Northern Irishman Kris Meeke (Hyundai i20) is the favorite to win among the Portuguese Rally Championship (CPR) squad in the 57th edition of the Rally of Portugal, to be held between Thursday and Sunday.
Meeke won the first three races of the season and leads the CPR with an 18 point advantage over Armindo Araújo (Skoda Fábia), who has already had 17 appearances, having been the best Portuguese in 13.
The driver from Santo Tirso, who has already won this race three times, in 2003, 2004 and 2006, years in which he did not score points for the World Championship (WRC), recognizes that Meeke is the favorite in the CPR, and that even now he won in 2016, when he was competing in the World Cup.
“Meeke, as was already known and predictable, is on another level and we [pilotos portugueses] We have to know how to live in this reality. There’s no point in opposing her,” said Araújo.
The Skoda driver’s main objective is to be the best driver of Portuguese nationality.
“It’s our biggest race of the year, the one we’ve been looking forward to since the start of the season and which always brings us extra motivation for being part of the WRC. It is the 18th time that I will take part in this rally and with the aim of achieving it for the 13th, being the best Portuguese driver at the end”, he pointed out.
The CPR classification closes at the end of the first stage, on Friday, so from then on what is at stake is the virtual title of ‘best Portuguese’.
“Only counting the first day’s qualifiers for the CPR accounts, it is important that we are able to set a good pace from the beginning and do everything we can to collect the greatest number of points. The sections in the central area are characteristically hard and we therefore have to adjust our pace so as not to compromise the mechanical part. On Saturday and Sunday, with no more counting to do, we will enjoy it more and manage the progress so that we can climb the podium in front of all the Portuguese”, highlighted Armindo Araújo.
The national champion, Ricardo Teodósio (Skoda Fábia), has had a difficult start to the season, occupying fifth place overall, with 28 points, four less than Lucas Simões (Ford Fiesta), who is third, and two less than Ernesto Cunha (Citroën C3), who is fourth.
“We had a difficult start to the season, which culminated in a crash, followed by a rollover in Amarante. Naturally, it wasn’t like that, as defending National Champions, we would like to arrive at the Rally de Portugal”, said the Algarve driver.
Teodósio considers this “a special rally for everyone” and in which the drivers feel, “more than ever, the affection of the fans”.
“We will fight to turn things around and fight for victory in the national competition, as we do in every race we participate in. It is at these times that we see what we are made of and we will fight for ourselves, for those who believe in our project and for everyone who wears our colors”, he highlighted, promising to continue competing on Saturday and Sunday.
The Rally de Portugal kicks off this Thursday, with the starting ceremony in Coimbra, which will precede the Figueira da Foz super special, the only stage scheduled for the first day. On Friday the teams face eight special stages, with double passes through Lousã, Arganil, Góis and Mortágua, for a total of 129.84 timed kilometers.
After three races, Kris Meeke leads, with 84 points, as a result of victories in Fafe, Algarve and Amarante.
Armindo Araújo, who was second in the three races, has 66 points, compared to 32 for the surprising Lucas Simões (Ford Fiesta).
In two-wheel drive, Hugo Lopes leads, with 55 points, 20 more than Ricardo Sousa and 25 than Pedro Pereira, who closes the podium places.
