Julio campos will become the newest member of the Stock Car Centenary Pilots this weekend. The Paraná-born from the Prati-Donaduzzi Team will complete the mark of 100 races in the main series of Brazilian Auto Racing on the double header’s complement – 9th round -, scheduled for Sunday in the return to the category to the Campo Grande’s Race Track after four years. “I’m happy to be part of the history of the greatest championship in our Country”, celebrates Campos who occupies the 4th position in the overall scores and needs a good result to be back on the Top 3.
Campos debuted in Interlagos in the 2006 season opening. His first appearance, however, didn’t last that long with the RS Team car number 72. There were only four laps before a suspension breakdown lead to a crash towards the end of the straight section. “I started off way in the back lines, but it was already a victory to be able to get a spot because at that time there was a car limit per grid” he remembers. “I raced only twice that year, but I was sure I was coming in for the long run. Hopefully I can reach 200 or 300 races.”
Since 2013 defending the team led by coach-director Juan Carlos “Mico” Lopez, Campos has solid chances of having his best Stock Car campaign ever and to surpass the 8th place from 2012 and 2014. He even got to lead after conquering his second Stock Car victory in the beginning of May (the first one came in Tarumã last year) but being absent in two rounds – Santa Cruz and Cascavel – caused great damage. “We had some trouble with the engine settings and breakdowns, but I hope it will all be solved for Campo Grande. Let us wait for the beginning of practices so that we can have a more real perspective.”
Campos says that the improvement registered lately – snatching three pole positions since 2013 – is part of a continuous learning process as well as of a reached stability since Prati-Donaduzzi, a medicine manufacturer established in Toledo (PR), started supporting the team lead by “Mico” Lopez. “Investments have increased and the continuing of pilots and technicians has also contributed for this evolution. Today, we fight as equals against any team”, he observes.
The winning in Curitiba deserves a special spotlight among Campos’ memories. It was the first ever at Stock Car won by a local and, as icing on the cake, the raised him up to the top of the score table. "That’s the best memory of that time, although the poles positions and the victory in Tarumã, where the team became the only one so far to win two races on the same day, have also been unforgettable" he continues. On the opposite side, the tragedies that lived closely with in the Stock Car entry series, also remain alive. "The deaths of friends like Rafael Sperafico and Gustavo Sondermann were the worst times, no doubt."