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| XB808'11 Wins Portuguese Nationals R4 |
Race Report by Carlos Duras
Round four Portuguese nationals were held in Leiria in central Portugal. The weather was cloudy and not as hot as we had hoped, but the rain does not seem that it was the most important part.
Practice was held on Saturday. My car was very good and I tried to test some different connections due to the surface of the high grip track.
Sunday morning was time for qualifications. The first round was won by Rodrigo Luís, followed by me only a few seconds behind. I won the second round followed by Rodrigo Luís, and the third and last round was won by Bruno Coelho followed by me. I got TQ followed by Rodrigo Luís and Bruno Coelho.
During the first minutes of the semi I was battling with Bruno Coelho for the lead, constantly changing positions until the first fuel stop. After that I took the lead and kept the pace until the end. I made a few mistakes and Rodrigo Luís, who won the other semi, got the pole for the A Main.
In the first minutes of the A-Main I was battling with Rodrigo Luís for the lead. We were driving very fast and consistently. I was trying hard to pass him without making any mistakes, but his experience and skills prevented me from doing it. A few minutes into the race I managed to pass him and opened a gap that was crucial to save the tires. The rest of the final was mostly trying to keep a good pace without making mistakes and saving the tires for as long as possible.
This win allowed me to claim the 2011 National Championship with still one race to the end. We could not expect a better outcome for this season. Let’s now try hard to get some good results at the EUROS, as well the 5th National race in September.
| Final results: | |
| 1. Carlos Duraes – XRAY 808'11 2. Rodrigo Luís 3. Joao Gomes 4. Ricardo Monteiro 5. Miguel Pires |