First important satisfaction for the Italian rally drivers who led their Hyundai i20 R5 on P6 during the ERC Rally of Azores race although bad weather conditions afflicted the whole race. They recovered two positions in the second stage thanks to a series of excellent timings and the good feeling between driver and navigator, which is now substituting injured Guido d'Amore.
In this fifth round of the European Rally Championship the race proved to be harder than expected. The rain and fog of the first day which made the roads much muddy, put the performances of all FIA ERC protagonists on the test.
Umberto Scandola and Danilo Fappani started quietly, staying on the Top Ten and gradually gaining positions, concluding the first stage in position eight. On Saturday the Hyundai i20 R5 led by S.A. Motorsport, under a cloudless sky and favorable conditions, increased the rhythm without risking too much and they quickly climbed the ranking closing in sixth place overall with a time +4'03"0.
At the end, Mikkelsen-Edmondson with their Skoda Fabia Evo R5, won the race with a time of 2h32'31”5.
After the race Italian driver Umberto Scandola reported: "It was a very exciting ERC Rally, difficult at first, but truly funny. I'm quite satisfied because we have improved our feeling with the car and with this particular place. Especially, we tried to limit the damage and we were always focused not to make big mistakes with complicated weather conditions" - he concluded - "The car was perfect all weekend and I have to thank my technicians who gave the very best."
The next appointment with the European Rally Championship is going to perform in Portugal on the land of the Serras de Fafe and Felgueriras from 1st to 3rd October 2021.
