Wed 06 Apr 2022
Motorsport journalist Reiner Kuhn experienced the highs and lows of the FIA European Rally Championship (ERC) at the Azores Rallye last month.
Kuhn, a long-time correspondent for the ERC as well as the WRC, switched roles as he jumped behind the wheel of a Renault Clio Rally5 at the opening round of the Clio Trophy by Toksport WRT.
The German put on a strong showing despite his limited experience, but he and co-driver Tim Rauber had to retire after the Tronqueira blast on Saturday morning.
The car’s radiator was damaged while driving through the same water splash that ruled out Ireland’s Jon Armstrong and its engine later overheated.
“Despite the difficult conditions, we mastered the first two stages cleverly and got through well, despite some small moments,” Kuhn explained.
“We drove a little too quickly into a water splash near the end of the third stage and damaged the front and radiator. The engine was still running, but just before service it wouldn’t start.
“After pushing the car into service, we had to retire with engine damage despite the best efforts of the great Toksport mechanics.
”It was a very slight error and I was incredibly sad and disappointed. We would have loved to have delivered a finish,” he added.
Paulo Soria finished up as winner of the category after leading from start to finish in his similar car. The Argentine’s leading margin was 3min 16.5sec.
Finland
Italy
Hungary