X Rally Team start Sertões with 4 cars in the top-6
The 26th edition of the Rally dos Sertões started this Saturday afternoon in a warm Goiânia with the Prologue to set the starting positions for cars, bikes, quads and UTVs. The winning team of the previous two Sertões, X Rally Team quicked off in great fashion, putting four of their five T1 FIA cars into the top-6 positions.
Sylvio de Barros, who makes his debut with the team from São Paulo, set the fastest time in the three laps around the 3,8-km tarmac circuit of the Autódromo Internacional de Goiânia with the NWM-built Ford Ranger V8 4x4. “The dust tomorrow, with the UTVs ahead of us, will be a big challenge. We are building confidence with the car, and the test we made last week was very important. The car is excellent; great engine, suspension... The whole set up is amazing”, de Barros highlighted.
Marcos Baumgart came in thrid position, ahead of his brother and twice Sertões champion Cristian. “To race in the asphalt was a bit different. We are in a good position, with two cars ahead that will have some trouble in overtaking the UTVs. We have to be patient in the first day”, said Marcos. “Our strategy was clear: not to start first”, laughed Cristian. “Fourth place was pretty good. Tomorrow will be a day to drive safe and analyse our competitors”, he described.
Neil Woolridge’s son Gareth, who makes his international racing debut in the Sertões, will start the rally in sixth. “We did not want to be first tomorrow and catch the UTVs, so we took some references off other guys and made our pace accordingly”, Gareth highlighted.
Neil Woolridge’s yougest son expects to catch some of the cars in front to start the Sertões in the most positive way possible. “We expected to be in the top-3, however, the time we set was very good. We are happy we can make up some time tomorrow”, he finishes.
X Rally Team’s fifth T1 FIA car, the X Rally-built Ford Ranger V8 4x4 of Gunter Hinkelmann, will start in position 12. “We had a problem in the begining, and then the backmarkers gave us some work to overtake them – they were not really collaborative with the fastest cars coming behind. Anyway, tomorrow is a new day and we will try to make up some time”, Gunter spoke.
This Sunday the Sertões leaves Goiânia towards the city of Formosa. The competitors will face 690 kilometers, with a 300-km stage.
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