Fafe has been the scene of a fantastic start to the TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Iberian Cup season. And that despite the fact that the rally was held under very changeable weather conditions. The rain has significantly impacted the condition of the stages, which has generated enormous difficulties for all the teams registered in the single-brand cup organized by Toyota Spain, Toyota Caetano Portugal and Motor & Sport Institute (MSi).

The first special stage was held on the tarmac of the town of Fafe, and served for Sergi Francolí to remind everyone that he is the current champion of the TGR Iberian Cup. The CSM Automoció driver beat Ricardo Costa (Macedo & Macedo GTW Racing) and Dani Berdomás (Grupo Breogán), the next classified. In fourth place was Miguel Campos, ahead of Bruno Bulacia. After the show, which was enjoyed by thousands of spectators despite the rain, the drivers rested before the start of the real rally.

On Saturday morning it was time to move on to the gravel tracks of the "Serras de Fafe". The fact that it was raining, but not continuously, raised many problems for the drivers and engineers in choosing the correct settings for the Toyota GR Yaris RZ Cup.

Sergi Francolí won again on the first stage of the day, with a slight advantage over Miguel Campos, and the third place went to newcomer Bruno Bulacia, just 1.8 seconds behind Francolí. This was the first warning of the young Bolivian driver, which would draw the attention of all present, as his competitiveness was unquestionable from that moment on.

Bruno Bulacia and his co-driver Axel Coronado entered the second special stage on Saturday determined to demonstrate their skills, and went on to win up to seven of the eight special stages contested up to the penultimate stage of the rally. A rally that featured 14 timed sections, but due to weather conditions and the poor condition of the terrain, the organization decided to cancel six, for safety reasons. Even so, the performance of the Bolivian driver who is only 20 years old, who has chosen the TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Iberian Cup as the best way to continue his career, was impressive.

The team made up of Sergi Francolí and Javier Moreno seemed to have achieved the best possible result in the Serras de Fafe Rally in their pursuit of Bulacia's Toyota GR Yaris RZ, with their constant performance among the fastest drivers. Before the last stage, they were placed in second place, more than a minute behind the leader.

Ricardo Costa and his co-driver Rui Vilaça were third, more than two minutes behind. Miguel Campos, who was in sixth position, could not start the last stage, and had to withdraw due to health problems. Dani Berdomás and Albert Llovera (PCR Sport Club Esportiu) also had problems on Saturday, but were able to rejoin in the super rally mode and thus compete on Sunday. Alberto Monarri (IPPON Motor Vallés) and Isaac Vera (KOBE Motor) completed the top five places before the last special stage of the rally, which included the mythical Lameirinha jump.

And it was in this special stage where everything changed, when the result seemed to be definitive. Bruno Bulacia, who did not slow down at any moment, wanted to secure the victory by winning another stage, but he exceeded the limit and was forced to abandon the rally. In this same special stage, Javi Villa (Asturhíbrido) and Jonathan Rieu had to retire, withdrawals that were added to that of Manu Gascou, who had abandoned 2 special stages before.

Finally, the victory went to Sergi Francolí (CSM Automoció), and Ricardo Costa (Macedo & Macedo GTW Racing) and Alberto Monarri (IPPON Motor Vallés) who occupied the remaining places on the podium. The fourth place was held by the veteran Jean-Michel Raoux, who, after a difficult start in the urban special, never moved away from the top 5 of the general classification and relegated Isaac Vera (KOBE Motor) to fifth place, who saw the fourth place slip away when he had a lead of more than 40 seconds over the Frenchman.

Pedro Lago Vieira (Toyota Caetano Auto), Pierre Lafay (CHL Sportauto), José Mulero (Labasa), Dani Berdomás (Grupo Breogán) and Albert Llovera (PCR Sport Club Esportiu) completed the classification of the TGR Iberian Cup at the start of the second season, in this order.

In the Serras de Fafe Rally, scoring for the European Rally Championship -FIA European Rally Championship (FIA ERC)-, the Toyota GR Yaris RZ Cup has once again shown its speed, reliability and competitiveness, since only two cars that did not belong to the Rally2 category, which is the maximum category allowed by the International Automobile Federation for the national championships, finished ahead of the Yaris. This overall result, in such a tough and demanding event as the Serras de Fafe Rally, can be considered a success, and the team will continue to improve and work hard to face the next round of the Toyota single-brand cup with even more confidence.

The break this time will be very short, as the Rally Terra da Auga will be held in just two weeks in Ordes, Galicia. The teams will have to work hard to make the GR Yaris shine again in what will be the second event of the 2023 season of the TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Iberian Cup.

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