Alejandro Cachón and Borja Rozada completed a mixed-emotions Rally de Portugal, marked by the speed they showed from the outset, but with an adventure that ended earlier than expected due to the failure of the alternator pulley.
Alejandro Cachón arrived in Portugal highly motivated to secure his first victory of the year, something he began to demonstrate from the very first stage. The Spanish pair remained in contention for the top positions in WRC2 from the start and ended Thursday’s leg just 4.1 seconds off the lead, while also being the highest-placed Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 in the category.
On Friday, still under good weather conditions, Alejandro Cachón and Borja Rozada continued to run at the front. Their pace on stages such as Mortágua (SS4), Arganil (SS5), and Lousã (SS6) allowed them to move further up the standings and take the overall lead of the Portuguese rally on the sixth stage of the event, the third of the day.
Just when everything pointed toward a top-level fight for victory in WRC2, the problem that ultimately defined the Spanish duo’s rally appeared. It happened during a road section, when issues emerged with the steering pulley. The setback forced Alejandro Cachón and Borja Rozada to retire after having demonstrated the speed and ambition needed to fight for the win.
Even so, once the car had been repaired, Alejandro Cachón and Borja Rozada rejoined the rally under the super rally regulations with the aim of continuing to gain mileage and experience on gravel, as well as testing different setup configurations for future events on this surface. However, the torrential rain, hail, and the risk of further complications led to the decision to bring the event to an early conclusion.
Beyond the final result, Portugal also left positive signs for the Spanish crew. In their first gravel event of the year, Alejandro Cachón and Borja Rozada quickly showed they had the pace to compete at the front in an especially demanding rally.
The next event for Alejandro Cachón and Borja Rozada will be the Rally Japan, from May 28 to 31, on Toyota’s home soil. The event will be run on asphalt, marking a return to the rally where the Spanish duo achieved their first victory in the WRC2 category.
Alejandro Cachón (DRIVER): “It’s a shame because we were having a very solid rally and had shown from the beginning that we had very good pace. Leading an event like Portugal in our first gravel rally of the year has been a very positive sign. Retiring leaves us with a bitter feeling, but we are also taking away some positive aspects for what’s ahead. Now it’s time to focus on Japan, return to asphalt, and keep working to try and achieve victory again like we did last year”.
Borja Rozada (CO-DRIVER): “It’s not a positive result in terms of points because we leave with a zero that affects the season, but there is also a positive side to it. We were leading the rally until we had to retire due to the mechanical issue and, up until that moment, we had started with a lot of confidence. We showed strong pace on gravel and proved that we can lead a World Championship event on this surface. Unfortunately, although we were able to rejoin the rally, another mechanical problem prevented us from continuing and testing more things. Now it’s time to look ahead to Japan and try to repeat last year’s victory”.
Teo Martín (TEAM MANAGER): “It’s a shame to end the rally this way after the great pace Alejandro and Borja had shown throughout the event. Leading WRC2 in such a demanding rally as Portugal is very positive and confirms the potential we have. Now it’s time to focus on Japan and keep working”.