FUCHS lubricates eight classic cars in Caramulo
At the 18th edition of the Caramulo Motorfestival, FUCHS was on a roll. 8 of the 56 cars taking part in the "Speedmasters" speed race climbed the historic ramp, perfectly lubricated with the workshop brand's oils. In the overall standings, the FUCHS-supported drivers took six places in the top 25, with legendary cars such as the Ford Escort Mk2, the Porsche 911 SC, the Jaguar XJS V12 and the Alfa Romeo GTAm. The fastest of the FUCHS drivers was José Cruz from AM Sport, who came 11th overall and second in his GT class. With his Porsche 997 GT3 Cup, he finished the ramp in 1:37:730 in the first race - a few tenths of a second ahead of his son Ruben Lopes - and in 01:35.405 in the second race.
It was three years ago that AM Sport introduced FUCHS oils to the competition and, at the beginning of 2023, it extended the exclusive use of the German brand's products to its multi-brand workshop in Viseu. "FUCHS gives us a lot of help and we have easy access to the product," explains José Cruz of the decision, "Whether it's a Porsche, a Mercedes, a BMW, whatever it is, we go to the FUCHS website and find all the steps. That gives us security and then the product is really good." He has always come to the Caramulo festival "to show a little bit of who we are and to present our partners". And his personal goal for the races? "To have fun," says José Cruz and adds: "I have a lot of people here who really enjoy watching me ride."
Winning isn't everything at Portugal's biggest motoring festival. The Caramulo Motorfestival is above all a great party for true classic car aficionados. There are guest drivers, such as three-time national rally champion Ricardo Teodósio, sponsored by FUCHS, and there are iconic cars everywhere, such as the Ferrari 308 GTB Michelotto, the Aston Martin DB5, the Porsche Carrera GT and the Jaguar XJ220. This year the organizers, Museu do Caramulo, had a record turnout of 150 classic cars. "Caramulo is an extra-championship event, it's a party," confirms Team Squadra driver Rafael Cerveira Pinto, who is at the Motorfestival for the second time. "We were here in 2019 with the Volkswagen Golf GTI and this year we're debuting a new car, the Alfa Romeo GTAm. Team Squadra, which has been supported by FUCHS since 2014, chose the workshop brand because "these are classic cars with somewhat demanding mechanics. We needed a technical partner to help us recommend the best oils for the engine, gearbox and brakes, and from the very beginning FUCHS has given us this technical support, which is fundamental to our good results," says Rafael Cerveira Pinto, who came fifth in his CL 2&4 class (
The "home" team, the Caramulo Racing Team is also racing with FUCHS. On the first practice climb, Fernando Salgueiro had some bad luck with the mechanics of his Ford Escort. "I didn't finish, unfortunately, the car has no power, it's going to break down. You have to change the battery," explains the two-time national mountain classics champion in 2021 and 2022 and stresses that, as far as lubricants are concerned, "everything is always fine. The mechanics really like FUCHS oils, they recommend them." In the end, the races went well and Fernando Salgueiro won in his HC 5 class.
His teammate, Ricardo Loureiro, came 3rd in the same category. The 2019 national classics champion says it's "very gratifying because we're racing in a place we know well, we have a core of friends and family here and in no other race have we been able to have this dimension". In 2022, the Caramulo Motorfestival registered a total of 40,000 visitors over the three days of the event. Ricardo Loureiro says he feels inspired by the "greater pressure to have a better result" due to racing at home. "Having the car well lubricated, in great condition is very good. It's great to have a partner like FUCHS, because we know that nowadays it's important to have these strategic partners so that we can have a smooth, balanced season."
FUCHS was also with Garagem Aurora and Peres Competições at Caramulo. While the partnership with the legendary workshop of "Mestre Eduardo" is recent, Peres Competições has been using FUCHS lubricants exclusively for 22 years. With so many partner teams competing, the big winner of the Caramulo Motorfestival is FUCHS itself. "It gives us the opportunity to prove the quality and stability of our products. It's in competition that the greatest demands are made on components and lubricants," says André Castro Pinheiro, the director of FUCHS' automotive division, who knows what he's talking about: he drove his Jaguar XJS V12 up the ramp and took second place in the CL 1&3 class (>1600 cm3).
