After the second race was canceled in Guarda (due to bad weather), the drivers were anxious for a good battle on the track. Saturday afternoon we began our practice with fine weather and good track conditions. Sunday morning we woke up at 7 AM to terrible weather. We began racing the first qualifying round in the hard rain, causing difficulties due to electrical problems. Therefore we had to achieve the best results possible in the next two qualifying rounds to eliminate the first one. The results in the second and third qualifying rounds were 2nd and 4th, with the final position after
qualifying being 4th place overall. TQ was taken by XRAY XB808 driver Nuno Lataes.
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I started the semi-final B in the number 2 position, driving carefully and maintaining that position until the end. Before the beginning of the main final, a 10min delay was requested by another driver to solve a mechanical problem. During that period the rain start falling, so we quickly changed the air filter and bathed the car in WD40. It rained very hard for the first 15 minutes of race and track conditions were changing very fast. resulting in very difficult handling. With airflow problems into the engine due to the rain, we couldn't achieve top RPMs.
(click to enlarge)
Despite engine problems that never stopped during the entire main final, I had to work very hard to get to the top places with smooth, consistent driving. After that, the rain finally stopped and the track began drying and I found the proper conditions to take the car to 1st place. At the end of the race the car was very heavy with mud, but still handled nicely.
Final results:
1. RICARDO MONTEIRO XRAY XB808
2. MIGUEL PIRES 3. NUNO LATAES XRAY XB808 - TQ
4. HÉLIO LOPES
5. RICARDO MARTINS
6. PAULO MARQUES
7. MIGUEL ANGELO
8. RENATO FREITAS 9. PEDRO FIGUEIREDO - XB8EC
10. RICARDO FERREIRA - XB8EC
