Catalunya: Miguel Campos preview

Miguel Campos premiers in the World Rally Championship with his WRC Seven 206 WRC Peugeot enrolled in the Catalunya Rally

Miguel Campos and Carlos Magalhães, the Portuguese duo at the wheel of the Peugeot 206 WRC, will represent the Portuguese colours during the Catalunya Rally/Costa Brava - the fourth event of the World Rally Championship 2002. This is Peugeot Total Silver Team SG's fifth consecutive participation in this rally, although the 2002 entry will be with their two new drivers - Campos and Magalhães, who enrolled in this same rally two years ago at the wheel of a Group N machine. This year will be Campo's premier in the World Championship at the wheel of a WRC, allowing him to aim for a more ambitious result.

Since his entry in the Peugeot Total Silver Team SG, young Miguel Campos hasn't ceased from gathering significant results, winning four of the seven events he participated with the 206 WRC, and adding another three runner-up positions. Aware that his name is already recognised by some of the World Rally Championship Team Managers, Miguel Campos maintained his usual train of thought: "I still have much to learn, and I see our participation in Catalunya calmly. I don't need to worry about scoring; therefore, I hope to run a problem-free event. My handicap is the lack of knowledge of most of the special stages, and we cannot test anymore, due to the World Rally regulation" - permitting a mere two passages through each special stage for acknowledgement.

"We are the 24th car on track, so we'll probably be getting a lot of gravel on the road. Everybody tends to cut the corners, and the tarmac gets dirty from all the passages. If we manage times in the Top 20 on the first day, we can consider it very good, and after that, we can reconsider our goals for the next couple of legs", remarked the current leader of the Portuguese Rally Championship 2002.

Campos remarked: "We must be ambitious, but also realistic, as we know that a rally result does not depend on the driving skills alone, once there are other factors that influence the final result".

Team Manager, Carlos Barros, is aware of the World Rally Championship reality: "We have a good car, and possibilities to fight a leading position among private drivers, even with Miguel's poor knowledge of the stages. Our participation in the Catalunya Rally has become a tradition, although it is only Miguel's second time running in foreign land, and his first at the wheel of a World Rally Car. We are not expecting miracles, but Miguel has surprised us on various occasions since he drove the Peugeot 206 WRC for the first time"

Statistics
Peugeot Total Silver Team SG
Participations: 69
Wins: 25 (15 with the 306 Maxi and 10 with the 206 WRC)
Wins in the European Rally Championship: 7

In the Catalunya Rally:
1998 - 14th
1999 - withdrawl
2000 - withdrawl
2001- 12th

Miguel Campos/Carlos Magalhães - Peugeot 206 WRC
40% of the 206 WRC in the Portuguese Championship
Withdrawls: 0
Participations: 7

European Rally Championship results :
2nd in the Rali Vinho Madeira 2001
2nd in the Rali Rota do Vidro 2001

Portuguese Rally Championship results:
1st Rali Casino do Algarve 2001
1st Rali Casino de Espinho 2001
1st Rali Casino da Póvoa 2002 (winner of all stages)
1st Rali Futebol Clube do Porto 2002 (winner of all stages)
2nd Rali Rota do Dão 2001

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