Tomorrow, July 31st, the 66th edition of Rali da Madeira takes to the road. It has been organised since 1959 by the Club Sports da Madeira and is part of the FIA European Rally Trophy, the Portuguese and Madeiran championships, and the Peugeot Rally Cup Ibérica. The event, now with Filipe Sousa as the Clerk of the Course, has assembled a high-quality field of 97 entrants, promising excitement, competition, and excitement over three days on the island's roads.

With a total distance of 629.07 km, 177.56 of which are selective, this truly celebratory event on the archipelago is divided into two stages and 13 special qualifying rounds. The sports program kicks off tomorrow morning with the Shakedown, an official session in which teams make final adjustments to their vehicles, and, in the late afternoon, the Funchal City Super-Special Stage, which takes place, framed by tens of thousands of spectators, in the downtown area of the host city.

The remaining first Special Stage, to be held on Friday, August 1st, includes two stops at Campo de Golfe, Palheiro Ferreiro, and Santana, while the second Special Stage, the following day, includes two stops at the redesigned Ponta do Sol, Calheta, and the iconic Rosário. The starting ceremony will take place tomorrow at 4:00 pm at Praça do Mar, on Avenida do Mar e das Comunidades Madeirenses, which will also host the awards ceremony on Saturday, August 2nd, at 6:30 pm.

In sporting terms, the battle for the top positions is eagerly awaited by, among others, drivers such as "world champions" Dani Sordo and Kris Meeke, Italian Simone Campedelli, Spaniard Diego Ruiloba, the event's most recent winner, national championship protagonists such as Armindo Araújo, José Pedro Fontes, and Ricardo Teodósio, and Madeiran specialists João Silva, Miguel Nunes, Miguel Caires, and Alexandre Camacho, the record-holder for victories in the race. With a good field and a diverse range of entries in both classes and single-make competitions, the audience will be thrilled to see the best current racing cars and other spectacular models.