The Baumgart brothers repeat the duel that marked last year's edition but gains rivals with equipment to match to win the race, which starts on Friday, from Praia da Pipa, in Rio Grande do Norte.)
They are the fastest of the three categories that compete in the Sertões and will devour the 3,615 km of the racecourse (2,202 of them timed) driven by a mixture of engine power and high technology. This year's race between the cars brings once again a variety of machines and the perspective of a family duel, with equal weapons. The Baumgart brothers have won four of the last five editions and, as in the previous one, dominated by Marcos (and Kléber Cincea), they count on the most modern equipment for cross-country rallies: the Toyota Hilux pickups V8 T1 FIA of the X Rally Team. Prototypes thought in every detail to fly through the dirt roads of the seven northeastern states crossed by the caravan, which starts in Pipa (RN) next 13th and ends the challenge on 22nd in Tamandaré (PE).
Cristian, who dominated the race from 2016 to 2018 alongside navigator Beco Andreotti, sets off to regain the hegemony - the duo is one of the longest-running in Sertões. Motivated by the first triumph last year, his brother promises to repeat the exciting dispute defined by a few minutes of 2020. This time, however, they will not be the only ones to count on the model. Sylvio de Barros, third place last year, and Júlio Capua, will also lead the Hilux in the fastest category among cars. The Japanese pickups promise to put on a show especially in the first part of the Marathon stage, with over 200 kilometers of sand - their natural habitat.
The quartet will have a worthy adversary in Marcelo Gastaldi. Together with Cadu Sachs, he competes with the Buggy Century CR6, the same model he drove this year in his debut in the Dakar when he was constantly among the top 20. Developed in South Africa with a Chevrolet V8 engine, the 'buggy' has recently won the Silk Road Rally, in Russia.
The Giaffone V8 buggies are once again present, especially the 'Javaloko', the version prepared for Zé Hélio Rodrigues, five-times champion in motorbikes and one of the most traditional names in Sertões. Tradition, by the way, is not lacking in the Mitsubishi prototype pick-up truck of the duo José Jorge de Barros Sawaya/Eduardo Lara Gouvea: the ages of both add up to 134 years - 68 for the pilot and 66 for the navigator.
Another attraction is the proposal of Luiz Carqueijo and Igor Quirrenbach, who are driving a Mitsubishi L200 Triton Sport R pickup truck. The duo faced the challenge of taking part in the biggest rally of the Americas with a budget of R$ 100 thousand, including the vehicle. And to complete the Sertões 2021.
What they said
Marcos Baumgart
"Last year's victory was sensational, with a high-level grid, I battled for a long time to make this dream come true. We race because we want the challenge, and the bigger it is, the better the result is. And the dream continues this year".
Cristian Baumgart
"I'm looking forward to it and I think it will be very special because we will go through the heart of the Northeast. It is the kind of terrain I like to ride the most, with the most beautiful landscapes. It has everything to be one of the best editions in history."
Shakedown
On Thursday the competitors of the Sertões 2021 have the chance to accelerate their vehicles for the first time, in one of the novelties of the race this year: the shakedown. A 'warm-up' in a closed stretch of 4 km serves for the last checks and adjustments before the prologue on Friday, which opens the dispute. The number of passes is free within the time reserved for each category, with one detail: those who want to ride again enter at the end of the queue.
Automatic translation from Sertões Rally's official press release
Photo: Sertoes Rally / Marcelo Maragni
