Jesus Puras
Spain (E)
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CAREER
PROFILE1982: Started rallying with Renault
1984: Drives with Renault 1986: Drives with Renault 1988: Drives with Ford 1990: Drives with Lancia, Spanish Champion 1991: His WRC debut in Monte Carlo with Mazda, drives also with Lancia 1992: Drives with Lancia, Spanish Champion 1994: 1st in Group N FIA Cup with Ford 1995: Drives Citroen, Spanish Champion 1996: Move to SEAT, 1997: Drives with Citroen, Spanish Champion 1998: Drives with Citroen, Spanish Champion 1999: Drives with Citroen, Subaru and Toyota, 2nd in Corsica, Spanish Champion 2000: Drives with Citroen and Mitsubishi, Spanish Champion 2001: Drives Citroen, 1st WRC win in Corsica 2002: Drives Citroen |
| Date of Birth: 16/3/1963 at Santander Marital status: World Drivers' Champion:
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The softly spoken man from Santander, educated partly in Britain, has been Spanish Champion no fewer than seven times. He first competed in 1982 and used Renaults, Ford Sierras and Lancia Deltas to rack up various Spanish titles before he switched to the World series. He was the World Group N Champion in 1994, driving an Ford Escort Cosworth, having got his first, abortive World Championship chance driving for Mazda, in the dying days of the 323. In 1996 SEAT badly wanted a home-grown star to capitalise on its increasing presence in the world championship, and Puras fitted the bill perfectly. He tackled eight rounds of the series at the wheel of an Ibiza Kit Car as SEAT chased the F2 world title, but although the team was successful, Puras was not. He managed just a category win in Portugal, and a third in class in Catalunya, and retired everywhere else. It was not a miracle that Puras was dropped by SEAT for the season 1997 and his efforts were once again confined to his domestic series, which he won at the wheel of a Citroen ZX Kit Car. He won the European championship Corte Ingles rally outright, but retired from his sole WRC run, in Catalunya, with broken suspension. In 1998 he concentrated on winning yet another Spanish crown for Citroen and made just two appearances in the world championship. Neither was successful, although he did lead in Catalunya before he grounded the Xsara over a bump and caused terminal engine failure. Overheating accounted for his other outing in Sanremo. 1999 Puras won his seventh Spanish title in a Xsara kit car, but world championship appearances were relatively thin on the ground. Citroen gave him a Saxo to learn Monte Carlo but he crashed out, and then he suffered bad luck in Spain. He led after the first day but the car refused to restart the following morning and he forced to retire. In Corsica he placed second, when his team-mate Bugalski won. During the season he tried to build four-wheel drive experience by driving Group N Subaru and WRC Toyota on the selected events. An appearance in Citroen's development Xsara Kit Car in Catalunya succumbed to engine failure, so Puras's only WRC finishes of the year 2000 came in a 1600cc Saxo in Corsica and Italy. At least yet another Spanish title gave him some comfort. In Rallye Catalunya 2001 Citroen introduced their Xsara WRC. Puras was leading his home event and finally in Corsica he became the 2nd Spanish driver to win a world championship rally. The win was also the first for Citroen's Xsara WRC. Citroen´s works team dropped him at the end of the season and in 2002 he drove a privately-run Piedrafita-Citroen. |
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