FIA CODASUR RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP – RALLY DE LA TIERRA COLORADA, ARGENTINA (ROUND 1/5)

While the FIA African Rally Championship opened the 2019 regional rally season with the Bandama Rally in Ivory Coast on 21-23 February, the FIA CODASUR Rally Championship kicked off on South American territories last weekend with the first out of five rounds, Rally de la Tierra Colorada, in Argentina.

Diego Domínguez, aka "El Patrón", and his co-driver Hector Nunez, claimed the top spot of a full Paraguayan podium with a Hyundai i20 R5, winning with an overall lead of nearly 40 seconds on the gravel event ahead of Luis Maldonado and Jorge González, who took second place with a Škoda Fabia R5.  Augusto Bestard and Edgardo Galindo brought their Ford Fiesta R5 to third place on the roads of the province of Misiones.

Gustabo Saba, the 2018 FIA CODASUR champion and a clear favourite on the event, navigated by the Argentinian Fernando Mussano, was the rally’s undisputed leader with the brand new Volkswagen Polo GTI R5 until the start of Day 2. He opened Sunday's action by setting the fastest time in the first stage, extending his advantage to 17s over Dominguez. But the Paraguayan made a mistake as he was driving in a plantation, went off and broke a suspension. He was forced to retire.

It was the first time that Argentina’s Rally de la Tierra Colorada was an official round of the FIA CODASUR Rally Championship. Next up on the South American calendar is Rally Trans-Itapúa from 5 to 7 April in Paraguay, before Rally de Erechim from 31 May to 2 June in Brazil, Rally de Santa Cruz from 23 to 25 August in Bolivia and Rally del Atlántico from 29 November to 1 December in Uruguay.

Check out the Rally de la Tierra Colorada's photo gallery (credits: Viktor Kudlik)!

The provisional 2019 CODASUR Rally Championship Standings can be consulted here.

UPCOMING: FIA NACAM RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP – 16th Rally Mexico (Round 1/6)

After Africa and South America, the rally action kicks off on the North American continent this weekend with Rally Mexico, the opening round of the FIA NACAM Rally Championship, which is also Round 3 of the 2019 World Rally Championship. Among the entrants, Mexico’s Ricardo Triviño Bujalil is the clear favourite and will be driving a Škoda Fabia R5 on the special stages around Léon and Guanajuato.