The 61 Rallye Princesa de Asturias was held this weekend (September 6 and 7), the sixth of the nine events in the Spanish Rally Superchampionship (S-CER) calendar and the first of two consecutive rallies to be held in this autonomous community.

After the crowded start of the rally in the centrally located Calle de Uría, in Oviedo, the activity began on Friday morning, with the shakedown and the qualifying stage, where the TOYOTA GAZOO Racing and Teo Martín Motorsport team pair set the second fastest time.

In the afternoon, the first special stage was held under heavy rain, making the driving very difficult. However, Alejandro Cachón, Borja Rozada and the Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 showed a perfect fit to the conditions, setting the best time. It should be noted that this was the first time that the new GR Yaris Rally2 took part in an event on wet terrain. In the second stage, Alejandro Cachón achieved a new scratch to close the first loop of the rally with a 10 second advantage over Diego Ruiloba.

In the three remaining stages, the rain intensified, further increasing the already slippery and typical tarmac of this rally. Even so, the Asturian driver set a new best time in TS-3, while in the two remaining special stages of the day he decided to manage the advantage he had gained. In this way, Alejandro Cachón was the clear winner on Friday, finishing 15.3 seconds ahead of Diego Ruiloba and 33.3 seconds ahead of Manuel Mora.

In the second stage, the rain gave way to sunshine, although the tarmac was still wet in the early hours of the morning. Alejandro Cachón and Borja Rozada started with two consecutive second places in TS-6 and TS-7, to set a new best time in TS+, which also allowed the TOYOTA GAZOO Racing and Teo Martín Motorsport team to add the 3 extra points awarded to the winner of this special stage. In this way, and with only three stages left to finish the rally, the driver from Cangas del Narcea made the difference over Diego Ruiloba in 15.2 seconds.

In TS-9, Alejandro Cachón set the second best time and was in TS-10 where he added a new scratch. This best time of the Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 coincided with the puncture of Diego Ruiloba, which left the gap with the second classified of the race, Efrén Llarena, in 2 minutes.

In the last stage of the rally, with an insurmountable advantage for their rivals, Alejandro Cachón and Borja Rozada certified their second win of the season, after the one achieved in the Rallye Islas Canarias. In this way, the pair of TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Spain and Teo Martin Motorsport continues as leader of the S-CER, now with an advantage of 26 points over the second classified, after leading the rally from the first special stage.

The next event scoring for the S-CER will be the Rallye de Llanes (20 and 21 September), where the TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Spain and Teo Martin Motorsport team will share the spotlight with the TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Iberian Cup.

Alejandro Cachón (DRIVER): “It has been the hardest Rallye Princesa de Asturias in recent years, due to the amount of heavy rain on Friday. We have to congratulate the whole team for the great job they have done during the entire week. The Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 has shown the potential it has and how competitive it is under any circumstances. We are very happy to have achieved the second win of the season, which also has a special flavour for me to run at home. I thank the fans for all the support they gave me these days. Even so, we can't relax as there is still a long season ahead of us”.

Borja Rozada (CO-DRIVER): “It has been a tough rally, but we adapted well to the conditions from the very first moment. We are very pleased, especially because it is Alejandro's home rally. The puncture of Diego Ruiloba in TS-10 was a pity, as it would have been a thrilling ending of the rally. We have to thank the TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Spain team and Teo Martin Motorsport for the great work and effort they have done, enabling us to do two days of testing, for which much of the success is also theirs. Now it is time to get ready for the Rallye de Llanes and hope we can repeat our victory”. 

Clasificación final Rallye Princesa de Asturias

1.- Alejandro Cachón: 1:24:06.7

2.- Diego Ruiloba: +1:33.7

3.- Efrén Llarena: +1:37.8