Portugal is permanent place of training for Eurolamp WRT. This year the team worked on the Iberian Peninsula before visit to Mexico and before the race in Argentina.

So it was a logical step to have Portuguese training before the forthcoming fifth event of World Rally Championship. The crew of Ukrainian team spent three days – from May 12 to May 14 – near the Guimarães city (Braga District). The training program contained usual routines like taking addition mileage and experience of working with car, with tyres, finding of optimal setups before upcoming race. The collected data has special value because the training passed in very close to race of Rally Portugal conditions. It is enough to say that two special stages of Portuguese race were named after the Fafe city, near which team’s training took place.

In addition to regular trainings during last five years Ukrainian team took part at four Portuguese events of World Rally Championship. In 2011 Valery Gorban, driving  Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X in Production Cup yet, ended the race at 19th position of general classification and at 5th position of Production Cup classification. At present this is the best result of the squad on Rally Portugal. In 2013 Valery Gorban and Vladimir Korsia were forced to retire because of transmission failure. But the race in 2014 and 2015 the due ended with the same results – at 18th position of general classification and at 8th position in WRC category.

By the way, for recall last year Rally Portugal of Eurolamp WRT it is enough to use only one word – the wheels. Two flew off the rim tyres on Friday, in addition two punctures on Saturday – only because of these problems the crew lost more than six minutes. But if you add a little crash, when the car had been out of the road and rolled on its side, and broken driveshift, you will understand why Valery Gorban and Vladimir Korsia called the race like «crazy».

Photo © Paulo Araújo