Bryn Jones and co-driver Max Freeman finished fourth in the Peugeot Rally Cup Portugal at Rallye Casinos do Algarve, with a strong sixth-place result in the category and third in the Junior Portuguese Rally Championship.
The pair brought their PT Racing-prepared Peugeot 208 Rally4 home 22nd overall after a challenging weekend on the Algarve gravel roads.
Returning to gravel for the first time since April, Jones admitted it took time to rediscover his rhythm on the loose surface, after spending much of the season on tarmac since May.
“It was an enjoyable but tough weekend. I tried to get the most out of the car throughout the event,” said Jones.
“It took me a bit to get used to driving on gravel again. We did two shakedown runs and then Stage One, and I got progressively better with every kilometre.
“By Stage Two, I was back into the swing of it. The feeling was becoming really good.”
The event presented several challenges, with dust affecting the crew on Stage Three and increasingly rough conditions making the afternoon stages particularly demanding.
“Unfortunately, on Stage Three, we caught some dust and lost a bit of time. Luckily, we got that time back from the organisers.
“The stages were getting quite rough in the afternoon loop, so we really needed to concentrate on avoiding damaging the car or getting a puncture. We’re extremely grateful that we had such a strong car.”
The result sees Jones and Freeman continue building valuable experience in their first season competing together in the Peugeot Rally Cup Portugal, with the championship’s final round now on the horizon.
The championship returns to tarmac for the final round, Rallye Vidreiro Centro de Portugal, on 20–21 November.
Jones will be looking to finish the season strongly as he returns to tarmac for the final round of the Peugeot Rally Cup Portugal.
Header Image: Kora
