Ford Galp Energia Racing - Casino de Espinho Rally final summary

Luck keeps absent from Ford Galp Energia Racing team camp side.

Espinho (Portugal), October 12, 2002 - The misfortune keeps on haunting Ford Galp Energia Racing team, and this time it showed itself disguised as a rock that ended up with Rui Madeira an Fernando Prata Casino de Espinho Rally.

Under a radiant sunshine, in perfect contrast with the heavy previous night horror of rain and fog present on the then run stages, the Ford Focus WRC pair has left the Vale de Cambra Service Area hoping to recover part of the lost ground, but their efforts would come tumbling down early in the day's first stage.

"We were on full throttle when we came across with a big rock right on the middle of the road, probably thrown when Miguel Campos passed that part of the stage, from which we could not swerve", said Rui Madeira. "We hit it very hardly, as we felt a major stroke under the car, and when we were about to reach the end of the stage, the engine oil pressure started to drop. We were still able to reach the time control, but then we were forced to abandon the rally, as the carter was broken and we had already lost some amount of oil".

"Luck is definitely apart absent from our camp", said Team Director Anabela Correia. "If last year we we're not lucky at all here, as we also abandoned the event near its final, with a off road excursion, now we were forced out due to the situation above".

"Surely, this wasn't the end of season that we desired for a team of professionals that has offered everything possible to this project. But, unfortunately these are the imponderables within the rally events. The Focus will now go to England, so M-Sport can evaluate the extension of the damages", she added.

Overall Classification (final): 1st M. Campos/C. Magalhães (Peugeot), 1h35m56.8s; 2nd A. Araujo/M. Ramalho (Citroën), at 8m01.8s 3rd V. Lopes/J. Janela (Fiat), at 9m06.8s; 4th H. Franco/T. Azevedo (Mitsubishi), at 12m29.0s; 5th C. Fulgêncio/R. Rosa (Mitsubishi), at 13m55.4s; 6th A. Garrido/C. Corredera (Mitsubishi), at 14m02.0s; (...)

2002 Portuguese Rally Championship (after 8 of 10):

Drivers - 1st M. Campos, 68 pts; 2nd Rui Madeira, 26; 3rd A. Aghini, 20; 4th A. Araujo, 17; 5th J. P. Fontes and V. Lopes, 13 (...)

Co-Drivers - 1st C. Magalhães, 68 pts; 2nd Fernando Prata, 26; 3rd L. Roggia, 20; 4th M. Ramalho, 17; 5th N. R. Silva and J. Janela, 13 (...)

Makes - 1st Peugeot, 74 pts; 2nd Ford, 33; 3rd Mitsubishi, 29; 4th Fiat, 25; 5th Citroën, 19; 6th Toyota, 10; 7th Subaru, 9.

-fger-