. Despite finishing the stage in sixth place, Lance and his co-driver Marcelo Haseyama sustained the third position overall, closing a commanding Ford 1-2-3 in Brazils most hard, demanding and long off-road competition.
This Wednesday, Brazils Independence Day, competitors go from Posse to Luís Eduardo Magalhães, already in Bahia. There will be 362 staged kilometers of a 560 total of the fourth day.
DAY 3 - Results:
1º) Marcos Baumgart/Kleber Cincea (FORD X RALLY TEAM, 4h42min04s;
2º) Cristian Baumgart/Beco Andreotti (FORD X RALLY TEAM), 4h44min51s;
3º) Guilherme Spinelli/Youssef Haddad (MITSUBISHI), 4h54min08s
6º) Lance Woolridge/Marcelo Heseyama (NWM-FORD PERFORMANCE), 5h13min08s;
OVERALL CLASSIFICATION AFTER STAGE 3:
1º) Cristian Baumgart/Beco Andreotti - 11h16min01s
2º) Marcos Baumgart/Kleber Cincea - 11h31min52s
3º) Lance Woolridge/Marcelo Haseyama - 12h01min23s
WHAT THEY ARE UP TO THE NEXT DAYS:
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
NWMs Facebook official page: Neil Woolridge Motorsport
Instagram Account: @nwmsport
FURTHER INFORMATION IN BRAZIL
P1 Media Relations
CLEBER BERNUCI, Press Officer
+55 (19) 992 222 517
cleber@xrallyteam.com.br
