At the press conference, held today, to present the starting ceremony of the 57th edition of the Rally of Portugal, the fifth stage of the World Rally Championship (WRC) that will be held between May 9th and 12th, the vice-president of the Chamber Municipal Council of Coimbra, Francisco Veiga, expressed pride in the city being, once again, the chosen place to hold that ceremony.
The event leaves the university high street for Avenida de Conímbriga, on the left bank of the Mondego, “for several reasons”, stressed the mayor: “Due to the location, but also because it seemed to us that, in terms of accessibility and safety, Avenida de Conímbriga It is a space that presents excellent conditions to host these types of events that attract a large number of audiences.”
On the other hand, the option for the left bank of the Mondego — the route is located along the river, in the Santa Clara area, following its course from east to west — is “also a sign” that the municipality intends to ” unite the two banks, and support traders with activities in this area of the city”, argued Francisco Veiga.
On the occasion, the vice-president of the city council challenged the Automóvel Clube de Portugal (ACP), organizer of the rally, to return in 2025 the opening super special of the competition, held there in 2022, but which moved to Figueira da Foz last year, when Coimbra hosted four Coldplay concerts.
“The ceremonial of the match is important, because it marks the beginning of the race, but the truth is that it always tastes little, we are left with a bittersweet, mouth-watering feeling, because we would like to see much more, feel the joy and emotion that the rally provides”, argued Francisco Veiga.
However, this intention of the mayor comes up against the contract signed between the municipality of Figueira da Foz and the ACP in 2023, which provides, for three years (precisely until 2025, inclusive) the right of option for the coastal municipality to hold the super special. from the district of Coimbra.
In response to the Lusa agency, Francisco Veiga admitted that Coimbra lost the super special in 2023, the year in which Coimbra hosted Coldplay, as there was no longer any availability of funds for the municipality to be able to invest in the super special of the Rally of Portugal, in addition to the concerts of British band.
For his part, João Mendes Dias, operational head of the ACP, refused to believe that the move from Coimbra to Figueira da Foz was based on a financial issue, namely that higher funds had been offered.
“It was an option of the Chamber [de Coimbra] that year, we respected it, calmly. The ACP does not hold auctions, the ACP has never held an auction, of any kind, related to any component of its events. What happened was that the need for the Coimbra City Council to redirect its investments coincided in time with the interest of the Figueira da Foz City Council in hosting the event. And things were discussed very calmly”, reaffirmed João Mendes Dias.
Regarding the ceremony scheduled for Coimbra on May 9th, the ACP leader stressed that the symbolic departure “is an important moment of the rally, a moment in which all participants and all teams parading are present”.
After the ceremonial departure in Coimbra, scheduled for 17:00 on May 9th, the drivers move to Figueira da Foz, where the opening super special of the Rally de Portugal is scheduled at 19:05. Afterwards, the competitors enter the closed park (which, this year, also leaves from Coimbra) and spend the night in Figueira da Foz, leaving for the second section of the race — two passes through the sections of Mortágua, Lousã, Góis and Arganil – – at 06:45 on Friday, May 10th.
