Barattero Motorsport driver, Gabriel Pozzo, is currently leading the Argentine Rally Championship by the narrowest of margins over eight times champion Federico Villagra. Despite being PWRC Champion in 2001, Gabriel has never won his national series and with just two rounds to go, will be fighting hard to change that.
I was lucky enough to talk with him about this and his thoughts on all things rallying in Argentina.
Congratulations on finishing second last weekend at the Rally de Entre Rios. It was a close fight between you and Federico, with only 9.8 seconds separating you at the finish. Were you disappointed not to take the win?
It’s always nice to win, but we were first car on the road and the conditions weren’t great for us. We lost a lot of time sweeping the road, whilst Federico had a slightly better run, starting eighth. I would have liked to have won, but found it really hard to get into a rhythm because the road was so slippery, and I couldn’t risk the championship.
Speaking of that, you are still leading the championship and have done all year. With two rounds to go are you confident of being able to take the crown?
I’m sure we’ll win the championship. Federico is a great rival, but I think we have a great car and we’ll be fighting all the way.
Many would say that you have nothing to prove, as you have already been a World Champion in Group N cars. Still though, winning an Argentine Championship would be special for you wouldn’t it?
Yes, I’d love to win in Argentina! We have worked very hard this year to be the champions. I don’t race to prove anything to anyone, I simply race to win, and for sure I’d love to reach our goal of being champions at home.
Seeing that you have rallied all over the world, what is your opinion on the Argentine Rally Championship right now?
It’s a great championship, hugely competitive, one of the most competitive next to Finland I feel, and it’s growing all the time.
What do you think about the new Maxi Rally VW Gol that Barattero have built? Will you be rallying one of those soon like your team mate Claudio Menzi?
I think it’s the category of the future, and yes, next year I will be driving one. I’m not sure what brand yet though. I really believe in these cars, they are real racing cars, sequential gearboxes, non-turbo, almost 300 hp and they put on a great show.
You’ve driven the car in testing, what was your feeling behind the wheel of the VW?
As I said it’s a real race car! It’s been great straight out of the box. It’s easy to drive, BUT difficult to really get the maximum from. You need to handle it completely differently to a Group N car, it’s a lot more work!
Do you think that this new class will bring more local manufacturers into rallying in Argentina?
To begin with it will add some new teams, if not manufacturers themselves. More types of cars will be racing though and that is our first objective. That way it’s not just a race between Subaru and Mitsubishi, which can be very boring.
You have competed in the DAKAR for the last two years. What do you think about it now being located in South America?
Yes I've been fortunate enough to compete twice, and for sure it is great to have it here in Argentina. Personally though, I think that to “race” in it you need to be up the front, because further back it just turns into a race against yourself. It’s very tough, very difficult, you must be very strong to reach the finish as an amateur driver.
Will you be competing this year?
No, I don’t have anything on the table right now.
Finally, is there any chance we’ll be seeing you competing back in the WRC?
I would love to, but right now it’s only a dream. It’s very expensive, but you never know what can happen?
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I’d like to say thank you to Gabriel for his time, wish him all the best for the remaining rallies this year, where hopefully he can add the Argentinean Rally Championship trophy to his collection.
For more information on the Argentinean Rally Championship visit: www.rallyargentino.org.ar
For more information on Barattero Motorsport Group and its products visit: www.barattero.com.ar
For any Australian pricing and delivery enquiries on Barattero products visit: www.robisoneng.com.au
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