Drive all editions of 24H BARCELONA That's real endurance

There are only a handful of Spanish teams competing the Barcelona 24 Hours this year, an unfortunate byproduct of our tough economic
times. However, the ones that are here represent a very fine and tough contingent of endurance racers.  having competed in every edition
of this event since its inception in 1998.

Gutiérrez won that inaugural race and won his class one other time. The first race was in a BMW but since then he has remained loyal
to the Renault Clio—a choice that presented him with one other class victory. They are again in the hunt here with the No. 34 Milan Competición,
but an early race shunt has lost them much time. Gutiérrez reckons that if they remain perfect the rest of the way, a podium spot or even
a victory is still possible.

To Gutiérrez, winning at Barcelona requires a good balanced team of drivers, one that can establish a rhythm and not take too many chances.
He is very happy that the race has become a major international event as it essentially saved it. The Spanish entries had a dwindled to
a point that in 2010 the race was canceled. He did note that his enthusiasm for the broader event is not universally appreciated
as some Spanish teams are nervous around the much faster machinery.

Gutiérrez is involved with other major racing endeavors apart from this weekends’ all-nighter. He races in the Spanish GT Championship,
usually with a Mosler. He is also the organizer of the Copa España de Resistencia, the national endurance championship for touring cars.
In addition, he competes at the relatively new independent event, the 500 Km. of Alcaniz, which is slated for early December this year. To date
that event has been open only to touring categories but it may be expanded to include smaller GT cars. All of this fits Francesc’s passion
for the sport. He lives a mere 15 kilometers from Montmelo and relishes every opportunity to race here.

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