The two-time champion will once again be alongside Kaíque Bentivoglio for the most prestigious Brazilian rally.
Over the last year, Lucas Moraes, a driver for the official Toyota Gazoo Racing team, has established himself as one of the main Brazilian representatives in the World Rally Raid Championship, in which he ranks third overall. After impressive results in the Dakar, with an unprecedented victory for Brazil in special stages, the São Paulo driver's focus is now on a third title in the Rally dos Sertões.
The successful duo formed by Lucas Moraes and Kaíque Bentivoglio, champions in 2019 and 2022, returns to the partnership for the 32nd edition of the country's main rally with the aim of making a name for themselves for the third time as champions among the cars. To do this, they will be using the GR DKR Hilux T1U and the support of Red Bull, Strava, Repsol, Oakley, Zapalla, Reserva and SpeedMax (PneuStore).
In 2024, the duo will tackle 3,704 km of the Sertões route, 2,386 of which will be special stages. The start takes place in Brasília on August 23 and the route goes through cities in Goiás, Minas Gerais and Bahia, passing through various natural beauties such as the Grande Sertões Veredas National Park and the Terra Ronca State Park, until returning to the country's capital on the 31st for the final stretch of the competition.
All set - Lucas and Kaíque have already done the shakedown to check the car and make the final adjustments. Now, driver and navigator are looking forward to starting another journey through the interior of Brazil.
“I'm coming to the Sertões with something new in the baggage of experiences, which was the unprecedented victory in a stage of the Dakar, as well as a range of learnings as an official Toyota driver. Racing in the Sertões is always challenging, so I really want to put into practice all the things I've learned in this new phase so that, who knows, I can win this third title with Kaíque,” said Lucas Moraes.
“The level of competition is always extremely high in the Sertões, you can't underestimate anyone. It's a race that demands high standards of driving and navigation, so everyone is very prepared. But I believe we have good equipment, assistance and we've formed a good partnership. It's always a challenge, so we'll take it in the best possible way: building one day at a time and, of course, enjoying the experience that the Sertões offers, which is always unique.”
The prologue, which defines the starting order for the 32nd edition of the Sertões, takes place on Friday, August 23, in Brasília. The event has eight stages, with stops in the cities of Formosa (GO), Santa Maria da Vitória (BA) and Luís Eduardo Magalhães (BA).
Official photos of the Lucas Moraes/Kaíque Bentivoglio duo can be found at this link. For journalistic use only.
Red Bull Toyota Gazoo Racing Team
Operation in Brazil: MEM Motorsport team
Driver: Lucas Moraes
Navigator: Kaíque Bentivoglio
Team manager: Flavio Pacheco
Car: Toyota GR DKR Hilux T1 Ultimate
Automatic translation of the Brazilian Portuguese version available on www.todoterreno.pt
Source: Lucas Moraes official press release / BestPR
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