For Collet 2009 was the best Sertões (foto: David Santos Jr)
Carlo Collet is five times champion of Sertões International Rally in the Quads category, and fought a lot in 2009 to win his sixth title, but Cristiano Sousa made it hard for the pilot, who participated in January of Rally Dakar. In love with off-road, he says that Sertões is like Christmas, New Year and Easter, it is every year, when saying that everytime he finishes one competition he confirms the participation in the next one.
Collet was in the second position in the general classification and with the title in the Quadri Extreme category, and guarantees this was the best Sertões he has ever participated in. This rally was longer, more competitive, and I started among the first ones every day, as I also race the World one. It was really difficult for me to try to decrease the advantage Cristiano Sousa had over me, said the pilot.
With the titles achieved in 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005 and 2006, Carlo Collet points out that this year the races itinerary was very well chosen, he complimented the fast and difficult trails in the competition. Sertões was very well organized, and after being through this years Dakar, I can say that here was better planned than there, he pointed out.
The pilot congratulates Cristiano for the achievement and states that this is good to show Brazilian quad pilots that there is a chance for everyone. This shows everyone that it is not only one that wins. The sport is growing, we have better pilots every year, and I think that in two to three years, we will have about 20 competitors in the category racing Sertões International Rally, he said.
About the dispute, during the ten stages, trying to take Sousas lead, Collet can only celebrate. He guarantees that the stages were extremely competitive, but that there were no conflicts between them, in which all competitors were friendly towards each other. In quads, there is a lot of companionship, there is no major rivalry amoung us, as there is in other categories, but nothing that makes any pilot lose their will to win. Cristiano was really nice to me every day. I could start another Sertões right now, he said excited.
Only celebration The victory may not have been Carlos, thanks to a mechanical problem, which was managed since the first special. The quads belt broke in the first day and I lost 20 minutes to change it. I had started behind Cristiano and at this moment I had already overtaken him, but during my pause, he overtook me. For three days I had to deal with this problem and every time I stopped to repair it took me 20 minutes out of the competition. In addition to the day that I was behind him and I fell and capsized. It was took me 30 minutes to get the equipment out of there. Therefore, I could not speed in the limit of the equipment, nor mines, he explained.
But the result is positive for Collet, who evaluates the race as his best competition. I did not forfeit in any stage this year and every time I won or lost, was with a major difference in time. Not this one. We were fighting all the time for the title, I won five specials, it is a shame I could not take this advantage off him. I didnt lose for some silly matter, you just cant win them all, he analyzed, who promises to put his effort into Dakar 2010.
Este texto foi escrito por: Lilian El Maerrawi
Last modified: julho 4, 2009
