Stars Return for Annual Rally de Portugal Spectacle

The biggest sporting event held annually in Portugal once again brings the stars of the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) from 9th to 12th May. Three world champions and seven former winners of the rally top the entry list for the Vodafone Rally de Portugal, the largest of the season so far, with 69 teams from 22 nationalities. After having achieved a record economic impact, in 2023, the Automobile Club of Portugal (ACP) event promises to move around one million people again, in 15 municipalities in the country.

On its way to its 57th edition, the Vodafone Rally de Portugal continues to be one of the most emblematic rallies in the world, inaugurating, as usual, the European gravel phase of the WRC. With a route very similar to that of 2023, with a total of 1,690.12 kilometers in length and 337.04 timed kilometers (compared to 335.26 in 2023), the big news is the costume of 22 classification specials, a number that has not been reached since the 2012 edition.

And proving the appeal of the ACP race is the fact that even drivers who are not competing for the entire championship, such as World Champions Sébastien Ogier and Kalle Rovanperä, make a point of competing in the Vodafone Rally de Portugal, reinforcing a list that includes seven former winners of the race: Ogier, Rovanperä, Elfyn Evans, Ott Tänak, Thierry Neuville, Kris Meeke and Armindo Araújo, the latter two now at the wheel of Rally2 cars.

Hyundai - Toyota duel in full swing

In all, 69 teams from 22 nationalities are registered for the Vodafone Rally de Portugal, the largest list of the WRC season so far. This is the fifth race on the World Championship calendar and the fourth of the Portuguese Rally Championship, which as usual, will award its scores at the end of the stage on Friday (May 10).

The reigning World Champion, Toyota Gazoo Racing, appears in full force in Portugal: in addition to its two full-time drivers, Elfyn Evans and Takamoto Katsuta, it also brings the returning Sébastien Ogier, the most successful driver in the history of Rally Portugal, tied with Markku Alén (five wins), and the two-time reigning World Champion, Kalle Rovanperä, who won the recent Safari Rally – Kenya and is aiming for a third consecutive triumph at the Vodafone Rally de Portugal.

On the other hand, Hyundai Shell Mobis leads the Drivers' Championship through Thierry Neuville, who opened the year with an impressive victory in Monte Carlo, but saw his lead over Evans cut to six points after Safari and ahead of this weekend's Rally Croatia. Ott Tänak is another very strong Hyundai candidate for victory in Portugal, as can veteran Dani Sordo, second in the ACP race, in 2021 and 2023.

M-Sport Ford once again delivers its Puma Rally1 to Adrien Fourmaux, one of the good surprises of the start of the season, with podiums in Sweden and Kenya, and at least experienced Grégoire Munster. In all, there will be nine premier class cars in Portugal, one more than in last year's edition.

The Rally2 category, on the other hand, has an impressive list of 40 entries, by far the largest of the season so far. In the WRC2 race are all the main figures of the Rally2 World Championship, such as championship leader Oliver Solberg (Skoda), who will try to avenge the victory lost last year in Portugal, due to the spin – and subsequent penalty – in the Lousada Super Special. Gus Greensmith (Skoda) and Yohan Rossel (Citroën) are just behind the Norwegian in the World Championship, but there are several other big names in the squad in Portugal: Teemu Suninen (Hyundai), Nikolay Gryazin (Citroën), Pepe López (Skoda), Sami Pajari (Toyota), Georg Linnamäe (Toyota) or Jan Solans (Toyota), just to name a few.

The main competitors of the CPR also reinforce the list of entries, as Kris Meeke (Hyundai), Armindo Araújo (Skoda), Ricardo Teodósio (Hyundai), José Pedro Fontes (Citroën), Ernesto Cunha (Skoda) or Lucas Simões (Ford), also join the CPR 2RM drivers, such as Gonçalo Henriques (Renault), Hugo Lopes (Peugeot), Pedro Silva (Peugeot), Kevin Saraiva (Peugeot) or Diogo Marujo (Peugeot), among others.

Among the Rally3 cars, the highlight is the clash between the best Ford Fiesta drivers, such as WRC3 leader Jan Cerny, and Renault Clio drivers, such as Ghjuvanni Rossi or Matteo Chatillon.

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