Alex Español Leads the Way in Two-Wheel Drive

The 4th Section of Rali da Madeira brought few changes to the top five finishers among the two-wheel drive competitors. At the front are always four drivers in Peugeot 208 Rally4s. The leader is always Alex Español, who now has a 10.1-second lead over Giovanni Fariña. Miguel Garcia is also in third place, but at 46.4 seconds, he seems out of contention for victory in this category, followed by Anton Korzun, 11.2 seconds behind. Second at the start of the day, Iago Gabeiras lost significant time in Ponta do Sol 1. Fifth place goes to Vasco D. Silva in a Renault Clio Rally4, first in the regional championship standings.

João Silva puts Diego Ruiloba under pressure

The Rosário 1 race, the final special stage of the 4th Section, brought even more excitement to Rali da Madeira. João Silva and his Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 once again gained time in their fight for victory in this event organised by Club Sports da Madeira and are now 1.9 seconds behind Diego Ruiloba, the event leader since SS3 in a Citroën C3 Rally2. Meanwhile, Miguel Nunes and the Skoda Fabia Rally2 Evo were the fastest in the timed section and are also putting some pressure on Italian Simone Campedelli, 2.9 seconds ahead of him, in the battle for the bottom spot on the podium. Far from these two drivers is British driver Kris Meeke, fifth in a Toyota GR Yaris Rally2, who is 6.1 seconds behind his closest rival in the Portuguese championship title race, Armindo Araújo in a Skoda Fabia RS Rally2. The top ten finishers also include José Pedro Fontes in a Citroën C3 Rally2, and Alexandre Camacho and Dani Sordo, both in Hyundai i20N Rally2. Rali da Madeira ends after the second round of the Special Stages held this morning.

Information no 1

Due to the vehicle with number 19 skidding off the road, SS 9 indicated that from number 22 onwards, drivers should take the alternative route. No changes to the scheduled timetable are expected.

Simone Campedelli on the attack on the final day

Simone Campedelli, driving a Skoda Fabia RS Rally2, took the third and final day of Rali da Madeira to the attack, finishing fastest on the new Ponta do Sol Special Stage, which greatly pleased the leading drivers. The Italian beat Miguel Nunes by 3.7 seconds on an identical track, and João Silva in the Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 by 5.6 seconds. Silva, however, gained 1.7 seconds on his direct rival and rally leader, Spaniard Diego Ruiloba in a Citroën C3 Rally2. The battle on the first run through Ponta do Sol changed the drivers in the top five and hints at a very competitive second stage. The 4th section of the race, held this morning, also includes the first runs through Calheta and Rosário before a regrouping and service park in Funchal.

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