The Almanzora Valley was once again the chosen venue to kick off the 2024 Andalusian tarmac and regularity rally season. The event with coefficient 5, organised by the Motor Club Balcón del Almanzora and with the town of Olula del Río as the epicentre of the rally, celebrated its tenth edition in a weekend where the municipalities of the region turned their attention to the event.
Of the 41 registered teams, 15 had to abandon the competition on Saturday due to the difficult weather conditions. The presence of the rain and breakdowns were the dominant trend among the participants, which led to some unusual final classifications.
The best in the 11 timed sections – the B2 section had to be neutralised – along the 370 kilometre route were the members of the Automóvil Club de Almería team formed by Antonio Molina and Alejandro Castillejo at the wheel of a Peugeot 208 R2 with a best time of 1 hour, 20 minutes and 39 seconds, who took the final victory.
Second place overall went to Sergio Capel and Aitor Cruz of the Escudería del Mármol in a Peugeot 308 Racing Cup, 50.5 seconds behind the winners, while the bronze went to Córdoba in the Porsche of Óscar Gil and Manuel Causse, 2:09 behind.
The competition got underway on Friday night with the first timed and scratch stage for the very fast driver from Granada, Pedro David Pérez, who flew from Olula del Río in his Hyundai i20 R5. With the co-driver Esther de la Torre from Ubrique, the up to that moment one of the favourites for the victory, took the lead of the rally; a position that he would lose on Saturday. Sergio Capel and Antonio Molina completed the best times of the first race and were able to make good use of their positions for the following day.
On the second day of racing, the competition turned around. The eight times Andalusian Regional Government champion, José Antonio Aznar, together with Osel Román from Almeria, made the difference in the first two stages on Saturday, with the permission of Francisco Pérez Gaitán and Marcos Rumí, putting almost 17 seconds between them. With the Porsche 911 driver as the big favourite, the arrival of the rain would significantly change the board.
Before the end of the afternoon loop, Oscar Gil, from Cordoba, gave excitement to the race with the best time of the participants in the Líjar and Chercos sections and started the fifth section of the rally in the lead, with Molina and Aznar close on his heels. Despite Aznar’s attempts to retake the lead by taking the scratch in the ninth section, Antonio Molina was still in the lead, 56 seconds behind Capel.
Finally, in the night sections of Códbar and Albanchez, Capel and Aznar were the fastest against the clock, winning the last two stages, although Molina’s consistency was decisive for the final victory without having to take too many risks.
With Molina, Capel and Gil on the final podium, Aznar finished fourth and Adolfo Gutiérrez, from Jaén, fifth. The reigning Andalusian champion David Pérez was finally sixth.
In the FAA Cup, Huelva-born and reigning champion Miguel Ángel Zunino with Suzuki Swift Sport finished first, ahead of the Audi A1 of Cordoba-born Juan Jesús Coca and Juan Manuel Meléndez-Valdés also driving Suzuki Swift. In the Provincial Council of Almeria 2024 Cup, Molina also took the win, ahead of Capel and Aznar.
Among the juniors, the victory for the best driver went to Alejandro Cuenca and the best co-driver to Aitor Cruz. Likewise, the victory in the women’s category went to Sara Pérez, from the Escudería Clásicos de Alcalá.
In F2000 the winners were Francisco García Martos and Pablo García; while in the Regularidad Clásica, José Cruz Valdivieso and José Cruz López won with Renault Clío. Finally, the best in Regularidad Sport were the tandem formed by José Ignacio García-Bejarano and José Luque with Volkswagen Golf GTI.
The next round of the Andalusian Asphalt Rally Championship will take place on 5 to 7 April for the 41st edition of the Rallye Sierra Morena (Córdoba) organised by the Automóvil Club de Córdoba. This rally has coefficient 6.