Eric Camilli makes it happen in Portugal

Forgotten the misadventures in Monte-Carlo and Sweden with two consecutive retirements at the opening of the 2016 World Championship. With a fifth place at the finish of the Rally from Portugal, Eric Camilli finally achieved a result expected since the start of the year.

Author of an almost flawless performance on the Portuguese roads, the Frenchman however suffered a scare in the last kilometers of the Power Stage when he spun, losing more than 25″ in the process. A setback which however had no consequences in the general classification, the driver of the Ford Fiesta RS WRC retaining his result against the return of Jari-Matti Latvala (Volkswagen).

“It was a great weekend and a boost for confidence, comments Camilli. We set good times and had a very good feeling with the car all weekend. We have taken a big step forward in many areas. We learned how to set up the car better, how to tackle the ruts on the second runs and we also made a lot of improvements to our scores over the last two rallies. »

Camilli admitted not expecting such rapid progress, but recognizes that her work has paid off. “Of course we still have a lot to learn, so we will keep working and keep trying to improve with each new rally. »

Find the report of the Rally of Portugal, produced by our special correspondent on site, in issue 2064 of AUTOhebdo, available from 22 p.m. in digital version, and from this Wednesday on newsstands.