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Rallye Sierra Morena TER – Tour European Rally victory for Pepe López
19.03.2023
Perfect weekend sends the Spanish driver into the Series' lead
The second round of the 2023 TER Series, 40th Rallye Sierra Morena, offered two days of sun-soaked rallying action on the technical mountain stages around Córdoba.
In a tight fight during the opening leg, 2020 TER – Tour European Rally Champion and Hyundai Motor España driver Pepe López, codriven by Borja Rozada, pulled away on Sunday morning, scoring 4 stage wins in a row, taking victory by 16.4 seconds.
Leader after Saturday’s opening loop, 2021 TER Series winner Iván Ares, alongside with José Antonio Pintor on another Hyundai I20 Rally2, kept within striking distance of his rivals, winning Sunday’s opening test before settling for silver.
Third step of the podium for José Antonio Suárez and Alberto Iglesias who made the most of their brand newŠkoda Fabia RS Rally2 improving their confidence and consistently setting top-3 stage times.
With another Hyundai I20N Rally2, Jose Luis Pelaez codriven by Alberto Chamorro gradually strengthened their fourth place.
Rallye Sierra Morena proved difficult but ultimately rewarding for three more TER Series crews: The Škoda Fabias Rally2 of Pablo Díez, with Maria Esther Gutiérrez, and 2019 Tour European Rally runner-up, Germans Stefan Göttig and Natalie Solbach-Schmidt, completed a demanding event, before a well-earned celebration inCórdoba just like Pedro Perez and Alejandro Leseduarte with their Hyundai I20 R5.
Stunning performance in TER Junior for Sergi Pérez and Lorena Romero: the duo dominated over the technical stages of Andalucìa on their Peugeot 208 Rally4, finishing fifth in the TER classification, in the overall top ten, and clinching a category win in front of the sister car of Santiago Garcìa, codriven by Nèstor Casal, and the Renault Clio Rally5 driven by Alberto Perez and Andrea Fidalgo. Mario Borbolla, alongside Diego Cruz, overcame the opening leg difficulties taking their Peugeot 208Rally4 to fourth over Avenida de la República Argentina final podium.
In TER 2WD, Juan Carlos Fernandez and Esther de la Torre presented their Renault Clio Rally5 with a clean sweep of fastest stage times, and won the category in front of the Opel Adam of Oscar Gil with Carlos Chamorro.
The challenging stages of 40th Rallye Internacional Sierra Morena- Córdoba Patrimonio de la Humanidad - Trofeo Andalucía Región Europea del Deporte proved a great test for men and machines. The event came to an early end for the two Hyundai I20s of Surhayen Pernía, codriven by Alba Sánchez, and Francisco López with Borja Odriozola. Same fate the Renault Clios of Javier - Marta Galán, Jose Javier Perez with Alberto Espino and the Porto Cervo Racing Team crew of Dino Caragliu and Mauro Atzei, carrying a dedicated Sardegna and Rally Terra Sarda livery.
