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Congratulations to our friends at Vallejo Racing in Spain, who achieved the first gravel rally finish for a Porsche 997 R-GT last weekend, at the Rallye Tierras Altas de Lorca. Fitted with the gravel suspension kit that we developed for our own 997 R-GT but were not permitted to rally, the car enjoyed a reliable debut and came home in the top 50% of finishers, in the midst of the R2 runners.
“This is a great result for Vallejo Racing on their first rally with a gravel 997,” said Richard Tuthill. “The incredible photos of the car in action show that Diego and Sergio (below) had a lot of fun exploring the car’s ability on a loose surface. Crossing the finish line is always the mission on a debut event and we’re delighted to see that happen: on to the next one!”
Finishing the rally means a class win for the 997, as the car is the sole R-GT currently running in the Spanish national gravel championship. The team’s next outing is the Rallye Ciudad de Pozoblanco, which is held on the weekend of April 7th and 8th in the wonderful countryside north of Córdoba in Andalucia.
The 997 R-GT faces stiff competition in Spain from serious contenders with healthy budgets and WRC-grade machinery. When one takes out the ten R5 cars and six 4wd cars that finished in front of the Vallejos, the 2008 Vallejo 997 R-GT is running right in the thick of the R2 battle. As the crew increases its familiarity with the Porsche on gravel and tweaks the setup to suit Sergio’s style, that battle will only intensify: an exciting prospect for rally fans!
We look forward to seeing how the season progresses and to more of these great pics from Charly Lopez Photography in Spain. Many thanks to Charly for permission to share them!
