26/02/2017

Decisive last stretch, La Trona

Barcelona, 26 February 2017.- After two days with many kilometres split up into 15 different regularity test stages and a linear itinerary of 740 km between Barcelona and Perpignan and back, the final results of the first edition of the Rally Catalunya Històric were published today. Carles Miró and Iván Matavacas (Porsche) are the winners of the event, closely followed by Manel Roura-Toni Moragas (Fiat 131 Abarth), and Joan and Álvaro Rollán (Porsche 911 T 2.2).  

The start of the Rally Catalunya Històric Trofeu Dues Catalunyes was given last Friday at Avenida de la Catedral in Barcelona, with Antonio Zanini-Guifré Pujol (Talbot Sunbeam Lotus) opening the race, although they were forced to retire soon due to a problem with the ignition. On that first day, with all of the stages covered on closed roads and two of them in racetracks (Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya and Circuit dOsona), each of the test stages was one by a different participants except for one, who repeated the victory:  the specialists José Manuel López-Gerard Ferrer (Volkswagen Scirocco), who won two of them.

This regularity took the driver born in Lugo (Spain), very much experienced in regularity races, to become the provisional leader after the first leg that finished in Santa Coloma de Farners, where the parc fermé had been set-up at Hotel Mas Solà, which was the accommodation place of the participants as well. Further two significant specialists followed the leaders on the classification, namely Carles Miró-Iván Matavacas (Porsche 911 SC), who got the best score in one of the stages and were battling hard against the leaders. Joan and Álvaro Rollán, were on the third provisional place, at the wheel of a beautiful Porsche 911 T 2.2. The protagonists of the day included also Joan Sastre-Miquel Pumarola (Morris Mini Cooper 1300), Francesc and Joaquim Segú (VW Golf GTi), Antonio and David Cubero (Porsche 911 S), Josep Lluís Marcó-Miquel Molist (Porsche 911 T 2.2), Manel Roura-Toni Moragas (Fiat 131 Abarth) and the Nenas Team duo made-up of, Tere Armadans-Anna Vives (VW Golf GTi), these crews being the most effective in one of the covered stages.

Second Leg heading North-South
On schedule, at 8.00 hours of Saturday 25, the first edition of the Rallye Catalunya Històric started from Mas Solà heading for Perpignan, in France, halfway point of the second leg, with four stages before and three stages after the one-and-a-half hour regrouping in the French city. Two of these stages were run in French territory and both had a single protagonist: the duo López-Ferrer, who were consolidating step-by-step as the competitor with the biggest options to win the rally, despite having Miró and Rollán following them close and with Armadans-Vives strengthening their position among the top five, as well as Roura-Moragas, who showed a great performance in their fight for a podium finish.

It was Manel Roura who took the win of the two last stages of the rally. This fact, together with the penalty received by López-Ferrer in La Trona, the last regularity test stages that decided the final result of the rally, moved them up to the second overall position, only one tenth of a point behind Miró-Matavacas, who were the overall winners of this first edition, with Rollán-Rollán on third position.   José Manuel López had to settle for the 4th position after dominating large part of the event and Armadans-Vives, the only 100% female crew, closing the top five standing with a brilliant performance.

In this last leg, in addition to the double lead by López and Roura, the other stage winners were Anthony Guillemat-Christophe Cruzet (Porsche 914/6), Joan Dalmau-Carlos Jiménez (Seat Fura Crono) and the final overall winners Miró-Matavacas. There were 4 retirements at the rally that finished at the parc fermé set-up at the Hotel SB Diagonal Zero, venue of the gala dinner and the prize-giving ceremony. This closing event of the rally gathered al participants and personalities in charge of awarding the prizes. They included authorities that had also taken part in the rally, such as RACC President, Josep Mateu, who had Kim Vilatarsana as his co-driver in a Seat 1200 Sport (35th); Vicenç Aguilera, Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya President, who lined-up with his daughter Elisabeth at the wheel of a Seat 124 Sport 1600 (20th); or the President of the Catalan Motorsport Federation, Joan Ollé (Opel Kadett GT/E), who entered the event with Àngel Iraberri (19th). They were joined at the prize-giving ceremony by Patrick Torrent, Executive Director of the Catalan Tourist Board of the Catalan Government and David Escudé, Sports Commissioner at the Barcelona City Council.

Carles Miró and Iván Matavacas lifted the prestigious `RACC Trophy, an exclusive design by Awa Premis, and received also the BRM Chronographes Trophy, which was awarded to the top five classified crews, from the company sponsoring the event, which also awarded the winning driver and co-driver with a personalised precision watch from their range of chronographs.

BRM awarded also the winning crew of each class: Didier Chabrier-Bruno Bellmas (Porsche 356 A T1, Class E); Carlos Beltrán-Alberto Sanchís (Porsche 904 GTS, Class F); Joan Rollán-Alvaro Rollán (Porsche 911 T 2.2, Class G); Serge Adriaens-Freddy Moors (Porsche 911 2.4, Class H); Carles Miró-Iván Matavacas (Porsche 911 SC, Clase I); and Francesc Segú-Joaquim Segú (VW Golf GTi, Clase J).

The BRM award was also presented to the crew that came from farthest, which were Jacques Evrard-António Caldeira (Porsche 911), coming from Belgium and Portugal respectively. The award for the most veteran crew, with their ages adding 139 years, went to Josep M. Carrió-Jaume Huguet (Autobianchi Abarth A112). The distinction for the oldest vehicle went to the Alfa Romeo 6C 2500SS from 1948, driven by Oriol Vilanova-Daniele Rizza. And Carles Miró was distinguished again, as he was the best classified vehicle from among the RACC members. Moreover, all participants who finished the rally received their recognition with a `Finisher trophy.

Classification of the 1st Rally Catalunya Històric Trofeu Dues Catalunyes
1-Carles Miró-Iván Matavacas (Porsche 911 SC, 1981), 44.6
2-Manel Roura-Antoni Moragas (Fiat 131 Abarth, 1981), 44.7
3-Joan Rollán-Álvaro Rollán (Porsche 911 T 2.2, 1970), 45.0
4-José Manuel López-Gerard Ferrer (VW Scirocco, 1980), 45.6
5-Tere Armadans-Anna Vives (VW Golf GTi, 1979), 47.7
6-Víctor Sagi-Víctor Sagi (Porsche 911 S, 1968), 53.0
7-Josep Lluís Marcó-Miquel Molist (Porsche 911 T 2.2, 1970), 56.7
8-Anthony Guillemat-Christophe Cruzet (Porsche 914/6, 1970), 62.3
9-Joan Pedragosa-Josep Beltri (BMW E21, 1981), 69.2
10-Josep M. Molas-Laura Pedrosa (Ford Escort Mk II, 1978), 71.0
Etc. up to 45 classified participants