Joaquim Santos, former rally driver, who won four national championship titles, died this Monday, victim of a sudden illness.
He was found at home, in Penafiel, where he was from, in cardiorespiratory arrest. Joaquim Santos was also assisted by the Volunteer Firefighters of Penafiel and the VMER of Vale do Sousa, but his death was confirmed at the scene.
The former pilot was 71 years old.
He became famous in the 80s and 90s of the last century, when he won four national rally titles – three in a row, with Ford, between 1982 and 1984, and one in 1992 with Toyota.
This success was always achieved with the Diabolique team and navigator Miguel Oliveira.
Joaquim Santos still holds the record for victories in national championship rallies, with 46 triumphs.
Being one of the big names in Portuguese motorsport, he was also marked by the accident that, in 1986, killed two spectators, in Sintra, in an edition of the Rally de Portugal marked by poor public behavior.
The accident contributed to the extinction of the old ‘group B’, made up of cars that had around 500 horsepower, and increased concern about the positioning of spectators.
