Efren Llarena was the winner of the 56th Azores Rallye, an event that is part of the European, Portuguese and Azorean championships of the sport that took place this weekend on the island of São Miguel. The Spanish driver with a Skoda Fabia Rally2 Evo from Team MRF Tyres, third at the end of the first stage, moved up one place at the start of the second day and overtook Ricardo Moura, by 2.6s, at the finish line.
The local hero, also in a Skoda Fabia Rally2 Evo, was in command since the first stage, the second of the program, and, the fastest in three special events, had once a 14.7 seconds lead over his pursuers. In the lowest position of the podium, the Austrian Simon Wagner was for some time Moura’s main adversary, but he was unable to keep up with the pace of the two first classified in the second leg.
Fourth classified, Romanian Simone Tempestini was on a rise and from the 11th place he occupied after the first stage to the place he reached in the middle of the second day, where he finished. Armindo Araújo got off to a bad start in this event, but he improved as the race went on and was fifth, a result that allows him to be the leader of the FIA ERC, a championship in which the rally winner, Llarena, is second, three points behind the Portuguese driver.
