After all necessary administrative and technical checks had been successfully passed the day before, on Thursday morning Eurolamp WRT started on shakedown of Rally de Portugal.

This session was very busy for the crew of Valeriy Gorban and Vladimir Korsia. They not only checked the data collected during training in Portugal, but also worked on a few technical updating which have been hooked up on team’s MINI John Cooper Works S2000. In particular, a new version of  Anti-Lag System provided by Prodrive was tested. This testing work largely predetermined the discreet rate which the duo kept during shakedown and therefore the final result. Eurolamp WRT passed shakedown stage three times and was thirteenth among WRC2 participants.

The real start of Rally de Portugal was held at Thursday evening.  It was 3-kilometers superspecial stage Lousada – a great evening show for the fans and start of the fight for the crews.

Valeriy Gorban and Vladimir Korsia directed attention to the first stage of the race on the previous day when they made notes for routs of Saturday and Thursday. That stage was very short, just over 3 kilometers, but obviously could spring very messy surprises. Rallycross track with lots of bends, back bends, frequent changes of surface between tarmac and gravel, was not an easy nut to crack. Unfortunately, Valeriy Gorban and Vladimir Korsia felt all guile of it on themselves.

“Unfortunately, even though we knew what to expect from the first special stage, and had intended to drive very carefully, we did not avoid errors. We did not pass a few banks so good and lost time on it. But even that did not spoil our good impression of the start of the race. After all, the car works perfectly and the whole race is still ahead. And it will be very hot battle. And forecasters promise dry and warm weather… In such circumstances, it would be nice if our today inaccuracies were our the most serious troubles”,- Vladimir Korsia said after the finish of SS1 .

The duo of Eurolamp WRT showed the tenth WRC2 time at SS1, losing to the leader Nasser Al-Attiyah 4.3 seconds. Upon that the Ukrainians lost 2.8 seconds to crew of Swede Pontus Tiedemann, who was theirs sparring partner on the stage, and who eventually became the third.

On Friday, the participants of the Rally de Portugal going to overcome the six special stages, the length of which will be 132 kilometers.