The International Rallye Sierra Morena is the second scoring event for the Spanish Rally Superchampionship and the first in which the Toyota GR Yaris Rally2, of the TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Spain and Teo Martin Motorsport team, will gauge its potential on tarmac. Next to Alejandro Cachón and Borja Rozada will be the 11 teams that are registered in what is the second scoring event of the TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Iberian Cup. This number makes the single-brand cup organized by Toyota Spain, Toyota Caetano Portugal and MSI to be the one with more participants among those present in Cordoba.

After the excellent result achieved by Alejandro Cachón in the opening round of the season, when he took the second place on the podium in the Rallye Tierras altas de Lorca, the GR Yaris Rally2 is expected to be equally competitive on tarmac.

To prepare for this event, the Toyota Spain team completed two intense days of testing, seeking the optimum set-up for the stages that will be contested in the area surrounding Cordoba. The result has been satisfying, both for the driver and for the rest of the team, which expects to be at the top of the classification.

As for the TGR Iberian Cup, the Rallye Sierra Morena is an unprecedented event in the calendar for all those registered, and a new challenge for the drivers.

Bruno Bulacia and Gabriel Morales, of the CSM Automoció team, start as leaders after their victory in the first race, in Portugal, and will try to maintain this position on a surface that is not so favorable to them, such as dirt. Behind, Josep Bassas (IPPON Motor Vallés), second classified in Fafe and six points behind the Bolivian driver, aspires to reduce this difference and assert his experience in the promotion cups. Javi Villa (Asturhíbrido), third in the championship (16 points), will be looking to take his first victory in the Toyota GR Yaris RZ Cup, on a terrain where he was highly competitive last season. The Asturian driver has won ten Spanish Hillclimb Championship titles, the last one in 2023.

José Lamela and Unai Conde (Breogán Group) will try to repeat the excellent result achieved in the first event, in spite of the many rivals who will make it hard for them.

Ricardo Costa and Rui Vilaça (Macedo & Macedo GTW Racing), despite dropping out in Fafe, won three stages and therefore scored 3 points. They will also be podium aspirants, as will Miguel Campos and Joana Silva (Macedo & Macedo GTW Racing), who won two stages (2 points) and will also want to make up for their withdrawal. Meanwhile, Pedro Lago and Marco Macedo (Toyota Caetano Auto) are much more adapted to the Toyota GR Yaris RZ Cup, as shown by their first scratch in the TGR Iberian Cup, in Fafe. The Portuguese driver thus scored an additional point, which places him sixth in the overall classification.

The list of registered drivers is closed by Carlos Rodríguez-Jesús Nieto (Breogán Group), José Carlos Mulero-Carlos Martínez (Labasa), Manuel Martins-Rui Vilaça and Javier Moltó-Daniel Rivera, who will run a rally for the first time with the Kobe Motor unit.

The Rallye Sierra Morena, for the first time scoring for the TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Iberian Cup, will be a new challenge to the drivers. The event consists of 14 timed stages, totaling 196 kilometers, divided into two stages. On Saturday, April 6, eight stages will be run, including the longest of the event (Villaviciosa-Grupo Peña, 28 km long), and on Sunday, April 7, the remaining six stages will be run. The weather will once again be a question mark, since a sunny first day is expected, while rain is forecast for the second, albeit intermittently. The official start will take place on Friday, April 5, in the center of Cordoba, where a massive crowd is expected, as it is one of the most prestigious events held in Spain.

Alejandro Cachón (DRIVER): “The pre-rally tests have gone very well and I feel very comfortable with the car. I really liked the Toyota GR Yaris on tarmac. I think we did a great job on the set-up and we were able to complete lots of kilometers. I think the team has worked perfectly fine and we have all prepared very well for this first test on tarmac”.

Borja Rozada (CO-DRIVER): “We are very happy after the first tarmac test with the Toyota GR Yaris Rally2. We believe we can be competitive in a rally like Sierra Morena, which is going to be a tough rally, with long stages. The team has worked very hard and we are looking forward to giving the team its first victory”.

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