Last weekend the 2nd round of the Portuguese nationals took place in Vila real, and again, another race in the rain.
In the morning after some changes and tips, we got the perfect setup for the rainy conditions making me 2nd overall.
Rui Completo managed to take the top qualifier with his NT1, I got the Super Pole by 1 second so I jumped straight to the final. In the beginning of the final I was able to pass to 1st place and manage the race from there, I had half a lap in advance of the second. 15 minutes to the end of the final I started to feel that my engine was full of water inside. Vila real has an incredible straight, but I couldnâ™t push the engine too much, so I had to be fast in the rest of the track which was not a problem because the handling and performance of my NT1 was great. But after 29 minutes, just 1 minute to end, the engine flamed out in the straight, just few meters to the lap counter, making me lose 2 laps and dropping down to 5th place. What a luck! But that's racing!
(click to enlarge)
Final results were:
1. Hugo Mendes
2. Franco Vilarinho 3. Tomás Andrade - XRAY NT1
4. Rui Completo - XRAY NT1
5. Carlos Manuel - XRAY NT1
6. Tiago Afonso
7. Cristiano Coelho
8. Rolando Caseiro
9. Filipe Pinheiro
10. Paulo Rodrigues
