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News  Racing
X4 wins at Spanish Championship, Round 1 |
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| Report by David Perez |
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This race was the first proper round of the 2024 Spanish Nationals, given that R1 got cancelled due to weather and low participation. Luckily, the participation from catalonian drivers was outstanding this time around so we could have a nice start for the season.
It was the first race in a long time that we had 2 days of free practice, so we had plenty of time to test things on the car. We found it a bit tricky to make the car work in all the different conditions we encountered during the first day, although we were in a pretty good spot, especially with used tires. So we focused our efforts on trying to close the gap to the other guys on new tires.
In the first qualifying I was closer than expected, but made a mistake coming onto the main straight that cost me 6 seconds, so I had to settle for P2 behind Echarri. Luis didn't feel comfortable so he stopped to save tires for the rest of the race.
Second qualifying both of us were the fastest on track, although, him being in the newer tire, got the edge, getting the TQ on that round, me being 2nd again.
Third qualifying was the best for me, going quite fast from the beginning, I could make up some room with the guys behind, getting the TQ on that round.
Fourth qualifying was on Sunday already, the track was in a pretty different condition than the day before, so we made some adjustments to better fit the situation, although we couldn't take the TQ, so Echarri got pole for the finals.
Last qualifying was strategy game, Echarri would not have to race so he could save tyres, but Luis' and my position on the grid depended on the guys behind, if they didn't race that qualy, we could save tyres too. So that's what happened, no one from the top 5 in that moment went to race, so we could also save tyres.
Finals were hard battled, starting P2, in the first final I could already see that I had the edge over Echarri, unfortunately, I made too many errors that had me too far to try anything. But luck got to me on the last lap, when a group of backmarkers made contact and Echarri got spun, myself going through without issues and getting the victory.
Second final was the same story, half way through, he started sliding, and I collected him from behind, getting a penalty, and having to recover the positions lost. Luis got the upper hand, leading for the rest of the race. I could come back to P2 pretty close to him.
So everything was up for grabs on the last final, any of the three could win the race, I didn't start so well this time, although I was pretty calm because he had to make a pretty fast final to beat me in the standings. Halfway into the final I got the pace, and I could recover the distance he had pulled. And on the last lap, he left the door open, with enough space for only one car, letting me overtake him just 4 corners before the finish, granting me the victory, and making him finish behind Luis for the overall classification.
So we made it 1-2 on the podium for X4 '24 and also being the most represented brand on the A final with 7 drivers.
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| Results |
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1. David Perez - XRAY X4
2. Luis Moreno - XRAY X4
3. Carles Echarri
4. Ramon Guasch
5. Genis Carmona - XRAY X4
6. Cristian Lorente
7. Martin Bernardi - XRAY X4
8. Jaume Pertegaz - XRAY X4
9. Raul Galan - XRAY X4
10. Gonzalo Garcia
11. Tomas Vidal - XRAY X4
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