Sergi Perez and co-driver Axel Coronado built on their Friday morning supremacy to claim the Rally4 Gravel gold medal while the Spanish crew also hold the Overall category lead.
Fielding a Peugeot 208 in the Rally4 competition for front-wheel-drive machinery, the pair established a healthy 18.7s advantage courtesy of winning two out of the opening three stages. However, Team Slovakia remained firmly in contention after topping Stage 3.
In the afternoon, the country’s cause was particularly helped by Martin Koči / Petr Těšínský winning the final of the six legs held on the twisting dirt roads of Valencia’s mountain region.
But in the day’s ending Super Special Stage at Circuit Ricardo Tormo, Perez and Coronado fought back over the 4.1 kilometres to pip their nearest rivals by a narrow 1.3s to cement Rally4 Gravel gold for the host nation.
Luis Eduardo Stedile / Carlos Enrique Morales, meanwhile, claimed the bronze medal for Team Brazil ahead of India’s Pragathi Gowda / Gabriel Morales.
The Rally4 contest continues on Saturday. The first stage is scheduled to start at 09:43 local time.