Tramalón en Directo received last Monday the first guest of the week, to the current Super Championship of Spain with Citroën, Pepe López. A rider who, despite his short career in the world of rallies (compared to other dreivers) has dedicated himself as a driver to take into account at national, European and even global level.
The Spaniard managed to win the French Peugeot Challenge in 2016, a goal that was imposed by the ERC the following season with the Peugeot 208 R5. In the R2 stage he was in the Peugeot España team with José Antonio “Cohete” Suárez, who has a good memory: “He was one of the fastest riders with that car, he taught me a lot with R2,” he says. However, he maintains that they have “different ways of thinking”, which involved “some complicated moment as a companion” in his time with the Asturian.
After Peugeot, and after a six-month standstill, Sports&You, with Pedro Fontes at the head, gave Madrid a chance in Citroën. His victory with the DS3 R5 in Ferrol was “one of the most vindictive of my career,” as López said. His relationship with the team leader, the aforementioned Fontes, is exceptional: “Friend, counselor, team boss… Key in my personal and sports life, “said the double Spanish Champion.
The year 2019 was magnificent for both Pepe López and the Portuguese squad. None of the victories were simple, always with two or three cars in the lead, and with drivers like Ivan Ares. López considers the Galician as “the toughest rival he has had nationally”, since he adapts to all types of terrain: “Whether in Rallyes or Autocross, Ares is always a strong opponent”.
For the 2020 season -after Monte-Carlo and Lorca- the plans are to revalidate the titles in the Spanish Championship and to attend the WRC3 tests with the Rally Team Spain: “The objective is the same that the brand was proposed at the beginning of the year. Team, sponsors, co-driver and driver… We look forward to returning”.
Watch the live with Pepe López again by clicking on the link below.
