Júlio Campos (Prati-Donaduzzi) broke, on a high note, one of the longest taboos in the history of Stock Car. After 50 races, completed in the first round of the double round of Sunday at the International Race Track of Curitiba-Pinhais, and won by Daniel Serra (Red Bull), the 33-year-old driver from Curitiba became the first local driver to win a race in the capital city of Paraná. And he did not stop there: thanks to the 8 points in the first race, Campos took over the championship lead, leading the ranking for the first time since his debut in the category in 2006.
It was a Sunday when everything worked out for the team led by the Uruguayan Juan Carlos "Mico" Lopez, after a Saturday to forget. In qualifying, the Amazonian Antonio Pizzonia - who finished 4th and 11th places and turned into another major highlight of the stage - ranked only 16th on the grid. Campos was even worse and did not exceed 20th place. "I made a mistake that ended up hiding our potential, because I had the car to start among the first 10. But it seemed that God wanted so, since it was because I started back there that I could get away from the confusion at the first corner and gain several positions", he said.
Campos went up, opted for changing two tires on the stop for refueling, and saw the strategy working perfectly. "In fact, our goal has always been to get as many points as possible and not be obsessed with victory. I knew I needed to pass the pole-position Valdeno Brito at the start to gain some time in front. But it was a very difficult race because I had to save fuel and not have the same risk of the drivers who fell by the wayside in the end. Even so, I crossed the finish line with the car virtually shut off, and with just over half a liter in the tank", he said.
Campos' victory - his second in the category, repeating the result of Tarumã last year - cheered up the crowded stands. "I'm glad I have given this joy to these people who came here today. Now we have to keep that same pace, because the championship has just begun and this was only the fourth stage. It will not be easy to keep the leadership because the category is more balanced. Teams are more accustomed to this format of two races and this issue of fuel and tire consumption," he added.
The big party in Prati-Donaduzzi's pits was complemented by the excellent performance of Pizzonia. Following his partner's example, he avoided the touches that removed five cars on the first lap, had an aggressive pace in the race, and returned to the pit stop in third position. As he had changed only on tire, since the team prioritized the first round, he could not resist and lost his place on the podium for Thiago Camilo (RCM/Ipiranga). In the second round, he stopped right on the second lap to change the excessively worn right front tire, returned at the end of the line, and climbed the positions to enter the scoring zone. "Looking our placement on the grid, our weekend was excellent. Perhaps the most appropriate strategy in the first race had been changing two tires, because I think I could still fight for victory with Serrinha and Marcos Gomes, who finished second. But we can't complain, we had a great time." The numbers give reason to former Formula 1 driver, who rose from 16th to 7th position in the championship.
The fifth stage is set for June 28th in Santa Cruz do Sul, where Pizzonia and Prati-Donaduzzi won their first victories in the Stock Car in 2014.