8th Rally Lloret de Mar

Last weekend, the eighth edition of the Lloret de Mar Rally was held. For this occasion, the organizer had prepared a route of almost 150 km of specials divided into two stages -Friday and Saturday- with a total of 6 different specials to play two passes for each of them. And for this year, the possibility of participating in the Shakedown on Friday morning was also offered, giving the teams the opportunity to adjust their vehicles for this demanding test.

The start ceremony took place on the Paseo Marítimo of the coastal town around 5:00 p.m. The 139 registered teams were grouped there, with a notable presence of French teams and we were able to verify a very high level of participants, unusual in the Catalunya Rally Championship. We will not deny that seeing our M3 with number 11 surrounded by mounts and top-level pilots-co-pilots, generated a feeling of excitement and nervousness.

The desire and enthusiasm to start the season were palpable during the link to the first section. For this test, Dani Muntadas would be in charge of "co-driving" us for the first time and together with Aikon they would be in charge of taking our car to the finish line. However, the team's plans were soon cut short. After an intense SS1 and where we enjoyed a lot, and after a complicated and irregular SS2, almost 2km from the end of the last stage of the first section of the rally, we suffered a mechanical failure that forced us to abandon.

Luckily, and once the breakdown was analyzed and after a long mechanical work that lasted until almost 1:30 a.m., our guys managed to get the car ready to be able to rejoin us on Saturday as a SuperRally. With no chance of scoring or qualifying, we were able to start and play almost all the stages prepared for Saturday's day until again a mechanical failure prevented us from reaching the Parc Fermé at the end of the rally. The good sensations and the great pace after a long inactivity, as well as the rapid adaptation of Dani Muntadas to the team, made us finish happy despite the mechanical incidents.

To finish, we want to congratulate the winners Pons-Carrera (Skoda Fabia rally 2 evo), Bassas-De Ferrer (Peugeot 208 Rally4) for his meritorious second position and our friends Domenech-Coronado (Porsche 997 gt3-r) for his great performance. Without forgetting the rest of the teams that managed to reach the finish line and complete a demanding rally, and especially, sending encouragement to all those who, like us, suffered some mishap and could not finish.

Lastly, we would like to thank the enormous and great effort made by the organizer V-line Org. It is never easy to organize a test of this magnitude, but it should be even less so in these complicated times in which we find ourselves. Thank you and see you next year!