Giandomenico Basso, at the wheel of a Skoda Fabia Rally2 Evo and with a time of 1:50.885, was the fastest driver in the Qualifying of Rali Vinho da Madeira. The Italian will therefore be the first to choose his starting order for the 1st stage of the event organised by Club Sports da Madeira. The second fastest driver was Miguel Nunes, from Madeira, with an identical car, who drove in 1:51.052. In the next positions were the British Kris Meeke, in Hyundai i20N Rally2, the Madeiran Alexandre Camacho, in another Skoda Fabia Rally2 Evo, and, from Algarve, Ricardo Teodósio in the other car of Team Hyundai Portugal. The drivers will choose the starting order at Praça do Mar at 13:45. The results of this session can be found here.  

It's already tomorrow, August 3, that the 64th edition of Rali Vinho da Madeira will hit the road, organised by Club Sports da Madeira, which will last until Saturday, August 5th, and will feature 15 stages, divided into two legs. With a list of 85 entries, the event promises plenty of entertainment on the island's beautiful roads, always framed by the many spectators who always make a point of attending what many call the Party. Sportingly, there are many reasons to believe that this will be a very competitive rally. Alexandre Camacho, winner of the previous edition and record holder of victories, with a Skoda Fabia Rally2 Evo, is the favourite. However, there are many names, within a list of 22 drivers with Rally2 vehicles, who have the potential to climb to the top step of the podium on Saturday afternoon in downtown Funchal, host city of the race. Among others, Giandomenco Basso, Miguel Nunes, Kris Meeke, José Pedro Fontes, Armindo Araújo, Ricardo Teodósio and Simone Campedelli will be in contention for the outright victory, in a line-up that brings together drivers with international experience and the main protagonists of the national and regional championships. The sporting interest of the event is also guaranteed throughout the caravan as there are many competitors with chances to impose themselves in disputes such as the classification reserved for drivers with two-wheel drive vehicles or in the Peugeot Rally Cup Iberica, a mono-brand competition that enrols 18 teams. The first day of competition of Rali Vinho da Madeira starts at 08:30 with the Free Practice, reconnaissance and training session for the Qualifying, a timed session that will allow the fastest drivers to choose their starting order. The rally itself begins with the starting ceremony at 4 p.m., in Praça do Povo, and the contest of Cidade do Funchal, a city show-classification attended by tens of thousands of enthusiasts.

Rali Vinho da Madeira is part of the FIA European Rally Trophy, a competition established by the FIA, the international motor racing federation, which underwent a major remodelling in 2023. The number of events has been greatly reduced and the calendar now features 19 races, with a maximum limit of 2 for each country. So far the rallies have been held in Valasska (Czechia), Terras d'Aboboreira (Portugal), Ain Jura and Antibes (France), Cesky Krumlov (Czechia), Chablais (Switzerland), INA Delta (Croatia), Donegal (Ireland) and Weiz (Austria). The second half of the season includes the rallies Vinho da Madeira (Portugal), Rzeszow (Poland), Ulster and Ceredigion (United Kingdom), Bulgaria, Slask (Poland), Serbia, Nova Gorica (Slovenia), Valais (Switzerland) and Lausitz (Germany). The new formula for this trophy, which is intended to be a hinge between the national championships and the ERC and WRC, provides for a revised scoring system in which points are awarded according to the number of competitors present in each of the classes at a race. This could allow a driver with a Rally4 car to beat an opponent with a more competitive Rally2 car in the final classification. That's exactly what's happening at the moment, as the Czech Rene Dohnal is in the lead of the trophy, with a Peugeot 208 Rally4 that has scored points in the two rallies held in his country and also in Croatia and Austria. In second place is Spain's Edgar Vigo Lopez, who drives a car identical to the leader and whose points tally comes from his participation in the Terras d'Aboboreira, Ain Jura, INA Delta and Weiz rallies. Third are the Czechs Jan Kopecky and David Stefan, with the sum achieved in the two races held in their home country. Classification: 1st Rene Dohnal, 294; 2nd Edgar Vigo Lopez, 177; 3rd Jan Kopecky and David Stefan, 162; 5th Nikola Mishev, 159; 6th Karel Trojan, 102; 7th Kevin Marzolo, 96. 198 drivers are classified.

New technologies are increasingly shaping rallies, their format and various procedures. In the technological field, GPS has been a very important tool for teams and organisers for some years now, especially in the field of safety. Rali Vinho da Madeira uses the Spica and Stella systems, GPS and communication services whose equipment and software were developed by the Spanish company Anube. Spica was used in the reconnaissance, which has been used in the regional championship of the sport. This system allows the positioning of vehicles to be known at all times, as well as checking the speed reached and respect for road traffic rules. Infractions may be penalised in monetary terms as well as through a sporting sanction. In the rally itself and in the competition vehicles, Stella will be used, a system in force in the Portuguese Rally Championship, which allows greater precision in positioning, namely through the placement of a dedicated antenna. In addition, the system allows for numerous communication capabilities between the race direction and the competitors, in both directions. The rally's security vehicles also use a localisation system. More information can be found here.

Rally Week has begun and with it came the first event of the great party that is the Rali Vinho da Madeira. In the first public act of the 64th edition of the Club Sports da Madeira organisation, many thousands of fans and supporters went to the Madeira Casino for the unmissable autograph session, which was extended well beyond its scheduled end time due to the popularity and number of attendees. In a unique convivial atmosphere, kids and adults did not miss the opportunity to chat, get memorable autographs, take home much appreciated gifts or just take the inevitable selfie with the entire caravan of an edition that is expected to be competitive and anthological. Faced with the surprise of foreign pilots with the magnitude of the event, several federative leaders also highlighted what, in the national and international panorama, is a unique moment and the age range of its audience. Photo gallery here