Menzi won the first event of the season for second year in a row and once again he rounded up a solid job to leave behind Baratec's Paraguayan Diego DomÃnguez (KIA) by 55,7s. and his team-mate Miguel Baldoni (VW) who came more than two minutes and a half adrift.
But first Menzi had to battle hard against Federico Villagra (Ford) during a rough Saturday's leg with action taking place through the well-known Ascochinga-La Cumbre and La Cumbre-Agua de Oro stages. "I've never run in such gruelling conditions like the ones we had to face in Ascochinga" reckoned Menzi.
Menzi and Villagra arose as the main protagonists on Saturday as they were able to set a pace quite impossible to match for their opponents. They exchanged positions at the top of the standings in three occasions and they never were more than four seconds away from each other.
However, on SS7, the last ran in the first leg, Villagra went off the road and damaged a wheel, something that caused him two minutes and to drop to sixth place. Eventually, "Coyote" would retire during second leg.
On Sunday Menzi had no difficulties to manage the difference he made, even to widen the gap against DomÃnguez and Baldoni, and he clinched his second victory within Scuderia Fiat.
Final classification
1º) C. Menzi-D. Cagnotti (Fiat) 1h50m51,1s (88,52km/h)
2º) D. DomÃnguez-E. Galindo (KIA) +55,7s
3º) M. Baldoni-G. Franchello (VW) +2m36,8s
4º) A. Marchetto-M. Bazán (Mitsubishi) +3m34,9s
5º) R. Pereyra-P Sciangula (Mitsubishi) +4m22,5s
6º) E. Tasca-M. Falvo (Mitsubishi) +4m38,8s
7º) J. Gómez-D. FarÃas (Subaru) +5m00,0s
8º) J. Gil De Marchi-M. Albornoz (Chevrolet) +5m15,9s.
9º) A. Rossi-M. Aranguren (Mitsubishi) +5m36,4s
10º) C. Cataldo-G. Andreu (Mitsubishi) + 6m43,4s
Photo attached: Claudio Menzi (Fiat Palio MR).
Credit: Rally Argentino.
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