Serra da Estrela - Race report

CLIMB OF SERRA DA ESTRELA DECIDED IN THE SECRETARY

All hill climbs made without problems for the organizers – neither the accident of Lazlo Szsaz. complicated, or delayed the event – and in the track of the Serra da Estrela, won Inigo Martinez. But the Tschager Motorsport’s team was not for the settlements and protested the bottom plan of the Reynard F3000 from Vilarino Motorsport, and the overall classification remained suspended by the final verification… that took the win to Giulio Regosa.

Thousands of persons sidestepped the track of the Rampa Internacional ACP Serra da Estrela – Cidade da Covilha dominated by the Spanish driver Inigo Martinez, that in principle would guarantee, with this victory, his “passport” for the European Hill Climb Championship … Alone that an irregularity in the bottom plan of the Reynard, left from outside the young Spanish driver…

«Even losing, and in the first place, I would like to give you my more sincere congratulations by the great event that you organised. It was one of the best I’ve made since now, competitive and with great safety devices along the entire track. It is a very technical race, somewhere very slippery but a great race. I drove well, with no mistakes, and the only problems we had were with the petrol bombs, sometimes a little difficult to tune. »

But the protest was at the end solved giving the reason to Regosa, and the Italian driver took the lead, winning for the second time this year after Rechberg, and throwing itself like this, in the conquest of the European Championship:

«The truth is that Martinez was quicker in practice and in race, but his car was illegal, and so he was disqualified. We had the certainty that the bottom plan was not lawful and was proved after all. It was a deserved victory, because it was obtained by the regulations. I am more confident now in the conquest of the European Hill Climb Championship. »

In the remaining categories, the surprises occurred in practice rows did not have final expression, and all the favourite guaranteed his deserved points:

Dan Michl and the Skoda Octavia Kit Car, guaranteed the triumph in the group A, beating the Ford Escort of Maly, in the final climb, whereas in the group N, Joerg Weindinger, ended up be imposed in the Group N – habitually more quick than the previous series – to Dubek and Jurena, guaranteeing Bedini the best registration in the always interesting group SP, where the Alfa Romeo 147, dominate now. Finally in the group GT, easy victory by Silvano Brandi – he was the unique one in this category - and in the Portuguese included in this classification, highlight for the good register of António da Cunha – 4o GRA – and Miguel Ferreira da Silva, that guaranteed equal marks, but in group N.

PEDRO SALVADOR WAS THE BEST OF “NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP”

The local driver Pedro Salvador, was the best of the competitors to the National Championship of Mountain, beating the all Spanish drivers of small BRC prototypes that were incapable to follow the Portuguese driver.

The most surprising one was that the national best second result made by José Pedro Gomes, who, obtained a stupendous eighth absolute place – seventh chrono between the European overall – beating for example the Radical of Joaquim Teixeira and his eternal rival Manuel Ferreira da Cunha only classified in 11o place.

Also Pedro Salvador obtained a mark that would put him near the F3000 racers – 6o – and in the remaining categories, António Barros with the Porsche was the best in H76 , António da Cunha – group A – Luís Nóvoa in the H71 (in interesting fight with Carlos Inácio for the general classification) and still Miguel Ferreira da Cunha in Group N.

The Climb of Serra da Estrela was run in he best form with great effort organization of the ACP, with the schedules to be fulfilled to the stroke and the accidents – only two - resolved right on time and without any problems!