Diego Ruiloba joined the select group of drivers who have won Rali da Madeira more than once, achieving his second consecutive victory in the event, which has been on the road since July 31st. The Spanish driver in a Citroën C3 Rally2 arrived on the island stating his goal was to repeat his 2024 success. He took the lead in the third of the program's thirteen stages and never relinquished it.
João Silva, second, 4.4 seconds behind the winner, was the only driver truly in contention for this victory with Ruiloba. The Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 driver was in command of this event at the start of the second of three days of competition and never gave up his pursuit of the top spot on the podium. The Madeiran driver, already in the second stage, put pressure on the eventual winner, who, however, fought back.
Leading the way after the opening super-special, Simone Campedlelli occupied the lowest spot on the podium. The Italian, driving a Skoda Fabia RS Rally2, proved capable of beating the frontrunners in only two stages and ended up battling Miguel Nunes for third place. The Madeiran, in an identical car, proved strong on the third day and beat the event's dominant drivers. He finished fourth, 1.2 seconds shy of the podium.
Kris Meeke and his Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 rounded out the top five after a rally in which, with rare exceptions, they never showed any potential for a higher place in the standings. The Briton, however, won the duel with his biggest rival in the race for the Portuguese title, Armindo Araújo, who finished sixth in a Skoda Fabia RS Rally2. Seventh, José Pedro Fontes, in a Citroën C3 Rally2, did not perform as well as he usually does on the island this year.
Dani Sordo finished the race in eighth place and, with a speed increase in the final section, won the battle with Madeira's Alexandre Camacho for best position in a Hyundai i20N Rally2, a model used by both drivers. Miguel Caires rounded out the top ten finishers after an event in which he was repeatedly hampered by vehicle problems and a puncture.
