With the cancelation of the Pharaons Rally due to the social and political instability in Egypt, the Baja Portalegre 500 has become a decisive round when it comes to giving the titles, since the number of points separating the leaders is so small, and also because the Portuguese round is now the last one on the championship.
With the two great names Jean-Louis Schlesser and Nani Roma absent in Poland, the eyes turned to third place and local hero Krzysztof Holowczyc. Nevertheless, the driver, the only one with a mathematical possibility of getting the crown besides the first two, did not take advantage of the situation and ended up picking only one point, which leaves everything open at the top of the chart. In the meantime, the surprise victory went to Alexander Zheludov.
Quite similar is the situation regarding the T2 class. The Russian Alexander Baranenko is the leader of the classifications, with Portuguese-Angolan Rómulo Branco in second with the chance of getting the title. However, it remains to be seen how large the difference between the two is. Branco has submitted a complaint against the classification in Poland, and if the final result remains the same, then the driver seats 14 points adrift from the first position. If, however, the protest is accepted, the eight points for the sixth spot in which he finished on the T2 will leave him just six points adrift from the leader. Much easier to recover.
Be it as it may, only Portalegre will reveal the 2013 World Champions, which will make the Automóvel Club de Portugal’s event a promising one from start to finish and a must for drivers, teams and fans alike.