31. That is the exact number of laps Fernando Horta completed around the sun-baked Sicilian asphalt of Autodromo di Pergusa, finishing in a total time of 59 minutes and 37 seconds to take victory in the massive Chevrolet truck while Juliano Flores laboured home a distant second in the Toyota, a full minute and three seconds back after an afternoon that tested the absolute limits of radio battery life and driver sanity under the watchful eye of guest pit wall analyst Agnaldo Rayol.
Fernando Horta (#27): Box, box. My tyres feel like they were carved from old polenta.
Agnaldo Rayol (#27 crew): Calma, meu filho, let the truck roll like a boat on the waves of Itapoan. Focus on the horizon.
Fernando Horta (#27): There is no horizon, Agnaldo, only guardrails and dust. Is tib behind me?
Agnaldo Rayol (#27 crew): He is one minute and three seconds behind you, singing Tormento d'Amore into his team radio. Do not let him catch you.
Fernando Horta (#27): My mirrors are vibrating so hard I can see yesterday. What lap is this?
Agnaldo Rayol (#27 crew): Lap twenty-eight. Just keep the steering wheel straight and pretend you are driving down Avenida Ipiranga at three in the morning.
Fernando Horta (#27): I just clipped a rumble strip and my teeth are loose.
Agnaldo Rayol (#27 crew): Beautiful tenor notes, Fernando. Keep pushing.
Fernando Horta (#27): See the checkered flag. Thank God. Turn off the radio.
Agnaldo Rayol (#27 crew): Not yet, we must sing the final chorus of Ave Maria while you cross the line.
Fernando Horta (#27): FUCK OFF MAN!
Ps. Mansell, if you are reading this, your truck is still parked behind the garage with three flat tires and a parking ticket from Enna.
