Azores: Bruno Magalhaes will have tried everything

Peugeot will not have shone in the Azores. Bryan Bouffier failed to reach the podium for his first event on the Portuguese island. Bruno Magalhaes had a great opportunity to give the Lion a top three finish, the Peugeot driver having managed to resist the attacks of Jan Kopecky (Skoda) until the last stage. The Portuguese lost everything when a transmission problem forced him to retire.

Bruno Magalhaes suffered from this breakdown on the first special of the last day, where he returned third place to Jan Kopecky, his direct opponent of the weekend. “My transmission problems started on the first special stage on Saturday morning”, details the Peugeot driver. “I was forced to slow down, traction was no longer good, there were vibrations. »

However, the Portuguese did not want to give up without having fought until the end. However, the damage was too great. “The rear axle support had given way. I contacted my team. They asked me to try to remove the driveshaft, to compete in a two-wheel drive special before joining the service for the repair to be carried out. Unfortunately, I did not have the tools to carry out this operation, and I could not go any further. Madeira having been removed from the IRC calendar, I still have two chances, in Hungary and in Sanremo, to achieve the results of which I know I am capable. »