The Spanish Autocross Championship held its penultimate round of 2023 on 30 September and 1 October in Mollerusa. The Gran Premi Ara Lleida attracted a magnificent entry at the Circuit Municipal Parc de la Serra and brought a new victory for Speed Car in the national championship as Josep Aranda won for the second consecutive race with his Wonder in the Car Cross Series category, whose title will be played against his brand mate, Pol Durán, in the final event of the season, where another Speed Car driver, Quim González, will be leading the Junior Car Cross category, despite the bad luck he suffered in the race in Lleida.
Speed Car's representation in the 'buggy' category once again fell to Sabino García, who scored the points for first place in the Buggy 1.6 Trophy, as well as finishing fourth overall with his TTR after being third in the timed practice sessions and fourth in the qualifying heats, in which he achieved two third and a fourth place. With the points scored in Mollerusa, Sabino moves up to third place in the general classification of the category, ahead of his brand mate, Eduard Bañeres, who did not take part in this penultimate competition of the year in the national championship.
The Car Cross category gathered thirty-seven participants in Mollerusa, of which more than a third, a total of fourteen, competed at the wheel of the models manufactured by Industrias Lahoz, once again the most represented brand in a national event, this time with twelve Speed Car Wonder and two Xtrem on track. Six of them reached the final of the top fifteen, with the best classified at the end of the eight laps being the young Cantabrian Marco Matador, who finished a step away from the podium by crossing the finish line in fourth position with his Wonder. Behind him were two other drivers in the latest model of Speed Car, Pep Arqué, who made a spectacular comeback to fifth place after being involved in an incident on the first lap that sent him to last place, and Juanjo Moll, who finished sixth.
Also in the top ten were Alex Martínez, eighth in another Wonder, and Arnau Biosca, ninth in a Speed Car Xtrem, who reached the A final after finishing second in the B final behind Arqué, who was hurt by a touch in qualifying. The Speed Car representation in the CarCross final was completed unluckily by Ares Lahoz, who started from ninth position after third, fourth and sixth in the qualifying rounds but was forced to retire on the bumpy first lap of the decisive race.
Speed Car Wonder drivers Pol Durán and Josep Aranda will battle it out for the Car Cross Series title in the final race of the season, which they will reach separated by just two points after the results of Mollerusa. In the competition in Lleida, Pol Durán looked set to increase his lead at the top of the standings after setting the best time in the timed practice sessions and winning his three qualifying heats. However, a mistake at the start of the final compromised his chances, forcing him to recover to finish fifth.
Ahead of him, his team-mate Josep Aranda, who had been second both in the timed session and in the total of the qualifying heats, had a spectacular end to the race, taking the victory with an overtaking move that gave him the first position in the last lap.
A multiple incident at the start of the Car Cross Junior final left three of the four drivers competing in the event at the wheel of Speed Car models out of the race. Quim González, with a Wonder, as well as Arnau Biosca and the Greek Konstantin Anastasopoulos, with their Xtrem, could not rejoin the competition, which was interrupted by a red flag. In any case, Quim maintains the first place in the general classification of the championship, although his difference is now only two points that he hopes to defend in the last race of the year, scheduled for the 20th, 21st and 22nd of October in Jerez de los Caballeros (Badajoz).
In Mollerusa the only Speed Car driver who was finally able to complete the decisive race in the Junior category was Joan Aranda, who finished eighth in his Xtrem, achieving his best result so far this season.
Pictures: CEAX RFEdA press service
