The 57th edition of the Rally of Portugal, the fifth round of the World Championship (WRC), takes to the road today, with the first of 22 timed specials taking place on the streets of Figueira da Foz.
Portugal hosts the race with the most entrants to date, including the defending champion, Kalle Rovanperä (Toyota Yaris), and the previous champion, the Frenchman Sébastien Ogier (Toyota Yaris), who participate in the championship only part-time.
Tied with Finn Markku Alén, both with five victories, the Frenchman has a new chance of establishing himself as the absolute record holder in the 57th edition of the competition.
Today, the drivers start the day with the ‘shakedown’ in Baltar, starting at 09:31, in a special stage that is used for final adjustments and does not count for classification purposes.
The starting ceremony follows in Coimbra, which will precede the Figueira da Foz super special, the only qualifying 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.
The Rally de Portugal is the fifth of 13 races on the 2024 calendar.
Belgian Thierry Neuville (Hyundai i20), with 86 points, arrives as leader of the classification, followed by British Elfyn Evans (Toyota Yaris), six points behind.
