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Brazilian V8 Stock Cars: Valdeno Brito on pole at Interlagos

Leaders live a drama on qualifying, Marcos Gomes starts 27th, one position behind challenger Cacá Bueno.

Valdeno Brito

Valdeno Brito

Valdeno Brito and Ricardo Zonta
Five title-deciders
Rubens Barrichello
Rubens Barrichello
Rubens Barrichello, Full Time Chevrolet
Marcos Gomes
Valdeno Brito
Marcos Gomes
Rubens Barrichello
Átila Abreu
Átila Abreu
Valdeno Brito
Felipe Fraga
Caca Bueno
Caca Bueno
Atila Abreu, #51 Mobil Super Racing Chevrolet
Atila Abreu, Mobil Super Racing Chevrolet

Saturday at Interlagos started with high temperatures and blue skies. But at Brazil’s most famous racetrack it is widely known that everything can change in a blink of an eye. That is exactly what happened during Brazilian V8 Stock Cars qualifying session today. As a reversed order of the championship standings is applied, the leaders were the last ones to do their flying laps.

While there was sun, Valdeno Brito was the fastest man of the session with 1min38s992 - the fastest lap time of the weekend - followed by Mobil AMG’s Átila Abreu (who will replace Brito at Shell Racing next season) and Axalta C2 ace Sérgio Jimenez. Still to go to the track were Ricardo Maurício, Max Wilson, Júlio Campos, Thiago Camilo, Allam Khodair, Rubens Barrichello, Cacá Bueno and Marcos Gomes.

Really, really complicated

Cacá Bueno

As the latter prepared to leave the pits, a heavy rain poured down at the track all of a sudden. The session was red-flagged so the teams could make the tyre changes - but everything was completely lost for the title-contenders in their hopes to start ahead. The only thing left to do was to go as fast as possible on the wet surface and to be as far ahead of each other as possible.

Rubens Barrichello’s 19 seasons of Formula One experience, his knowledge of Interlagos and his recognized quality of driving talent in the wet made all the difference, and the current Stock Car champion ended up fastest among the ones who qualified in the rain - back in P25, though.

Cacá Bueno, who among the combination of results has to win and hope for Marcos Gomes to finish 14th or worse to clinch his sixth title, starts 26th, one spot ahead of Gomes. The Red Bull driver gave the whole picture about his title chances: "Really, really complicated". "I had made some races in Stock Cars starting from 24th and finishing second, but the risks increase significantly - for me and for Marcos. I have to count on everything now, be it rain, storm, snow, mud, crazy priests running on the track, pit strategy, safety car, whatever, to achieve the title and to get far ahead through the field. I have to do the most brilliant race of my life. The rain was a blow, but I’ll keep my head down and fight until the end", said Bueno.

Marcos Gomes needs a 13th place finish to clinch the title in case of Bueno’s victory to be the 2015 champion. "I would like to have driven in the dry, because we had a pretty good car in those conditions. However, I cannot deny that it is not a good position for Cacá, because if I don’t score any points here he has to be at least P4 in the race. It is not impossible, but for him it is more difficult than for me", he told.

Of course, that was not Valdeno Brito’s problem. Pole-sitter for the third time this season, the Shell Racing driver wants to say farewell to his team in the best fashion possible. "My last race with the team, and it couldn’t be better with pole position. The car is absolutely quick and I will try to achieve the victory as a way to say thank you to the guys", he highlighted.

The title-decider starts at 10 o’clock (Brazilian Time) this Sunday with a 40-minute plus one lap race. Double points will be awarded.

Starting Grid

Pos. Driver Team Car Lap time Gap
1 77 Valdeno Brito Shell Racing Chevrolet 1:38.992 -
2 51 Átila Abreu AMG Motorsport Chevrolet 1:39.139 0.147
3 73 Sergio Jimenez Axalta C2 Team Chevrolet 1:39.403 0.411
4 70 Diego Nunes Vogel Motorsport Chevrolet 1:39.459 0.467
5 88 Felipe Fraga Voxx Racing Team Peugeot 1:39.676 0.684
6 46 Vitor Genz Boettger Competições Peugeot 1:39.677 0.685
7 14 Luciano Burti RZ Motorsport Chevrolet 1:39.746 0.754
8 83 Gabriel Casagrande Axalta C2 Team Chevrolet 1:39.803 0.811
9 5 Denis Navarro Vogel Motorsport Chevrolet 1:39.834 0.842
10 11 Cesar Ramos Total Racing Peugeot 1:40.041 1.049
11 10 Ricardo Zonta Shell Racing Chevrolet 1:40.045 1.053
12 28 Galid Osman Ipiranga-RCM Chevrolet 1:40.066 1.074
13 110 Felipe Lapenna Schin Racing Team Peugeot 1:40.284 1.292
14 1 Antonio Pizzonia Prati-donaduzzi Peugeot 1:40.332 1.340
15 74 Popó Bueno Total Racing Peugeot 1:40.480 1.488
16 26 Raphael Abbate Hot Car Competições Chevrolet 1:40.535 1.543
17 63 Nestor Girolami Schin Racing Team Peugeot 1:40.561 1.569
18 42 Constantino Jr AMG Motorsport Chevrolet 1:40.721 1.729
19 66 Felipe Guimarães Boettger Competições Peugeot 1:40.729 1.737
20 69 Beto Monteiro Hot Car Competições Chevrolet 1:40.755 1.763
21 25 Tuka Rocha União Química Racing Peugeot 1:40.790 1.798
22 8 Rafael Suzuki RZ Motorsport Chevrolet 1:40.822 1.830
23 3 Bia Figueiredo União Química Racing Peugeot 1:41.045 2.053
24 9 Gustavo Lima ProGP Chevrolet 1:41.548 2.556
25 111 Rubens Barrichello Full Time Sports Chevrolet 1:47.608 8.616
26 0 Cacá Bueno Red Bull Racing Chevrolet 1:47.844 8.852
27 80 Marcos Gomes Voxx Racing Team Peugeot 1:48.032 9.040
28 100 Allam Khodair Full Time Sports Chevrolet 1:48.627 9.635
29 29 Daniel Serra Red Bull Racing Chevrolet 1:48.661 9.669
30 90 Ricardo Mauricio Eurofarma RC Chevrolet 1:48.913 9.921
31 21 Thiago Camilo Ipiranga-RCM Chevrolet 1:49.735 10.743
32 65 Max Wilson Eurofarma RC Chevrolet 1:49.968 10.976
33 4 Julio Campos Prati-donaduzzi Peugeot 1:50.629 11.637

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