Hugo Pereira wins 1st race of 2009 Championship

The international racing circuit in the Algarve started the season with a program full of exciting races. From Formula 3000 to European GT championship, the entertainment in the track, provided great racing and very enthusiastic fans.

Qualifying
After learning the track in free practice, Hugo was able to stick his Radical SR3 in the first row of the grid in 2nd place, only loosing out to the more powerful "Lister Storm" driven by the Englishmen Bobby Verdon Row, ahead of the Porsche GT3 and the next Radical SR3 in 4th position.

Race one
Hugo started the race in 2nd position but soon lost the position to the faster Porsche GT3 during the rolling start. Hugo was all over the Porsche and after some pressure, the Porsche driver could not avoid a mistake which allowed Hugo to take the 2nd position back. A great strategy in the pits to change drivers and some quick laps, allowed the Radical to join the race in 2nd position. The driver in the lead of the race did not stop enough time in the pits and was given a stop&go which allowed Hugo Pereira to win the firs race of the season.

Race two
The grid for the second race is the result of the first one and this allowed Hugo to start the second race of the day in pole-position. The Radical is not fast enough through out the straight comparing to the Porsche and the "Lister Storm" and lost the lead in the rolling start. Hugo and his team mate were lapping the circuit faster and faster throughout the race but this time had to settle for 2nd position overall and best in class. This allows them to lead the championship and look forward to the next race.

"It was a fantastic weekend. The Algarve international circuit is amazing and after learning the track, we were exploring the track, the car and our limits to the maximum. My team-mate and I were pushing each other constantly which allowed us to be consistently fast and achieve two great results for the start of the championship. A big thank you to my sponsors, my father, my brother and my team, who provided me with a great car which allowed me to win races and fight for the championship."

Sportive regards,

Hugo Pereira

Results:

Race Two
1 - Bobby Verdon-Roe / Lister Storm
2 - Hugo Pereira/Miguel Cristovão / Radical SR3
3 - Luis Martins/Ribeirinho Soares / CVO

A total of 21 drivers in the race