A large crowd at Rali Vinho da Madeira checks

This afternoon, Praça CR7 and Pier 6 of the Port of Funchal hosted the administrative and technical checks for the 65th Rali Vinho da Madeira, an event organised since 1959 by Club Sports da Madeira that will be on the road between tomorrow, August 1st, and Saturday, August 3rd. There were many fans of the sport and the local population who, once again, didn't want to miss the opportunity to be close to some of their idols as well as to get a closer look at the much-loved machines that will be competing on the 15 stages that make up the event.

Rali Vinho da Madeira hits the road tomorrow!

Tomorrow, August 1st, the 65th edition of Rali Vinho da Madeira will take to the road. The event has been organised since 1959 by Cube Sports da Madeira and is part of the FIA European Rally Trophy, the Portuguese and Madeiran championships and the Peugeot Rally Cup Ibérica. In an event also marked by a great concern for environmental sustainability, the event directed by Pedro M. Araújo has gathered a list of 85 entries that promises excitement and competition over three days on the island's roads. With a total distance of 666.63 kilometres, of which 189.70 are on a selective route, what is a true feast for the archipelago is divided into 2 stages and 15 classifications. The sporting programme kicks off tomorrow morning with Qualifying, a session in which the fastest drivers can choose their starting order for the first stage, and, in the late afternoon, the Cidade do Funchal super-special, which takes place, framed by tens of thousands of spectators, in the downtown area of the host city. The remaining first stage, to be held on Friday 2nd August, includes a double pass through Campo de Golfe, Palheiro Ferreiro and Santana, while the second stage, the following day, includes two passes through Câmara de Lobos, Ponta do Sol, Calheta and the iconic Rosário. The start ceremony takes place tomorrow at 4 p.m on the Avenida do Mar e das Comunidades Madeirenses, which will also host the prize-giving ceremony on Saturday 3rd August at 6:30 p.m. In terms of sport, interest is expected in the race for the top positions from, among others, drivers such as Italian Simone Campedelli, Spaniard Diego Ruiloba, Briton Kris Meeke, national championship protagonists such as Armindo Araújo, José Pedro Fontes or Ricardo Teodósio and Madeiran specialists João Silva, Miguel Nunes, Miguel Caires and Alexandre Camacho, the event's record winner. The public will be thrilled by the best racing cars in the world today, including the Toyota GR Yaris Rally2.

Forum on Environmental Sustainability in Motorsport

The Portuguese Automobile and Karting Federation, in partnership with the International Automobile Federation and Rali Vinho da Madeira, held a Forum on Environmental Sustainability in Motorsport this afternoon at the Colégio dos Jesuítas in Funchal. Pedro Barros Pereira, responsible for this area at FPAK, Bárbara Silva, FIA Sustainability Director, José Paulo Fontes, President of Rali Vinho da Madeira Organising Committee, Cora Teixeira, Director of Tourism Qualification Services, Nelson Correia and Fernando Mascôto Spínola, FPAK Environmental Delegates, Juan Santos, Environmental Commissioner, José Pedro Fontes, Armindo Araújo and João Silva, drivers, Pedro Melvill Araújo, member of the FPAK Board and Clerk of the Course of Rali Vinho da Madeira, Hélder Spínola, from the University of Madeira, António Filipe, Director of the Institute of Forests and Nature Conservation, and Elsa Fernandes, Vice Rector of the University of Madeira.

Rain should be absent from Rali Vinho da Madeira

The IPMA (Portuguese Institute for the Sea and Atmosphere) weather forecasts do not include rain for the days of the 65th edition of Rali Vinho da Madeira. Only on Saturday is there the possibility of light showers on the northern slopes, which could affect the climb between Rosário and Encumeada. However, the cloudiness may bring some fog to the higher areas. Thursday 1st August Periods of very cloudy skies, becoming less cloudy in the afternoon. Weak to moderate wind (10 to 30 km/h) from the north/northeast, sometimes blowing strong (up to 40 km/h) in the highlands from the afternoon onwards. Small rise in the minimum temperature in the highlands. Friday 2nd August Periods of very cloudy skies. Weak to moderate wind (10 to 30 km/h) from the north/north-east, sometimes blowing strong (up to 40 km/h) in the highlands and extreme east and west of Madeira Island. Saturday 3rd August Periods of very cloudy skies. Chance of light showers on the northern slopes. Weak to moderate wind (10 to 30 km/h) from the north/northeast, sometimes blowing strong (up to 40 km/h) in the mountains and extreme east and west of Madeira until late afternoon.

Transporting cars to the RVM is a complex process

Transporting the vehicles for Rali Vinho da Madeira is one of the most complex operations in the preparation of this event. In the 2024 edition, transport was divided into different shipments totalling 18 lorries, 13 vans, 33 rally cars and 21 trailers. Between Leixões and Lisbon we had 6 shipments. The Sousa Group has been one of the Organising Committee's partners for 35 years. Duarte Rodrigues, the group's director, explained that the motivation for supporting the event arises ‘because we realise that without this support it would be very difficult for it to take place, which would be bad for Madeira’. The Sousa Group has always positioned itself as a facilitator of high-impact events that are of interest to the region and ‘this is our main motivation,’ the director reiterated. In practical terms, the support ‘consists of a very significant reduction in transport costs’. This process is not just limited to competition vehicles, but also vans and service lorries. The fact that the Sousa Group is the only ship owner to have two ships arriving in Madeira every week - one at the beginning of the week and the other at the end of the week - naturally favours the options available to competitors. However, there is a major challenge, which is the concentration of this operation in a very short period of time, around a week. ‘As you can understand, diluting this transport over more trips would always be much better from the point of view of making space available on the ships,’ said Duarte Rodrigues, adding that ’the transport of an event like this not only limits the transport capacity of the usual cars on our ships, but also limits the transport capacity of the containers themselves.’ Therefore, the main challenge ‘is to reconcile Rali Vinho da Madeira operation with the transport of the vehicles and containerised cargo of our regular customers who provide the Group with the transport of their goods throughout the year and who must not be disadvantaged’. The process of loading and unloading the vehicles has to be done very carefully and slowly, avoiding any damage to the vehicles. Associated with this process is ‘monitoring the customs check’ in order to speed up the unloading process. The process of transporting vehicles to the RVM starts at the beginning of the year, with a contact with Customs to find out if the customs procedures are the same as usual, both for transporting vehicles and for transporting fuel. About 1 to 2 months beforehand, contact is made with the teams to request documentation and information about the vehicles.

How is the FIA European Rally Trophy going?

Rali Vinho da Madeira is part of the FIA European Rally Trophy, a competition organised by the international motor sport federation that underwent several changes in 2023. At that time, the number of events was reduced to 19. The scoring system was also changed and takes into account, with a coefficient, the number of appearances in each of the categories, which means that a competitor with a less competitive car, such as a Rally4, can fight for the victory. In 2024, the calendar for this trophy, which is intended to be a hinge between the national championships and the ERC and WRC, has been reduced once again and there will be 13 races in the season. So far the rallies have been Terras d'Aboboreira (Portugal), Ain-Jura (France), Cesky Krumlov and Agrotec Petronas (Czechia), Chablais (Switzerland), Zagreb Delta (Croatia) and Weiz (Austria). The second half of the season includes the rallies Vinho da Madeira (Portugal), Rzeszow (Poland), Ulster (United Kingdom), Bulgaria, Nova Gorica (Slovenia), Valais (Switzerland) and Lausitz (Germany). In the top positions of the FIA European Rally Trophy is Spaniard Edgar Vigo, the current runner-up in this formula, who is driving a Peugeot 208 Rally4 and has collected points in four races. The current podium also includes the Czechs David Stefan and Dominik Stritesky, who have points from the two rallies held in their home country. Classification: 1st Edgar Vigo, 222; 2nd David Stefan, 180; 3rd Dominik Stritesky, 153; 4th Jan Kopecky, 144; 5th Adam Brezik and Anthony Raoult, 141; 7th Francis Delarme, 117; 8th Erik Cais, 114; 9th Nikola Mishev, 108; 10th Thomas Regner, 105. 134 drivers are classified.

Crowd at Rali Vinho da Madeira autograph session

Thousands of fans went to the Madeira Casino gardens this evening for another Rali Vinho da Madeira autograph session. As has become tradition, the most fervent fans and an enthusiastic population of the sport and the iconic event didn't miss this opportunity to collect the ‘precious’ autographs as well as socialise and take the usual selfies with the teams that, from Thursday 1st August, will be the centre of attention on the island.

Rali Vinho da Madeira in the STREAMadeira

STREAMadeira will be broadcasting live some of the stages of Rali Vinho da Madeira in partnership with the Portuguese Automobile and Karting Federation, AMAK Madeira, on behalf of the organising clubs, thus continuing the broadcasts of the Madeira Coral Rally Championship, which includes Rali Vinho da Madeira. The broadcasts listed below will take place on the Facebook pages of the Portuguese Automobile and Karting Federation, AMAK Madeira , Rali Vinho da Madeira or STREAMadeira , on www.streamadeira.pt  or on the YouTube channel: https://youtube.com/@streamadeira

RTP Madeira schedule for the RVM 2024 Edition

1st August - Thursday 15:55 - 17:00 Start podium 19:25 - 20:57 Avenida do Mar 22:00 - 23:30 Balance of the day programme 2nd August - Friday 09:20 - 12:00 Golf Course 1 and Palheiro Ferreiro 1 14:15 - 17:00 Golf Course 2 and Palheiro Ferreiro 2 22:00 - 23:30 Balance of the day programme 3rd August - Saturday 10:15 - 11:45 Ponta do Sol 1 12:20 - 14:00 Rosário 1 15:15 - 16:45 Ponta do Sol 2 17:20 - 18:55 Rosário 2 / Grandstand / Final podium 21:55 - 23:00 Balance programme  

Checks take place tomorrow

The administrative and technical checks for the 65th Rali Vinho da Madeira will take place tomorrow, 31 July, at Praça CR7 and Pier 6 in the Port of Funchal. These events always welcome large crowds of people who don't miss the opportunity to meet the teams and get a closer look at the machines that, a day later, will delight tens of thousands of fans on Madeira's roads. Checks start at 5 p.m and are expected to last until 9.30 p.m. Wednesday is also the day scheduled for reconnaissance, between 8 a.m and 4 p.m, of the 1st stage, Campo de Golfe, Palheiro Ferreiro and Santana. The Press office will also be open for the many journalists to formalise and complete their accreditation process. The Amended Entry List and the Starting Order for Qualifying will be published at 9:45 p.m.

Message from the President for the Organising Committee of the 2024 RVM Edition

Welcome to Madeira Island and the 2024 Rali Vinho da Madeira, the oldest motor race in Portugal, which has always been organised by the centenary Club Sports da Madeira. And we're already at the 65th edition. This sporting event perfectly combines the promotion of the Madeira tourist destination and its famous wine with the boosting of its economic activity, as the rally is experienced intensely by all generations of Madeirans who so enthusiastically captivate all our visitors, transforming the Rali Vinho da Madeira into a popular festival throughout the week, giving it its own identity and a brand image that affirms this emblematic event on the international rally scene.  The enthusiasm with which successive generations of Madeirans welcome their rallies is maintained and renewed year after year, forcing the Organising Committee to keep its ambition high in order to meet the expectations of our fans. To prove the prestige and international image of our rally, you only have to look at the entry list, which surprises everyone, not only because of the high number of participants for an island event, with increased logistics and transport costs, but also because of its unequivocal quality. We have several drivers who are former winners of Rali Vinho da Madeira and other extremely competitive drivers who will be back on our roads and who will be decisive in terms of the fight for the top spots in the general classification. We also wanted to bring together a group of young drivers who are priorities in their countries and who, together with the fast drivers from Madeira and the Portuguese Championship, will provide a great sporting spectacle, with plenty of reasons to be interested, because there are other rallies and other competitions, depending on the respective groups and classes. In sporting terms, Rali Vinho da Madeira 2024 will score points for the FIA European Rally Trophy, the Portuguese Rally Championship, the CORAL Madeira Rally Championship and the Peugeot Rally Cup Ibérica, a mono-brand competition that brings together experienced competitors who know our roads and young national and Spanish drivers, making it another ‘rally’ to follow closely. We're convinced that we'll have a highly competitive Rali Vinho da Madeira, with a packed programme, from the autograph session, through the always spectacular Avenida do Mar Special Stage, and then along its emblematic stages, through our mountains on winding, good asphalt roads. We're convinced that a lot of people will be following the event closely, so it must always be done in the utmost safety and following the guidelines and recommendations of the organisation and the security forces. We want to have an event that combines maximum safety and environmental sustainability, and this double objective can only be achieved through the attitude of each spectator and their exemplary behaviour and civic posture. Always remembering that “the rally is not from Madeira, but for Madeira”. For all of us! A good rally to all, safe and friendly to nature and the environment. José Paulo Fontes President of the Rali Vinho da Madeira Organising Committee    

20 teams for the Qualifying

On the morning of Thursday 1st August, 20 teams will take part in Rali Vinho da Madeira Qualifying. Obtaining the best results in this session, which will take place between Água de Pena and the ER 224, passing through Cardais, will give priority to choosing the starting order for the 1st stage of the rally that has been on the road since 1959 by Club Sports da Madeira. The competitors taking part in the Qualifying, whose service park will be at the Água de Pena Sports Park, will be 1 - Kris Meeke/Stuart Loudon, 2 - Armindo Araújo/Miguel Ramalho, 3 - Alexandre Camacho/Carlos Magalhães, 4 - José P. Fontes/Inês Ponte, 5 - Ernesto Cunha/Rui Raimundo, 6 - Ricardo Teodósio/José Teixeira, 7 - João Barros/Jorge Henriques, 8 - Pedro Meireles/Ricardo Faria, 9 - Diego Ruiloba/Angel Vela, 10 - Simone Campedelli/Tania Canton, 11 - João Silva/Luis Rodrigues, 12 - Miguel Nunes/João Paulo, 14 - Miguel Caires - João M. Sousa, 15 - Ricardo Filipe/José Martins, 18 - Adruzilo Lopes/Vítor Oliveira, 21 - Gonçalo Henriques/Inês Veiga, 35 - Hugo Lopes/Valter Cardoso, 39 - Guilherme Meireles/Pedro Alves, 40 - Pedro Silva/Roberto Santos and 49 - Anton Korzun/Pavlo Kononov.

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