After being one of the founding events of the World Rally Championship in 1973, the WRC Vodafone Rally de Portugal continues to attract two things: the best drivers in the sport and a crowd of national and foreign enthusiasts.
This year’s edition, which takes place between Thursday, May 9th (super special in Figueira da Foz) and Sunday, the 12th (last stop in Fafe), is, for now, the one with the largest list of entries in the world. WRC (69 teams), which includes world champions such as Sébastien Ogier and Kalle Rovanperä (Toyota) as well as the drivers competing for the top places in the current championship.
This is the case of Thierry Neuville from Hyundai who arrives here in first place, followed by Elfyn Evans (Toyota). There is no shortage of candidates for victory, even if with different motivations: Sébastien Ogier, has five victories in Poetugal and would probably like to break the tie with Markku Alén who has identical and historic achievements. Neuville and Tanak (Hyundai), as well as Elfyn Evans or Rovanperä (Toyota) are chronic candidates to win.
Regarding the Portuguese drivers competing in the national rally (the points obtained until the end of the ninth stage, on Friday), we must count on the British driver Kris Meeke (Hyundai) who has already won the Portuguese rally in Citroën, as well as Armindo Araújo (Skoda), Lucas Simões (Ford), Ricardo Teodósio (Hyundai), José Pedro Fontes (Citroën), Pedro Almeida (Skoda) or Ernesto Cunha (Skoda).
Chronicles of fire and water
If there was still some mud in the first reconnaissances this week, the ground should dry out from this Friday onwards, due to the predictable increase in temperatures. A situation that leads the race organizers to alert spectators to the risk of forest fire. There will be 22 qualifying rounds with a large audience, and last year the number of spectators was estimated at one million people over the four days of competition.
The author of these lines will follow the rally from the inside, with a special focus on the two passages in Lousã, in a place near the end of the section where there will be special spectators, namely the old rally guard who have been present here in recent years with the support of the Chamber Municipal da Lousã and the commitment of Pinto dos Santos who two years ago took, together with Pedro Matos Chaves, two venerable Renault 4s to the Safari Classics in Kenya. Saturday morning I expect to drive through the Amarante section and, in the evening, I hope to drive the Fafe section, the day before the competitors pass, but with thousands of people already on the famous Confurco descent.
An experience that is not for every day and that I will report to you in due course.
