Two months after the end of the 2014 season, the Stock Car championship resume its activities with a single pre-season collective training session Saturday and Sunday at the Curitiba-Pinhais International Raceway. With few significant changes to the formation of the primary forces of the greatest category in national motorsport, teams will have two days to work on the development of cars, aiming at the opening of the season, scheduled for March 22nd, in Goiânia, which will host the only round in a dual race - each driver receives a guest.
Prati Racing kept Júlio Campos, from Paraná, and Antonio Pizzonia, from Amazonas. Third place last year after a modest 11th place in 2013, the organization led by technical-director Juan Carlos “Mico” Lopez was the one with the highest growth among the teams. Excited with this go-ahead leap, the Uruguayan driver does not hide his optimism prior to the restart of activities at the track. “It was our best preparation in recent years. The mechanics are more excited and dedicated than ever. The cars are marvelous,” he says. “Mico” respects the quality of his rivals, but makes it clear that the goal now is even more ambitious. “We want to fight for the drivers’ and the teams’ championships. We have every condition for this.“
Indeed, Campos and Pizzonia were always among the main figures in Stock Car 2014 and reached the final round, at the same circuit in Paraná, with chances of an unprecedented achievement for both. Campos was a two-time pole position and won for the first time in the category in Tarumã, a historic Sunday for Prati, upon reaching the only one-two since the system with dual races entered into force - Pizzonia won the second leg, his second in the Stock Car championship, repeating his feat from Santa Cruz do Sul.
Earlier in the week, Campos went to the Londrina circuit to “shake off the rust”, and practiced with a car from the former Montana series. “We are already established as one of the great teams. Now we have to build on it and score high in every round, as it already was last year. We are better prepared starting our third year backed by Prati-Donaduzzi, and I have no doubt that we will move all in for the two championships. The second half of the 2014 season was very good for us. Pizzonia’s times improved considerably and it became easier for us to work together,” he explained.
Pizzonia returned to Stock Car last season after an absence of over a year. After adapting again, he became one of the highlights of the category. “The idea is to continue what we have done so far and reach the end in the fight for the two titles. I had some problems in the beginning of 2014, mainly because of a foot burn, but my second half of the season was much more solid,” he remembers. The former Formula 1 driver also points out at another factor for his confidence in an even greater campaign this time. “My physical preparation was intense, and I feel very well for what lies ahead.”
