A few hours before the registration closes tonight, more than 40 drivers have already confirmed their participation in the 'XX Isla de Los Volcanes Dirt Rally', which will be held on August 25 and 26 and will be attended by inspectors from the Royal Spanish Automobile Federation with a view to its possible inclusion next year in the Spanish Dirt Rally Championship (CERT).
This was announced this Monday during the presentation of the event, in which the President of the Cabildo, Pedro San Ginés, highlighted "the enormous passion for motorsport that exists in Lanzarote, to the point that there is no cultural, sporting or social event that arouses as much interest on the island as rallies".
San Ginés thanked the Inter-Island Automobile Federation of Las Palmas, as well as the public institutions and private entities that collaborate "for their effort" in the organization of this rally, which will be attended by prominent drivers on the national scene such as Jorge del Cid, Cristina Gutiérrez, Roberto Rozada and David Quijada, in addition to the Canary drivers participating in the regional dirt championship and the fifteen participants in the Skoda Fabia Lanzarote-Fuerteventura Cup.
"A rally of this level must recover its status as valid for the CERT"
The president of the Las Palmas Federation, José Víctor Rodríguez Suárez, joined in this gratitude and emphasized the importance of "all of us giving a good image so that a rally of this level recovers its status as valid for the CERT, as it already was with such success in 2008 and 2009".
The event was also attended by the mayor of Tinajo and former rally driver, Jesús Machín, who appealed to the "very important role that the public will play in order to fulfill our aspiration that this rally be included again in the Spanish Championship". Also attending was the mayor of Haría, Marciano Acuña, who highlighted "the spectacle that will undoubtedly be offered by the 21-kilometer section that will pass through the northern municipality" and which will be the most important of the event.
Also present was the Minister of Sports of the Cabildo de Lanzarote, Patricia Pérez, as well as José Alberto Umpiérrez, Councilor for Sports of the Teguise City Council, an institution that, together with the Cabildo de Lanzarote, is one of the main sponsors of this event and that "will continue to support the celebration of rallies on the island" -he said-, as will the Tías City Council, according to the Councilor for Sports of this municipality, Francisco Javier Aparicio.
"Passion like the one in Lanzarote, nowhere else"
For her part, Alma Martínez, representative of iLanza-Hyundai Lanzarote, one of the companies sponsoring this event -which also has Distribuciones Viera, Gracilanza, Club Manguia Motor Sport, Grúas Los Ajaches, Hamburguesería Cuco and CICAR as collaborating companies- highlighted that "passion for rallies like the one in Lanzarote, there is nowhere else".
The Villa de Teguise will be the nerve center of the event, which will have its opening ceremony at 8:00 p.m. on Friday, August 25, while the final is scheduled for 8:20 p.m. on Saturday, August 26; and whose itinerary will be revealed on Thursday the 24th. The assistance area, regrouping and closed parks for vehicles will be located in the La Mareta enclosure.
