The Catalan team took part in the season opener of the Spanish Cross Country Rallies Championship celebrated in Lorca. Albert Roquet and Montse Contijoch were at the wheel of the Buggy Experience Racing Team Polaris in this event. The team, demonstrating its competitiveness, approached the III Rallye Tierras Altas de Lorca as a racing test. For Buggy Experience Racing Team its raid season was started last weekend on the occasion of the first off-road motorsport event in the Spanish Cross Country Rallies Championship. In the 3rd Rallye Tierras Altas de Lorca, the Polaris RZR XP1000 was driven by Albert Roquet and his co-driver Montse Contijoch. Both driver and team approached this event as a racing test, given that Buggy Experience Racing Team had made and homologated the frame of the car in recent weeks. In addition Buggy Experience Racing Team, in cooperation with Jordi Higuera of HRG Suspensiones, has developed new ORAM dampers for the buggy and, in the light of these results, they were an excellent choice.
In the two prologue stages, Roquet was able to finish first ex aequo with two other buggies. Roquet started 3rd on Saturday but, unfortunately and when the driver was gaining confidence, some early teething problems appeared in the Parc Fermé when, shortly before the start, the car was not working properly. After several punctures the team decided to retire and concentrate on Sunday, repairing the car. After replacing the clutch and when the previous problems seemed to be solved, they occurred once again. Nevertheless, Roquet and his buggy were able to reach the end, putting important experience under his belt in Lorca with a view to future commitments.
“Our raid was off to a good start, setting the fastest time in the prologue equaling two other buggies driven by Isidre Esteve and Valero. Under the circumstances, as the car is still very new, it was a good result. Unfortunately, we noticed it was impossible to select high gears, so we would lose time each and every kilometer. We also had problems with a fuel tub”, Roquet pointed out. After retiring, in the Parc Fermé, Roquet continues explaining that “we replaced the clutch, but it was not the problem finally. So, with other 170kms ahead on Sunday, we were not able to push as much as possible either but our goal is to finish at any price. Even we helped a Herrador V8 overturned on the road. Finally we finished 5th and scored forty points, very valuable for the championship. Now it is moment to look in detail the car and, in this way, approach Baja Almanzora, next May, with chances to repeat our win there last year”.
