The Vodafone Rally de Portugal is back to the North and to some of the mythical scenarios where the history of the competition has been written for another edition of the World Rally Championship. The event will be fully held in the region north of the Douro river from May the 21st to the 24th.
The Rally Headquarters will be placed in the municipality of Matosinhos, in the Exponor facilities. That is where the event command post, press centre, service park in which race cars will be assisted twice a day, the Park Fermé, etc will be located... It will also be in the Exponor facilities that the majority of starts and arrivals of the different legs will take place, as well as the several administrative and technical checks, the press conferences before, during and after the Rally and many other acts associated with an event of this size, including the final podium ceremony with the winners of Vodafone Rally de Portugal 2015.
The majority of the stages scheduled for the Vodafone Rally de Portugal 2015 feature excellent roads as a result of the involvement and effort of municipalities. These institutions have established themselves as true partners of the organisation, doing a creditable road rehabilitation work, of which the Rally will undoubtedly be the first beneficiary, but which later will also be a benefit for all users, whether residents in the area or tourists, who will be able to properly appreciate some of the most beautiful regions of the country.
With a total length of 1.529 km, of which more than 354 km will be held against the clock over 16 special stages, the Vodafone Rally de Portugal’s next edition is a contemporary and compact event, adapted to the FIA, the promoter and participants’ expectations taking place in a region of great beauty, closely linked to the history and prestige of the Rally and easily accessible to many thousands of enthusiasts, both Portuguese and foreign.
Security: Rally is in the Green Zones
The change of scenario of the Rally is expected to involve a significant increase in the number of spectators, which, being itself a positive fact, involves additional concerns and care for safety.
While it is true that the slogan in 2001 was to keep spectators off the road, in a not always successful attempt to keep the road clear for the cars, awareness of the risks involved in this activity is now much more acute, while the current view on how to deal with this issue is much clearer.
As a general principle, spectators are welcome to WRC rallies, but their presence is only allowed in places chosen by the organisation according to criteria such as accessibility, visibility, spectacle and safety. These locations are previously prepared to welcome the public and are known as Spectators Areas.
On the other hand, all the remaining areas of a special stage are considered "no-go areas" and, as such, the presence therein is prohibited for the public.
"In my time, it was possible to experience the show by the roadside; currently, it is imperative to meet new safety rules if we want the WRC to continue in northern Portugal. Use only areas that are reserved for you: your life is more important than the Rally” – words of Michèle Mouton, current WRC Rally Manager at FIA, which underline the impact of not respecting safety rules by the public might have for the Vodafone Rally de Portugal.
So that the public can more easily identify these areas, all of them will be signalled and delimitated with green coloured materials; this is the concept that gives rise to a communication campaign which is launched today for the first time at the same time as the official presentation of the Rally.
The presence of spectators in areas not designed for them may have as an immediate consequence the annulment of the stage, by order of the Clerk of the Course or the FIA ??Safety Delegate, with the inevitable losses that such a decision entails for all involved in the process. In particular, it will be an impairment for the sport, as the Rally will be amputated of a stage which, in turn, will also result in an image degradation with potentially negative consequences for the future of the Rally on the WRC.
In its own right, the Vodafone Rally de Portugal today occupies a leading position in the World Rally framework in all aspects of the race organisation and, in particular, as far as safety is concerned.
The return of the Rally to the north of the country must be an additional asset to the prestige of the event, and not a reason for jeopardizing its continuation in the WRC calendar.
We count on everyone to increase the success of the Vodafone Rally de Portugal. Therefore it is never too much to remember the message of the campaign we are presenting:
The permanence of the Rally de Portugal in the World Rally Championship is everyone's responsibility!
The Vodafone Rally de Portugal is back to the North and to some of the mythical scenarios where the history of the competition has been written for another edition of the World Rally Championship. The event will be fully held in the region north of the Douro river from May the 21st to the 24th.
The Rally Headquarters will be placed in the municipality of Matosinhos, in the Exponor facilities. That is where the event command post, press centre, service park in which race cars will be assisted twice a day, the Park Fermé, etc will be located... It will also be in the Exponor facilities that the majority of starts and arrivals of the different legs will take place, as well as the several administrative and technical checks, the press conferences before, during and after the Rally and many other acts associated with an event of this size, including the final podium ceremony with the winners of Vodafone Rally de Portugal 2015.
The majority of the stages scheduled for the Vodafone Rally de Portugal 2015 feature excellent roads as a result of the involvement and effort of municipalities. These institutions have established themselves as true partners of the organisation, doing a creditable road rehabilitation work, of which the Rally will undoubtedly be the first beneficiary, but which later will also be a benefit for all users, whether residents in the area or tourists, who will be able to properly appreciate some of the most beautiful regions of the country.
With a total length of 1.529 km, of which more than 354 km will be held against the clock over 16 special stages, the Vodafone Rally de Portugal’s next edition is a contemporary and compact event, adapted to the FIA, the promoter and participants’ expectations taking place in a region of great beauty, closely linked to the history and prestige of the Rally and easily accessible to many thousands of enthusiasts, both Portuguese and foreign.
Security: Rally is in the Green Zones
The change of scenario of the Rally is expected to involve a significant increase in the number of spectators, which, being itself a positive fact, involves additional concerns and care for safety.
While it is true that the slogan in 2001 was to keep spectators off the road, in a not always successful attempt to keep the road clear for the cars, awareness of the risks involved in this activity is now much more acute, while the current view on how to deal with this issue is much clearer.
As a general principle, spectators are welcome to WRC rallies, but their presence is only allowed in places chosen by the organisation according to criteria such as accessibility, visibility, spectacle and safety. These locations are previously prepared to welcome the public and are known as Spectators Areas.
On the other hand, all the remaining areas of a special stage are considered "no-go areas" and, as such, the presence therein is prohibited for the public.
"In my time, it was possible to experience the show by the roadside; currently, it is imperative to meet new safety rules if we want the WRC to continue in northern Portugal. Use only areas that are reserved for you: your life is more important than the Rally” – words of Michèle Mouton, current WRC Rally Manager at FIA, which underline the impact of not respecting safety rules by the public might have for the Vodafone Rally de Portugal.
So that the public can more easily identify these areas, all of them will be signalled and delimitated with green coloured materials; this is the concept that gives rise to a communication campaign which is launched today for the first time at the same time as the official presentation of the Rally.
The presence of spectators in areas not designed for them may have as an immediate consequence the annulment of the stage, by order of the Clerk of the Course or the FIA ??Safety Delegate, with the inevitable losses that such a decision entails for all involved in the process. In particular, it will be an impairment for the sport, as the Rally will be amputated of a stage which, in turn, will also result in an image degradation with potentially negative consequences for the future of the Rally on the WRC.
In its own right, the Vodafone Rally de Portugal today occupies a leading position in the World Rally framework in all aspects of the race organisation and, in particular, as far as safety is concerned.
The return of the Rally to the north of the country must be an additional asset to the prestige of the event, and not a reason for jeopardizing its continuation in the WRC calendar.
We count on everyone to increase the success of the Vodafone Rally de Portugal. Therefore it is never too much to remember the message of the campaign we are presenting:
The permanence of the Rally de Portugal in the World Rally Championship is everyone's responsibility!