Jose Luis Jacquet Rios and co-driver and fellow Paraguayan Hernán Vargas Peña have registered for the 2016 FIA European Rally Championship, the first overseas crew to do so.
- Jose Luis Jacquet Rios / Hernan Vargas Peña ©FIAERC.COM
They will contest between four and six ERC events in a Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X starting from next month’s Rally Liepāja.
“I want to make progress in my career, so we have decided to go out of my home field, to discover different types of stages and surfaces,” said Jacquet Rios, who has been rallying for the past three seasons.
Vargas Peña added: “Rallysport in Paraguay is on a very high level, we have many R5 and production cars. But all events are very similar and for gaining experience, it is very important to go abroad. We will try to make a good result in ERC2, but this season will be primarily about gaining experience.”
For the ice and snow of Rally Liepāja, Jacquet Rios and Vargas Peña will compete in a Pro Racing-run Mitsubishi, the team behind Vitaliy Pushkar’s 2014 ERC Production Car Cup victory.
“It will be our first start on snow, during my 19-year career I have never compete on different surface than gravel,” added Vargas Peña, who will join Jacquet Rios for a national championship assault as well in 2016.
With thanks to Petr Linhart
