Sertões: NWM/X Rally Team keep Ford Ranger 1-2 overall

The Rally dos Sertões presented this Thursday between Barra and São Raimundo Nonato the most difficult stage so far in the competition. With 401 kilometers of sand, rocks and melting heat, the results could, once again, show all the speed and resistence of the NWM/X Rally Team’s Ford Rangers V8 4x4. The #315 of Sylvio de Barros/Rafael Capoani was fastest, decreasing the difference to overall leaders Cristian Baumgart/Beco Andreotti from 13 to eight minutes after five rounds.

After the marathon stage last Wednesday, it was fundamental to bring the cars in one piece for service in the bivouac after a gruelling section. “The least we could do today was to risk. It was hell: after leaving parc fermè with no intervention of the team and with only one spare tyre, we had to be very careful all the way through. We still have two days to go”, highlights Cristian, who is in chase for his thrid consecutive car title in the competition.

In a Sertões dominated by the Ford Rangers built in Pietermaritzburg and São Paulo by the joint effort between Neil Woolridge Motorsports and X Rally Team, the duo Baumgart/Andreotti won three stages so far, with Gareth Woolridge/Marcelo Haseyama and Sylvio de Barros/Rafael Capoani with one each under their belts.

Gunter Hinkelmann, in sixth, was the best-placed T1 Brazil car in the stage, while the other two Ford Rangers of Marcos Baumgart/Kleber Cincea and Gareth Woolridge/Marcelo Haseyama suffered setbacks: while the #303 hit a cow on kilometer 176, but made it to the end; the South-African faced a broken rear suspension with 34 kilometers to go, and was forced to retire from the round.

The whole Ford Rangers squad will be back in action this Friday for 603 kilometers – 226 against the clock -, leaving São Raimundo Nonato to reach Juazeiro do Norte, in the penultimate stage of this year’s Rally dos Sertões.


Day 5 Results (X Rally Team):
BARRA (BA) – SÃO RAIMUNDO NONATO (PI)
1. 315 Sylvio de Barros/Rafael Capoani (Ford Ranger) – 4:41:58
3. 301 Cristian Baumgart/Beco Andreotti (Ford Ranger) – 4:47:22
6. 348 Gunter Hinkelmann/Fábio Pedroso (Ford Ranger) – 5:08:50
11. 303 Marcos Baumgart/Kleber Cincea (Ford Ranger) – 6:31:36
-. 319 Gareth Woolridge/Marcelo Haseyama (Ford Ranger) – não completou

General Classification (X Rally Team – T1 FIA):
1. Cristian Baumgart/Beco Andreotti – 16:28:51
2. Sylvio de Barros/Rafael Capoani – a 08:13
4. Marcos Baumgart/Kleber Cincea – a 1:58:15

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