José Paula is one of the drivers focused on the conquer of an excellent outcome in FIA ERT Iberian Rally Trophy, a competition part of the Rali Vinho da Madeira. The driver of the Citroën C3 Rally2 faces this race, organized by Club Sports da Madeira as “part of the project that we have designed this year. If we are successful, we plan to be in the other competitions for the trophy. Rali Vinho da Madeira is an outstanding competition. I hope I can find, once more, an excellent organization and fantastic crowded spectators who always welcome us so tenderly. Being so, I face this rally with ambition but, most of all, I intend to finish it. I will try to start with speed, see where my position will be set and then try to achieve an important outcome. I do have motivation and will to win…” Paula, who lives in Pico, Azores, started the rallies back in 2006 with a Peugeot 205 GTi. Soon after, he was behind the wheel of a VW Golf G60 and drove, between 2010 and 2016 a Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX. In 2018, he has purchased a Peugeot 208 T16, with which he has reached the podium in several events. In 2022 he was the 15th in the Rali Terras d’Aboboreira and in the Rali Vinho da Madeira he will be driving the same car that led Bernardo Sousa to the triumph of the Rally of Lisbon.  

Rui Jorge Fernandes starts one more Rali Vinho da Madeira, competition that can be foreseen as “a very lively one, with a lot of competition on the roads. Quite the same as in the previous competitions. We want to win this category, nevertheless, the rivalry is stronger than ever, which made us work even harder. We have made a few changes in the car, so we will see if it will pay off. Our goal is to start focused and be stronger from the first stage on. Our cars are well prepared and I don’t predict any issues with the length this rally has. Not even regarding the tyres worn out, as even though a long rally, it’s not that demanding”. 32 years old, Rui Jorge Fernandes had his debut in the rallies in 2008 with a Skoda Fabia TDi RS. Soon after, he drove a Citroën Saxo e Citroën C2 soon enough he stood out with one of the best drivers of the front-wheel drive vehicles. He has used several versions of the Mitsubishi Lancer and, in 2019, he has purchased the Renault Clio R3T, which is still driven by him. With this car and teamed up with João Pedro Freitas, he was the Regional Champion in 2020 and 2021.   

Club Sports da Madeira, organizing entity of the Rali Vinho da Madeira, would like to, hereby, invite you for a press conference that will be held this Wednesday, 27th July, at 12:00 hours, at Empresa de Cervejas da Madeira, set at Parque Empresarial Zona Oeste.  At this conference the list of drivers for the RVM 2022 edition will be revealed. The Organizing Committee  

Ricardo Teodósio will compete in the Rali Vinho da Madeira with one of the official Hyundai i20N rally2, with which he hopes to “most importantly, finish, which has not been easy this year. So far, we have only raced a rally in normal circumstances and I won. In Madeira, there is always something that goes wrong for us. Being so, I want to race this rally less fiercely. I have been facing many “shenanigans”, as there is always something that is less good. Nevertheless, I have the feeling that this will be a great year. I will try to do what I like and drive as fast as possible. Our car is excellent in tarmac, however, and comparing with the other Madeiran drivers, I will always have less knowledge on the roads. Still, it will be a great rally!” Ricardo Teodósio, the driver from Algarve, is 46 years old and had his debut in rallies back in 2001, with a Mitsubishi Lancer Evo III. Known for his outstanding driving, he has already been behind the wheel of many models, having created his own “brand” with cars of the three diamonds’ brand and was Regional Champion in 2010 and 2011. He won his first National Rally Championship in 2018 with a Skoda Fabia R5, a vehicle that had its first sceptre in 2019. Nowadays, he is the National Champion in title.  

Hello everyone, The first weekend of August has the tradition to bring us the Rali Vinho da Madeira, which is, undoubtedly, the most important social and sports event of the Autonomous Region of Madeira, being also a highly recognized competition and one of the brightest stars in the universe of the European Rallies, as well as in National and International sphere. It has been a competition of reference for many decades, with drivers from many European countries, to which many drivers are competing the Portuguese Rally Championship such as Madeira Coral Rally Championship, in a competition that usually hits the roads with thousands and thousands of Madeirans watching. This year is, once more, challenging for the Organizing Committee. With the permission of having spectators on the roads of our Island, iconic moments are back with the Spectacle Special Stage in Avenida do Mar, the passages through Chão da Lagoa and the newly crossroad of Carvalhal in the Special Stage in Ponta do Sol. Our spectators have always been an example of civic behaviour and extremely supportive with the drivers and the Organizing Committee of the rally and it is, after all, for them that we work for, as without them and the drivers, there is no rally, and without audience, there is no show.  We will have, previous to the Avenida do Mar Special Stage, on Thursday afternoon, the ceremony of the competitors’ presentation, at the podium, set at Praça do Povo. In the two following days, drivers will race through the four corners of our Island, crossing every Municipality of Madeira, reassuring the performance and festivity, a controlled gathering with all norms set by the regional, national and international Health Authorities. This year we will reinforce the norms of environmental sustainability, mandatory next year.  I recommend, as always, everyone to watch the rally close to the emotion but far from the danger, as I ask local people to have, as they always do, an exemplary behaviour in order to brighten this competition that is not just Madeiran, it is also from Madeira. An enormous thank you to everyone! Have a great Rali Vinho da Madeira 2022, Pedro Melvill de Araújo  

Gil Freitas will race the next edition of the Rali Vinho da Madeira with a Hyundai i20 R5 purchased about two months ago. The driver is sensing “lack of rhythm, as I still don’t know the car well enough. In Faial we started the competition without power and, beyond that, a rear stabilizer bar was broken. As soon as we solved these issues, a semi axis was also broken. Under such circumstances, I want to enjoy the characteristics of the ca rand make it to the end of the race, without having in mind other goals of standings. We hope that, in less than a week, the weather is not so hot, because it it’s the same temperature as now, it will be a very challenging rally.” Gil Freitas, teamed up with Duarte Miranda, started quite late in the rallies, in 2013, with an Opel Kadett GT/E. Since then, he has been at the gear of several vehicles such as Opel Ascona 400, Citroën DS3 R5 or Subaru Impreza S14 WRC. His best score so far, achieved driving a Porsche GT3, the car that led him to become the National Champion in 2015 and in Madeira in 2019, winning the AMAK Trophy between 2014 and 2016.  

Simone Campedelli, the driver who will race in the Rali Vinho da Madeira, got a second position in the Rally di Roma Capitale, sixth competition of the European Championship, this weekend in Italy. The driver of Skoda Fabia Rally2 Evo was for four times the second fastest in the 13 stages of the rally, with an extraordinary competitive rhythm, as well as benefiting the other drivers’ issues, being able to cross the finish line in 10,4 seconds delay to the winner, Damiano de Tommaso, in a similar vehicle. Campedelli represents in 2022 the MRF (Madras Rubber Factory) Tyres, Indian company that is the biggest manufacturer of tyres in the world. Having the sixth position in the ERC this year, the Italian driver withdrew in three different occasions and in Azores got the seventh position and fifth in the Canary Islands.  MRF, which has conquered several times the title of the championship FIA Asian-Pacific in a partnership with Skoda, is at a rising moment in Europe and achieved its first success in the international event in the European Continent, In the Azores Rallye, in March.