WRC3
Emotional Bruun romps to maiden WRC3 victory
Nataniel Bruun stormed to his maiden WRC3 victory at ueno Rally del Paraguay on Sunday, winning by more than 15 minutes.
Bruun achieved the feat on his 17th WRC3 start and did so in emphatic fashion, bringing his Ford Fiesta Rally3 home 15min 02.9sec ahead of Frenchman Eric Royère – a result which brought the 21-year-old Bolivian to tears at the finish.
Royère was the only other competitor in the all-Fiesta Rally3 field to complete the weekend without restarting.
Such was the demanding nature of this year’s event that only three of the seven crews who started reached the finish. Naveen Pulligilla, who rejoined on Saturday following a Friday mechanical issue, completed the podium.
Paraguay not only marked Bruun’s first WRC3 victory, but also his first podium of the season after three previous fourth-place finishes.
The maximum points haul catapulted him from 11th to fourth in the championship standings.
Reigning champion Matteo Fontana continues to lead the title race, 26 points clear of Gil Membrado and Tymek Abramowski, who are tied for second.
