The engines are already roaring, the adrenaline is rising from the organizers and the public, everything is ready and about to start the Vodafone Rally de Portugal! After this morning’s shakedown, the 57th edition of this mythical event kicks off this Thursday, in Coimbra, promising a weekend of intense emotions. Powerful machines and world-renowned drivers invade the roads of the Center and North of the country, ready to give everything they have in 22 exciting stages.
An envy-inducing batch of candidates for victory: Sébastien Ogier, Kalle Rovanperä, Thierry Neuville, Elfyn Evans, Adrien Fourmaux, Ott Tänak… Sébastien Ogier, Kalle Rovanperä and Dani Sordo, despite not competing for the full championship, promise to show their way, while Neuville and Evans fight for the lead, separated by a mere six points. Fourmaux, the big surprise of the season, and Tänak, thirsty for redemption, are also on the victory route.
But the excitement is not limited to the WRC! In WRC2, almost 40 Rally2 teams are preparing for fierce battles, with names like Pierre-Louis Loubet, Teemu Suninen, Gus Greensmith and Kris Meeke promising a spectacle.
In the Portuguese Rally Championship, Kris Meeke is the favorite, but Armindo Araújo, an experienced veteran and multiple winner of the event, is not going to make life easy for the Northern Irishman. Ricardo Teodósio, José Pedro Fontes, Lucas Simões, Pedro Almeida and Ernesto Cunha also promise to put on a show.
In 2 Rodas Motrizes, the duel between Hugo Lopes and Gonçalo Henriques promises to be electrifying.
The party starts today! Paredes receives the Shakedown, an appetizer for what’s to come. Afterwards, the official Departure Ceremony in Coimbra, with an autograph session with the riders, starting at 4pm, in the Santa Clara-a-Velha Monastery yard, before the official departure, at 5pm, on Avenida de Conímbriga. The competitors then head to Figueira da Foz, for the opening Super Special, which this year has a redesigned route (2.94 km), next to the Santa Catarina Fort, starting at 7:05 pm (and broadcast live on SportTV4 and RTP1)
The night culminates with the opening Super Special in Figueira da Foz, on a 2.94 km route next to the Santa Catarina Fort.
Don’t miss this festival of speed and excitement! Follow the Rally de Portugal on SportTV4, RTP1 and all digital platforms. Get ready to experience the pilots’ acrobatics and feel the adrenaline rush through your veins!