This year’s Vodafone Rally de Portugal will see the stars align as a series of major achievements coincide on the event.
This year’s rally is the 50th running of the event, since it first took place in 1967. It was also one of the founding events when the FIA World Rally Championship was created in 1973.
On this year’s rally, renowned rally journalist and former co-driver, Martin Holmes, will be celebrating his 500th WRC rally – a huge achievement in a career that spans the most iconic years of the sport of rally.
There was a presentation to Martin in the press room at the event headquarters, where Mr Carlos Barbosa, President of the ACP, gave him a desk clock designed in the fashion of the time clocks used in historic rally cars. Martin made a short speech, highlighting his fond memories of the Portuguese event over the years, both as a competitor and a journalist.
There is some debate over which edition of WRC rallies this year’s Rally de Portugal is; depending on the status of the 1986 San Remo Rally and whether it counted following the annulment of its results, it is regarded by many that this year’s Vodafone Rally de Portugal is the 550th WRC rally.
50th anniversary, a journalist’s 500th WRC rally and forming the 550th WRC rally itself, there is plenty for all going on on this year’s Vodafone Rally de Portugal.
One of the most important elements of success on the Vodafone Rally de Portugal is tyre choice; in recent years, tyre choice and management has been one of the biggest talking points and major influences on the outcome of the event.
The tyres manufacturers – Pirelli, Michelin, Hankook and DMACK – accordingly take their trade seriously. Pirelli, for example, has some 600 tyres prepared for the nine to ten cars running on its products this weekend.
A spokesman for Korean manufacturer Hankook, said; “This year, the stages seem to be slightly softer than last year. This might be because there was rain in the area of the rally the week before.
“If the ambient temperature remains slightly lower than last year, then the softer tyre might work better. It may be a case of soft tyres in the morning and harder examples in the afternoon.
“However, if the temperature rises past around 25 degrees C, then drivers using the soft tyres will probably begin to have problems.”
The current weather forecast suggests Friday could be the warmest day, with temperatures expected to reach low to mid-20s while cooler days on Saturday and Sunday – 19 and 18 deg respectively – are predicted. There is currently a 50% chance of rain on Saturday night, which could affect the stages for the final leg of the rally.