In what was a great recovery, the duo climbs from eighth to first in four days of competition and finishes ahead

After a complicated start in the Jalapão Rally, in the state of Tocantins, Varela Can-Am Monster Energy ended the event conquering another victory. This time it was with driver Rodrigo Varela and navigator Matheus Mazzei, who managed a great recovery after starting the event with an eighth place on the first day. However, with the more technical specials coming up, the duo showed their worth.

After rising to fifth on the second day and to second on the third, they won Saturday's 144 km special between São Félix do Tocantins and Palmas, and rose to first place in the overall classification.

In the end, the duo was 3min43s faster than the closest competitor. "We had a great race, we were in search of the first place since the beginning," said Rodrigo. "We took risks at the beginning and got the lead at the beginning of the special. Then we just monitored the difference, risking only what was necessary," he revealed.

"Brave team" - "But it was a difficult special, we ran with a very high temperature and many people had problems. We managed to overcome these difficulties and arrive in front, which was sensational for our team. A very efficient and courageous team when it came to making decisions", he praised.

The team's new Can-Am Maverick X3, with some changes for the Sertões Rally, was very well tested in the Jalapão Rally, according to Rodrigo. The validation of the adjustments even cost performance in some moments. "We measured many things, we made many different adjustments during these days, which even held us back a little in performance at times," recalled Rodrigo. "But this certainly helped us to win today and will help us even more in the Sertões," he concluded.

In the other team car, the Reinaldo Varela/Ari Fiuza duo faced mechanical problems in their UTVs during the first days of the rally. In today's special, the duo finished the day in fifth place. "The team's work was sensational all these days," said the experienced driver, who after the initial difficulties dedicated himself to testing the car. "We had no more chances to finish the rally among the first. So we decided to work focused on the Sertões Rally, which is our great objective", observed Reinaldo Varela.

Automatic translation from the original Brazilian Portuguese version
Source: Varela Can-Am Monster Energy