Crash forces Araujo car switch

Armindo Araujo will be at the wheel of a replacement MINI John Cooper Works WRC on the Acropolis Rally following a fraught build up to the sixth round of the FIA World Rally Championship powered by Nokia.

The double Production Car world champion hit a rock and rolled during a test in Greece on Sunday. Although he and co-driver Miguel Ramalho were uninjured, their car was beyond repair and the WRC Team MINI Portugal operation had to send a replacement from its base near Milan in Italy to enable them to start the event.

“Our third car travelled here from Italy overnight arriving on Tuesday,” explained team manager Bruno De Pianto. “The mechanics and the rest of the team worked night and day to be prepared for scrutineering on Wednesday to make sure we could start the rally without a hiccough.”

There were further problems for Araujo during today’s Qualifying Stage when a steering issue meant he was more than 16s off the pace. He will start the event second on the road behind Brazilian team-mate Paulo Nobre, for whom De Pianta has high hopes of a successful rally.

“Paulo had a great test, drove just over 100 kilometres and increased his confidence and feel for the road throughout the day,” said De Pianto. “With Paulo being a big supporter of Erechim Rally in Brazil which finished last weekend, part of his spirit was of course at home with his countrymen. Now he’s here in Greece as focused as ever on increasing the profile of rallying in Brazil and encourage everyone to understand exactly why he loves rally sport so much.”