São Paulo – Two Brazilian racers, Reinaldo Varela (pictured, R) and Gustavo Gugelmin (L), won the FIA World Cup for Cross Country Rallies this year in the UTV category. Victory came this Wednesday (9) with the last event, the Morocco Rally, which wrapped up the world competition. The UTV category is for two-passenger off-road vehicles.
With this victory in Morocco, the pair is now three-times champion in the sport. The event took place in an area that featured both dunes with different heights and rocky grounds. The world championship brings together the best international pilots and teams of the Dakar style. The duo raced in Qatar, Kazakhstan, as well as the United Arab Emirates, where they came in second.
Called Monster Energy, the duo consists of Reinaldo Varela, who does the driving, and Gustavo Gugelmin, who’s the navigator. They had a long run throughout the five-day race, which started with technical issues on the vehicle. “Everybody suffered a lot during this rally, which was so demanding. Accidents were common because both the itinerary and the path were radically difficulty. But if it was easy, it wouldn’t be so valuable,” Varela was quoted as saying in a press release.
“Reinaldo was very efficient and fast; he’s a really amazing pilot. I’m not only glad but honored to have a partner like him. Especially since I know we’ll achieve many other things together,” Gugelmin finished. The duo’s next competition will be Rally Dakar, which will take place in Saudi Arabia from January 5 to 17, 2020.
Translated by Guilherme Miranda
