· Official Start from the Casino Estoril gardens
· A more compact Sunday
· The return to São Brás de Alportel
· A shorter Power Stage
· Fafe hosts the WRC stars the Saturday before the Rally
· Several championships on stake
With a very similar structure to that of previous years, the 2014 Vodafone Rally de Portugal, 4th round of the World Rally Championship calendar, is back on the road from April 3rd to the 6th for what will be the 10th consecutive edition taking place in the South of the country. This is a landmark on the event’s history, for it was in 2007 that the Rally got back to the WRC calendar with the Algarve and Baixo Alentejo gravel stages - three years after the goal had initially been set, in 2004, when the present Board of ACP was first elected.
For Pedro Almeida, Clerck of the Course, “the objective of the Automóvel Club de Portugal’s team responsible for the event has been innovating without revolutionizing, i.e., maintaining a base structure approved by sporting authorities, teams and drivers, but presenting, whenever possible, some changes, be it on the Rally itself, or in promotional activities.
Good examples of that are Lisbon’s Super Special Stage, the WRC Fafe Rally Sprint (presented in 2012), reversing the direction of a stage or removing of one stage one year to recover it later and retake the original itinerary.”
The main responsible for the event further considers that these efforts have been proven positive in several ways, mainly as far as the economic revenue is concerned: “Since 2007 the Vodafone Rally de Portugal has consistently been the sporting event with the highest economic revenue in the country since the Euro 2004.
The positive direct impact on the economy of the region where the event takes place, in particular Baixo Alentejo and the Algarve, surpassed 54 million Euros, a very significant amount if we take into consideration that the Rally takes place during the low season and, above all, if we bear in mind that more than 51% represents service exportation. Adding to this, the airtime on international TV networks worldwide takes the total economic revenue of the Vodafone Rally de Portugal to a figure very close to 102 million Euros.
Besides that, this year Portugal was the country chosen to host a meeting held by FIA and the WRC promoter, on the first day of the event, and with the presence of all the organisers of the World Championship. Organising an event like this, and on this date, is a natural consequence of Mr. Carlos Barbosa’s recent appointment for Chairman of the FIA WRC Commission.”
Pedro Almeida ends up by disclosing the news in store for this year’s Vodafone Rally de Portugal: “This edition the Rally features, once again, the 1st Special Stage in Lisbon and, before that, the Official Start on the Casino Estoril gardens. Besides that, Sunday will be more packed day, with the return of São Brás de Alportel and the Loulé stage, the second run of which will be held as Power Stage."
The start returns to Estoril
Estoril has been part of Automóvel Club de Portugal events for a long time and this year this touristic village is, once again, an unavoidable part of the Vodafone Rally de Portugal. Thirty-nine years after staging the start of the Rally for the last time, the Casino Estoril gardens are once more the kilometre zero of the event and the place for the Official Start of the Rally on Thursday, April 3rd. After the start, at 3pm, drivers face a fantastic liaison of almost 20 km by the sea, on Av. Marginal, up to Praça do Império, where the first moments of competition will take place.
Before all this, and thanks to the support of Cascais Municipality, all cars will be on exhibition on the Casino Estoril gardens from 1pm, with drivers attending an autograph session between 14h30 and 14h45. A great opportunity for fans to meet the WRC stars.
Lisbon opens up the fight for the win
As in 2011 and 2012, the Portuguese Capital, more precisely, the Jerónimos Monastery area, will stage the first 3.27 km against the clock, but here also there will be several other attractions before the main stars take to the stage.
Starting the action on Thursday, the Sporting Classics qualifying runs until a bit after 15h00 since the WRC cars will be arriving at Praça do Império from 15h37, a time after which they will be allowed two laps around the stage layout, at a slower pace, to get familiar with conditions.
Once recce is finished, the fastest Sporting Classics among the qualifying are back in action for the Finals.
After that, drivers and WRC cars take the stage from 18h00 to start the competition. The firs 20 will pair up in reverse order in relation to the entry list, while the remaining will compete in trios, according to their numbers, from the lowest to the highest.
Overall, the rest of the event will be very similar to the most recent editions counting for the World Championship. The entry list will be facing three more days of competition at the highest level the Algarve and Baixo Alentejo 15 gravel stages (around 336 km), in what is expected to be an intense fight for the win right until the very end.
Friday novelties
The Vodafone Rally de Portugal Day 2 – April 4th – will consist of two loops over the Silves, Ourique and Almodôvar special stages, the latter presenting a somewhat shorter distance than last year.
· Silves – 21.50 km (SS 2 – 10h06 / SS 5 – 14h51)
· Ourique – 25.40 km (SS 3 – 11h06 / SS 6 – 15h51)
· Almodôvar – 26.48 km (SS 4 – 11h49 / SS 7 – 16h34)
Saturday boosts the longest stage
Just like Day two, Saturday’s program will comprise a double loop over three special stages: Santa Clara, Santana da Serra and Malhão.
Saturday is the longest day of the Rally when it comes to special stage kilometers: no less than 146.28 km, of which almost 64 km represent the double passage on the Santana da Serra stage, the Rally’s longest one and – curiously – raced on the opposite direction to that of previous editions.
· Santa Clara – 19.09 km (SS 8 – 9h55 / SS 11 – 15h00)
· Santana da Serra – 31.90 km (SS 9 – 10h50 / SS 12 – 15h55)
· Malhão – 22.15 km (SS 10 – 12h00 / SS 13 – 17h05)
Last day with new layout
The Championship promoter’s new layout for the European rounds of the WRC demands a last special stage, known as Power Stage, with 10 to 15 km and with the start at 12h00 CET, 11 o’clock in Portugal.
Therefore, it was necessary to set aside last year’s successful layout of Almodôvar’s Power Stage on the second run over the 52 km distance. This was one of the longest European stages on the World Championship which, ultimately, took the decision of the Rally to the very end.
Instead, and to comply with the new format, Sunday will be comprised of a double passage in Loulé, the last one being the Power Stage. Between both runs, drivers will face São Brás de Alportel, with a route similar to 2012.
· Loulé – 13.81 km (SS 14 – 8h50 / SS 16 – 11h05)
· São Brás de Alportel – 16.21 km (SS 15 – 9h45)
Fafe is once again the prologue to a fantastic program
First held with great success in 2012 and then again in 2013, the WRC Fafe Rally Sprint is the perfect example of the Portuguese saying: “There’s no twice without three times.
Yet again, on the Saturday prior to the Vodafone Rally de Portugal (March 29th), this unique event on the World Rally Championship has revealed itself as a “don’t miss” date for drivers and teams, who do all they can to take part on the last 6 km of the Fafe / Lameirinha special stage. And judging from last year, 2014 will host another giant crowd!
Consisting of three runs, two qualifying ones and a final, this magnificent event is only possible thanks the effort and support of Fafe Municipality.
Large TV coverage
In 2014, RTP once again sets a partnership with Vodafone Rally de Portugal, ensuring a large live TV coverage of the event, starting in Fafe.
During the Rally itself, five stages will be broadcast live by the public channel. After transmitting Lisbon SSS, RTP will go live during the two passages in Malhão, on Saturday, and Loulé, on Sunday.
Several championships on stake
This year’s Vodafone Rally de Portugal has its entry list very near the limit of 90 teams established for the event. With more than 80 cars, 15 of them WRCs, this edition of Rally de Portugal, the 48th, promises to be one of the most competitive ever. More so given the number of championships for which it is eligible.
Besides the WRC, with the official representations from Volkswagen, Citroën, Ford and the returnee Hyundai, the ACP event will also see more than 20 teams participating on the very competitive WRC 2, a class that last year, for example, brought to rallying the former Formula 1 Polish driver Robert Kubica, this year graduated to the WRC.
At the same time, Portugal will also be the first round for what should be a very thrilling Junior WRC and Drive DMACK Diesta Trophy season. Each of these will feature more than 10 drivers competing.
The Vodafone Rally de Portugal is eligible for the National Rally Championship, therefore counting with names such as Bernardo Sousa, Pedro Meireles, Rui Madeira and Ricardo Moura.
The dices are set for what is anticipated to be a very competitive Vodafone Rally de Portugal and for what is expected to be a very successful organisation.