Michaël Burri and Clio R3T finish on WRC 3 podium in Spain

Michaël Burri and Anderson Levratti finished as runners-up in the WRC 3 at Rally de España in Catalonia, the fifth round of their programme with the Renault Sport Rally Team. Leaders after SS1, the Swiss crew dropped to third before then grabbing second place and keeping it until the end of the rally.

After a solid performance at the Tour de Corse, Michaël Burri and Anderson Levratti picked up in Catalonia where they had left off in Corsica, at the fifth of their six-round programme in the WRC 3, the reward for winning last year’s Clio R3T European Trophy. The Renault Sport Rally Team’s Clio R3T crew got off to the perfect start, winning the opening Barcelona city-centre stage on Thursday evening to hold the early lead in the WRC 3 class.

The following day, held on gravel, the Swiss pair were slightly off the pace, before recovering their speed on Saturday when the rally switched back to tarmac. In an incredibly reliable Renault Clio R3T, Michaël Burri strengthened his grip on second place in the WRC 3 on Sunday as he went on to claim his maiden podium finish in the category.

"I’m very pleased with this result," commented a delighted Michaël Burri. "Initially, I struggled to find the right rhythm on the first few gravel stages, but then things improved on the second loop. On Saturday, we drove really well on the tarmac and had a very good day. We really enjoyed ourselves and that was reflected in our performance. We’re full of confidence at the finish because things just got better and better and the car was perfect !"

“It was a very positive rally,” confirmed Sylvain Alanore, Renault Sport Rally Team Manager. "This second place is very much deserved because there was a lot of work went into it. Michaël was a little uncomfortable on gravel but he managed to pick up the pace on tarmac. The approach to this event was good, positive, in addition to the good work on fine-tuning the set-up after a successful test session. The stage win on SS1 was a boost for everyone and especially for the crew, who were on the front foot all weekend, and that approach paid off."

After this mixed-surface event, the Renault Sport Rally Team’s Renault Clio R3T will face an all-gravel event at Wales Rally GB, the final round of the this season’s WRC 3 programme for Michaël Burri and Anderson Levratti.

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