With a total of 1,690.12 kilometers long and 337.04 timed, compared to 335.26 in 2023, the big news on the route of the 57th Vodafone Rally de Portugal is the 22 special classification stages, a number that has already it had not been achieved since the 2012 edition.
The cars start to be heard on May 9th, in Baltar, Paredes, with the 4.61 kilometer Shakedown, followed by the official departure ceremony, again in Coimbra, starting at 5pm. The competitors then head to Figueira da Foz, for the opening Super Special, this year with 2.94 km and starting at 7:05 pm.
This 57th edition of the WRC Vodafone Rally de Portugal, organized by ACP- Automóvel Clube de Portugal, on the 9th and 11th of May, will once again feature Paredes on the speed map. In addition to the traditional Baltar/Paredes Shakedown, on the 9th, on the 11th of May there will be a double crossing, at 11:35 am and 6:05 pm, on a route of 16.09 kilometers.
On Friday (May 10), the traditional dirt specials in the central region are the first major test for machines and riders, now with the 18.15 kilometer Mortágua stage, to be covered twice, opening and to close the day. The double passes through Lousã and Góis, each with 14.30 kilometers, and Arganil, with 18.72, complete the first competitive day.
For Saturday’s stage, two ‘loops’ are reserved for the stages of Felgueiras, 8.81 kilometres, Montim, 8.69, the longest special of the rally, Amarante 37.24, and Paredes, 16.09, which, this year , there are also two passages. The day ends in apotheosis, as usual, in the Lousada Super Special, with 3.36.
Sunday’s decisive stage will consist of double passes through the 19.91 kilometers of Cabeceiras de Basto, of which 12.6 are completely new, and the iconic 11.18 of Fafe, also the usual stage of the Power Stage.
Tickets for the WRC Vodafone Rally de Portugal are now on sale and can be purchased online, through Ticketline with the link to be made available soon, for 15 euros for the pedestrian seat and 30 euros for the grandstands. The ticket is only valid for one day. Children between eight and 14 years old have a 50% discount, proven at entry by identification document. To benefit from the discount, you must purchase a child ticket. From three to seven years old, entry is free.
For now, tickets are available at the Paredes Municipal Council’s Single Counter, from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm, or at the Interactive Tourism Store, from Monday to Friday, from 9:00 am to 12:30 pm and from 2:00 pm to 5:30 pm, and on Saturdays at 10:00 am to 12:30 pm and from 2:30 pm to 5:00 pm.
The Baltar kart track ticket office is open on May 8th from 9am until the following day, as well as on the 10th, also from 9am until the following day.
This is a race that attracts thousands of people to the municipality, and the Shakedown track marks the opening day of the Rally de Portugal, on the 9th of May, at 8:01 am, in the vicinity and inside the Baltar Kartódromo, with more than four kilometers and emotions. Shakedown is the ideal track for the final adjustments to the machines, before three demanding days of competition.
The Paredes section, on Saturday, takes place at 11:35 am and 6:05 pm. This itinerary partly takes advantage of the Shakedown route, ending inside the Baltar circuit, it is very diverse, including fast areas and technical areas, in open fields and in the middle of eucalyptus trees.
This is the biggest sporting event held annually in Portugal, and once again brings the stars of the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) to the North and Center sections. Three World champions and seven former winners of the race head the list of entries, Ogier, Rovanperä, Elfyn Evans, Ott Tänak, Thierry Neuville, Kris Meeke and Armindo Araújo, the latter two now driving cars in the Rally2 category. They will be on the road with 69 teams, from 22 nationalities. The Automóvel Club de Portugal (ACP) event promises to once again bring together around one million people, in 15 municipalities across the country, such as Amarante, Arganil, Cabeceiras de Basto, Coimbra, Fafe, Felgueiras, Figueira da Foz, Góis, Lousada, Lousã, Matosinhos, Mondim de Basto, Mortágua, Paredes and Vieira do Minho.
One of the flags of this event, which in 2023 attracted almost one million spectators and had a record impact of 164.7 million euros on the national economy, according to the event’s advisors, also has a strong component of environmental responsibility, recognized by the FIA with the award consecutive, since 2017, of the maximum environmental certification from the international federation.
