Photos: Fernando J. Martin Cuenca
ALMERIA
An unexpected final stage gave Juan Antonio Ruiz the chance to win the Rallye Costa Almería, ahead of Pedro David Pérez.
The beginning of the rally was really impressive for David Pérez, as the Peugeot 206 S1600's driver took four fastest times in a row, but in the fifth special stage, Ruiz began to recover lost time. After two stage wins for the Subaru Impreza, Pérez's advantage fell down from 12 seconds to 8. Behind, Emilio Segura was leading Group N comfortably, in third overall.
The next three stages were like a roller coaster. While David Pérez made the best time on seventh stage by 1.6 seconds, Ruiz won eighth stage by 4.6. But that time didn't have any effect in the Overall Results as Pérez was 5.2 seconds quicker than him on ninth stage. So, David Pérez had an advantage of 11 seconds before the last two stages.
Another fastest time on the tenth stage seemed to set David Pérez for the win, but drama came on last stage, as he lost 25 seconds due to clutch problems, which gave victory to Juan Antonio Ruiz. Finally, Manuel Maldonado was third at the wheel of his Seat Ibiza Kit Car, while Group N win and fourth overall was clinched by Jose María Zapata, as Emilio Segura retired because of mechanical issues on ninth stage. Fifth was Jose Luis Fuentes with his Ford Escort RS 2000 Maxi.
The next round of the Andalusian Rally Championship will take place in Cádiz for the Rallye Ruta del Aceite, on 9th May.
Rallye Costa de Almería 2009 video
Article by Eloy Entrembasaguas
Video: Manuel Abarca
Photos courtesy Fernando J. Martin Cuenca
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