In the midst of bad weather, which has punished the entire western region of Paraná for a week, Antonio Pizzonia and his teammate, Julio Campos, arrived on Thursday at Cascavel Race Circuit with the same optimistic expectation regarding fourth stage of Stock Car. Both of them dream about positive results in the double round of Sunday: in the case of Pizzonia, to confirm the reaction started with second place in Santa Cruz do Sul; Campos, for his part, to put a stone in the beginning of the season marked by a succession of misfortunes that left him in a position (23rd) much below the potential of the organization led by Rodolpho Mattheis.
Pizzonia, who is in 14th position in the overall ranking led by Thiago Camilo (Ipiranga / A. Mattheis), and Campos are celebrating one of the busiest weeks of the calendar. Cascavel is the "home" race of the Prati-Donaduzzi Team, since the drug manufacturer is based in nearby Toledo. Consequently, they fulfilled an extensive agenda of promotional engagements in the region, which included a visit to the sponsor's headquarters, meeting with staff and local press. On Thursday, they visited Uopecan hospital, which specializes in cancer care and treatment.
The pair of racers` confidence is fueled by both the drivers and team’s track record in the fast and technical circuit of 3,058 meters in length, known as Bacião, a sequence of two breathtaking left-turns. Campos took pole position and finished in second position in the 2014 stage. In total, he has 3 second places and four podium finishes on the track. "That's where I have the best results," he remembers. He also observes that there is no reason to discredit his possibilities. "Our car is very fast, we just have to fit everything in. So, here is the ideal place to get things in." The team also has a success story in Cascavel with poles, victories and even record of the points at the same time, recorded in 2015. "We have a very good base and we have every reason to believe we will be strong," adds Rodolpho Mattheis.
This Friday, Pizzonia and Campos might begin to turn into reality the dream of a great result that brings them closer to the leading group in the racers' standings. The track opens at 1 pm for the first free practice session, again divided into 2 groups and 60 minutes for each. The weather forecast shows that the rain will finally drift away from the region and the sun will shine over the weekend, at the same time that the temperature will fall dramatically and will reach 3 degrees in the early morning hours of Sunday.
