WRC Academy to decide runner-up at the RallyRACC, with Spaniard José Antonio Suárez in the challenge

(04/11/2012)

José Antonio Suárez (Ford Fiesta). Deutschland 2012

France was the venue to proclaim the new champion of the WRC Academy, a single-make series organised by the FIA for drivers under 25 years of age. Welshman Elfyn Evans is the winner, and the focus is now on the runner-up position, which will basically be decided between two drivers, Brendan Reeves from Australia and José Antonio Suárez from Spain, who are only 2 points apart. Suárez is being co-driven by Cándido Carrera from Galicia.

Although there is no prize for the runner-up (the champion will be awarded a bonus of 500 thousand Euros to invest in the 2013 WRC), clinching the position is a plus with a view to the future of any driver. This class awards points for the classification, but also for the fastest overall times in the class, so that Suárez, who is a specialist on asphalt, has everything on his side at the RallyRACC.

Suárez had his debut in the regional rally series in Asturias in April 2009, and made the jump to the WRC Academy, in which he already took part in 2011 finishing 9th overall. Now, his big aim is to win the RallyRACC in this category and to clinch the runner-up position, thus confirming a meteoric career that confirms the Spanish driver as the greatest hope of Spanish rallying on an international level. The victories in this category went so far to Evans (4) and Alastair Fisher (1), but on the asphalted surface that suits him so well, Suárez will try to take the last victory of this category that will be called Junior WRC as of 2013.

The WRC Academy was staged in six rallies of the 2012 WRC: Portugal, Greece, Finland, Germany, France and the final round will be Spain. The crews use rented Ford Fiesta R2 prepared by M-Sport in their Polish headquarters located in Krakow, fitted with Pirelli tyres.

Overall standings of the WRC Academy ahead of the RallyRACC
1-Elfyn Evans (Great Britain/Ford Fiesta R2), 126 points (Champion)
2-Brendan Reeves (Australia/Ford Fiesta R2), 76 points
3-José Antonio Suárez (Spain/Ford Fiesta R2), 74 points
4-Pontus Tidemand (Sweden/Ford Fiesta R2), 59 points
5-John MacCrone (Great Britain/Ford Fiesta R2), 59 points
6-Alastair Fisher (Great Britain/Ford Fiesta RS), 54 points
7-Timo Van der Marel (Netherlands/Ford Fiesta RS), 37 points
8-Frederik Ahlin (Sweden/Ford Fiesta RS), 22 points