Roberto Yglesias is making the leap from L2WD to RC2 in an Audi A1 Maxx Rally, a cost-effective alternative to the FIA Rally2 car. This marks another milestone in Audi’s rallying history in the United States as Yglesias gets behind the wheel for this week’s Olympus Rally.
“It’s pretty exciting to think about Audi’s legacy in rally – they were the pioneers who really transformed the sport,” said the Costa Rican driver in an interview with DirtFish.
“And it’s especially cool to be the only one doing the full season, since there are a few others who only race in one or two events.”
“This is definitely a change for me, as I’ve only ever raced a Ford. So, it’ll be interesting to see how I adapt to the German chassis!”
Coincidentally, it’s been 40 years since rally icon John Buffum drove an Audi Quattro A1 in the American championship. Although Yglesias faces the challenge of putting Audi back at the top, his goal is different: to showcase his own speed (after years driving a Ford Fiesta ST in L2WD) and demonstrate the value of the Audi A1 Maxx Rally – an Argentinian-homologated alternative to the FIA Rally2 car.
Yglesias explained: “The Maxx Rally cars, also known as Maxi Rally or N5 around the world, offer similar power and suspension travel as an R5 or Rally2 car but come at a much lower maintenance cost. They use more readily available parts rather than relying on a single manufacturer’s supply chain.”
“The car is equipped with a 1.6-liter BMW Mini engine with a turbo and the same 32mm restrictor as Rally2 cars, but it features an X-Shift six-speed sequential gearbox that fits into a standard Subaru six-speed case, along with Subaru differentials.”
“Although it’s less powerful and has fewer development features compared to a Rally2 car, at Pura Vida Rally Team, we aim to help rejuvenate the RC2 class. We want to show that you can build a competitive rally car in a US-made chassis without depending exclusively on European manufacturers.”
“Personally, I’m eager to see what I can do in a faster car, but as a business owner focused on building and renting cars, and someone passionate about growing rally in the US, I want to prove that it’s possible to compete with a domestically built car.”
“We know the Maxi/N5 cars are roughly 1-2 seconds per kilometer slower than the Rally2 cars, but I’m curious to see how close we can get with a car that costs less than half the maintenance of a Rally2.”
Roberto Yglesias’ introduction to the Audi A1 didn’t go as planned, as a testing crash before last month’s 100 Acre Wood Rally delayed his first race with the car.
“I came into a crest too quickly and hit the berm on the outside of the corner, which caused us to roll,” he explained. “The damage was mostly cosmetic, with the rollcage remaining intact, but the body panels were bent or damaged, so we decided to fully assess the car before racing it again.”
“After the roll during testing, the car was stripped down to its bare shell to check the chassis and rollcage. We replaced all the damaged body parts using a donor car we bought, and also ordered a new body kit and spoiler, so pretty much the entire visible body of the car is now essentially brand new.”
“The crash definitely altered my expectations and made me approach Olympus with a more measured mindset. I’ll use this year to get seat time and focus on learning. I realized that with the increased speed, I need to set up the car earlier and brake earlier because I’m reaching turns much faster.”
“I’m also going to refine my notes and adapt them to the faster pace, working with Alex and Rhianon [Gelsomino at Oz Rally Pro] ahead of Olympus. If we can stay competitive with the Rally3 cars, I’ll be satisfied, as those cars are built for Olympus.”
“The positive side is that the car felt fantastic before the crash. The new gearbox was smooth, and as the incident showed, it can accelerate quickly. Now, I just need to figure out how to manage it!”