The New Zealand Rally (29th to 31st August) marks the return of the Bernardo Sousa/Jorge Carvalho team to the Production World Rally Championship (PWRC). In New Zealand since last week – a choice made for adapting as best they can to the time difference between the two countries (12h) – Bernardo completed the first warm-ups today. A warm-up that the Red Bull Rally Team pilot considers to have given him a good idea of what the 3-day sections against the clock have in store. The second warm-up will take place tomorrow, followed by the shakedown on Thursday morning.

“The recovery programme I’ve been following has gone as planned and proof of this is that I’m going to race tomorrow in New Zealand. Today was the first warm-up and it went fine”, says the Madeiran pilot, who liked what he saw in his first contact with the demanding New Zealand tracks. “It’s a wonderful track! Pure driving. This first warm-up led us to believe that this will be a very good rally in terms of driving, but very demanding”, analyses Bernardo Sousa.

The objective in this return to the PWRC is still the same since the beginning of the season: finishing the race. “I’m ready to compete but I’m aware that I’m a bit restricted because of my shoulder. So, more than ever, I want to finish the race without thinking about results. As I’ve said from the very start, this is a year for me to learn and prepare myself for the future”, he stresses