Old Friends Rally Team duo claim third W2RC stage win in Portugal
The World Rally Raid Championship (W2RC), in which Alexandre Pinto and Bernardo Oliveira lead the SSV category, offers a double scoring system: points for the overall standings and separate stage points, with podiums and medals awarded to those entered in the World Championship. Today, the Old Friends Rally Team duo climbed onto the podium for the third consecutive stage, keeping their sights firmly set on the world title, which will likely only be sealed at the final round in Morocco.
“It was a tough stage, with very fast sections but made even harder by the dust we had to deal with almost all the way through. During neutralizations, the T1 cars lose less time than we do and then get mixed up with us at the re-starts, which complicates things even more. Despite that, here we are again at the finish with another win for the World Championship — and that’s our main focus. We managed to take maximum points once more and we’re naturally very happy about it. Now it’s important to rest, because these have been very demanding stages. We need to stay in top shape each day, so we can keep a strong but safe pace that allows us to reach the finish without setbacks,” said Alexandre Pinto, who drove a Polaris RZR in today’s loop stage starting and finishing in Badajoz, covering 308 km against the clock.
The fourth and penultimate stage of the bp Ultimate Rally Raid Portugal will take the caravan from Badajoz to Lisbon over 529.67 km, including a 274.49 km selective section. At the end of the day, the bivouac will be set up in Lisbon, at Doca de Pedrouços in Belém.
Source:Old Friends Rally Team
Photo: ImagensDesportivas.com
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