Strong showing from Andreas Aigner yields no reward

The Red Bull Rally Team were rejoicing at the end of the final day of the Uddeholm Swedish Rally today! Bernardo Sousa (POR) and Carlos Magalhaes (POR) were able to hold off a charge by the Italian Simone Campedelli and secure eighth place in the P-WRC placings. With a 10.7 second advantaged over the Italian the Portuguese pair collected a World Championship point in their Mitsubishi EVO IX, finishing 18th overall. This is by all accounts a superb achievement in the young Portuguese driver’s first slice of World Championship action.

Bernardo Sousa: “I can hardly believe it, it’s crazy! That was a hard bit of work today. Campedelli was coming in really hard on my heels. It was really difficult to find the right balance but the team’s superb tactics paid off in the end. I would like to take the opportunity to thank all of those who have helped to make this wonderful success a reality. I can’t wait to hear from my father as he promised me before the rally that he would quit smoking if I managed to finish in the points!”

Andreas Aigner (AUT) and Klaus Wicha (GER) could keep an eye off the placings as they raced the final stages in Red Bull’s second Mitsubishi EVO IX. While they enjoyed a quick pace throughout the whole weekend, a single error yesterday ultimately cost them a place on the PWRC podium and pushed them down into 14th.

Andreas Aigner: “Today was really just about clocking up a few kilometres for me. I was not risking a thing but I still managed to have a little wobble with a spin in stage 17. In all it was a real shame as without yesterday’s accident it would have been possible to pick up a lot of points.”

Team boss Raimund Baumschlager: “There is jubilation with Bernardo’s World Championship point. It is just sensational as the chap said himself. We had a long tactical discussion before the final day today and he kept to it perfectly despite being pushed to the limit. It is of course a shame that Andreas is going home empty handed. He recorded some very quick times over the three days and just made one mistake and found that his luck had deserted him.”

Aigner and Wicha’s end of day report:      P-WRC/ Overall

SS 15: Ullen 1     16.25 km P 06/20 
SS 16: Lesjöfors 1    10.49 km P 06/18 
SS 17: Rämmen 1    21.87 km P 17/33
SS 18: Ullen 2     16.25 km cancelled
SS 19: Lesjöfors 2    10.49 km P 04/15
SS 20: Rämmen 2    21.87 km P 09/23

Sousa and Magalhaes’s end of day report:      P-WRC/ Overall

SS 15: Ullen 1     16.25 km P 11/26 
SS 16: Lesjöfors 1    10.49 km P 09/22 
SS 17: Rämmen 1    21.87 km P 09/23
SS 18: Ullen 2     16.25 km cancelled
SS 19: Lesjöfors 2    10.49 km P 08/20
SS 20: Rämmen 2    21.87 km P 06/18