The Automóvel Club de Portugal signed a programme contract this Wednesday with nine municipalities in the Centro region for the 58th edition of the WRC Vodafone Rally de Portugal, which takes place from 15 to 18 May. The partnership, which has the support of Turismo do Centro, targets the municipalities of Águeda, Albergaria-a-Velha, Arganil, Coimbra, Figueira da Foz, Góis, Lousã, Mortágua and Sever do Vouga. The big news is the return of the Portuguese round of the World Rally Championship to Águeda, Albergaria-a-Velha and Sever do Vouga.
‘This region has exceptional stretches that were once famous in the Rally of Portugal,’ said Carlos Barbosa, president of the ACP, at the signing ceremony for the partnership with the municipalities, which took place at Casa do Paço in Figueira da Foz.
Highlighting the ‘affection, visibility, public and safety’ that the event finds in the Centre of the country, the president of the ACP stressed that the Rally of Portugal ‘is in the Centre more and more’. ‘One day we won't have enough days for so many stages in the region,’ he joked, revealing that the 2025 edition will have “new stages” and “some changes to existing stages”.
For the mayors of the nine municipalities in the Centro region, the agreement signed with the ACP - organiser of the Rally of Portugal - ‘is a way of bringing people to the region’, a ‘way of giving visibility’ and ‘affirming the territory’.
One of the first-time mayors at this year's event, Pedro Lobo, mayor of Sever do Vouga, expressed his satisfaction at the return of the Rally of Portugal to his municipality, which he called the ‘cradle’ of the national rally, 27 years after the last rally. ‘This alone is worth being mayor for,’ he said.
‘The Rally of Portugal is part of the DNA of those born in the Centre region,’ said Anabela Freitas, vice-president of Turismo Centro de Portugal, pointing out that in 2024, the Rally of Portugal contributed to the average number of overnight stays in the Centre rising to 1.8 on the days of the event, “a very good figure, given that the average [for the region] is a little lower”. ‘I'm sure that with the entry of these three new municipalities [Águeda, Albergaria-a-Velha and Sever do Vouga] we'll increase the average tourist stay just because of the impact of the rally,’ he said.
The 2024 WRC Vodafone Rally de Portugal had an estimated economic impact of 183.3 million euros, 18.6 million (11.29 per cent) more than in 2023, according to a study by the University of the Algarve, recently released by the ACP.
The same study points out that the 2024 edition brought 1.2 million fans to the centre and north of the country, where the races were held. The average stay was 2.9 nights in both regions.
The WRC Vodafone Rally de Portugal is the fifth of the 14 stages of the World Championship.
In 2025, the Portuguese stage kicks off in Coimbra, and the first race to count towards the competition takes place on 15 May in Figueira da Foz with an urban ‘super-special’.
On the second day, 16 May, the race passes through the sections of Lousã, Góis and Arganil (district of Coimbra) and Mortágua (district of Viseu), with a double pass. That day also sees the debut of the Águeda/Sever do Vouga and Sever do Vouga/Albergaria-a-Velha sections (Aveiro district).
On the third day, 17 May, the Rally of Portugal will continue in Vieira do Minho, followed by double passes in Cabeceiras de Basto and Amarante, finishing in Lousada. The Portuguese stage finishes on the 18th with the Paredes, Felgueiras and Fafe stages.
