The WRC Vodafone Rally de Portugal is about to start. There will be new championship rules, new cars and lots of novelties on this year’s edition to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Rally de Portugal.
This year the World Rally Championship will offer more spectacular and faster cars, more competition and several changes on the entry list. On the whole, the Rally de Portugal will have 17 WRC cars, a record this season.
For the first time since returning to the WRC, Toyota will be competing with three cars; Esapekka Lappi will be joining Juho Hanninen and Jari-Matti Latvala, winner of the Rally Sweden.
Citroën enters four cars instead of the usual three, with Kris Meeke (winner in Mexico), Craig Breen, Stéphane Lefebvre and Khalid Al Qassimi.
Ford, competing under the M-Sport banner, will also enter four cars. The World Champion Sébastien Ogier, winner of the first round of the year, will be joined by Ott Tänak, Elfyn Evans and Mads Østberg.
Finally, Hyundai will be entering its usual line up: Thierry Neuville (winner in France), Hayden Paddon and Dani Sordo.
Also competing with WRC cars (specs prior to 2017), Martin Prokop (Ford), Valeriy Gorban (Mini) and Jean-Michel Raoux (Citroën) make up the 17 WRC cars record entry list.
This year’s Rally de Portugal is one of the WRC2 mandatory events, which will offer Portuguese drivers the opportunity to compete against the youngest international rally drivers and stars of the future. The event is also eligible for the National Championship, with 17 of the 23 Portuguese drivers taking part on this competition.
A renewed Rally
This year’s Vodafone Rally de Portugal presents novelties in eight of its 11 stages. Exponor, in Matosinhos, remains the Rally’s HQ, hosting the scrutinising and administrative checks, and the service park. With free entrance from Wednesday until Sunday, it is the perfect place for spectators to see drivers and cars up close. The podium ceremony will, once again, take place at Matosinhos sea front.
The first day of the Rally will remain the same as last year. Paredes will host the Shake down on Thursday morning, while Guimarães will host the official start, in Campo de São Mamede. From there, drivers will head to Lousada for the Rally’s first test, the only Super Special of the event.
Friday, May 19th, introduces the first changes. Viana do Castelo will be held in a new version, with 10,90 new km, while Caminha and Ponte de Lima will be run in the opposite direction.
After the three tests double loop in Alto Minho, drivers will head to Braga for the Braga Street Stage, a double loop test laid out over 1,900 meters in the historic part of the city.
Saturday starts in Vieira do Minho, which will be followed by the day’s great novelty: Cabeceiras de Basto. The loop ends with Amarante and its demanding 37,50 km.
On Sunday a homage of the Vodafone Rally to Fafe will be held, with all the stages taking place in the municipality. Besides the double loop over the traditional Fafe/Lameiranha stage, the second of which in Power Stage, Luílhas and Montim are the two new tests.