How is FIA Iberian Rally Trophy doing?

FIA European Rally Trophy of the Iberian area was one of the least affected until now due to the pandemics, as there was no change in the calendar initially predicted, except the cancelation of the Casinos do Algarve Rally, which was the last competition of the season. Until now, two Spanish Rallies Sierra Morena and Villa de Adeje were organized. In the first one, set between 8th and 10th April near  Córdoba, won with a great standing of José António Suarez, in a Skoda Fabia Rally2 Evo, followed by Jan Solans, driver who will be in this Rali Vinho da Madeira Edition. In the second event, which has already taken place between the 13th and 15th May in Tenerife, the victory belongs to Yeray Lemes with a Citroën C3 R5 reduced to Surhayen Pernia with a Hyundai i20 R5 but with a great distance for Luis Vilarño em Skoda Fabia Rally2 Evo. This last one, however, is one of the few to get points from both competitions and is the standings leader, followed by the two events’ winners. After Rali Vinho da Madeira, they will take part of the rallies Princesa de Asturias and La Nucia – Mediterranean, both in Spain.  Standings: 1st Luis Vilariño, 45; 2nd José António Suarez, 40; 3rd Yeray Lemes, 39; 4th Surhayen Pernia, 33; 5th Jan Solans, 31; 6th Sérgio Passos, 26; 7th Javier Pardo, 25; 8th Francisco Pacheco and Joan Vinyes, 23; 10th Fabrizio Zaldivar, 15; 11th Francisco António Lopez, 13; 12th Eduard Pons, 11; 13th Oscar Palacio, 9.  

How is the Portuguese Championship of Rallies doing?

This year there have been three National Motorsports Championships, Terras d’Aboboreira, 30th April to 2nd May, Portugal, 20th to 23rd May, and Castelo Branco, 11th to 13th June. The national Champion Armindo Araújo was the second in the debut stage but was the best in the other two, becoming the standing leader. Winner in the first competition of the year, Ricardo Teodósio has been less regular, as he was second and then third and is the driver closer to the leader, with a drawback of 7 points. In the lowest place of the podium is, for now,  Bruno Magalhães, who has three fourth places in three competitions with Hyundai i20 R5. Right behind him is José Pedro Fontes was sixth in both competitions performed in gravel. Nevertheless, he has improved to a third place in Castelo Branco, already in tarmac. As for Bernardo Sousa, he was the fifth in the opening competition and almost the leader of rally that is also for the WRC, however, he ended up late in the last competed rally. Miguel Correia has been showing an evolution, was the third in Terras d’Aboboreira and fifth in Castelo Branco, unfortunately, he withdrew from the most important competition of the calendar. After this competition, are yet to be performed Mortágua, Alto Tâmega, Serras de Fafe e Vidreiro Centro de Portugal rallies Standings: 1st Armindo Araújo, 76; 2nd Ricardo Teodósio, 69; 3rd Bruno Magalhães, 44; 4th José Pedro Fontes, 37; 5th Bernardo Sousa, 36; 6th Miguel Correia, 30; 7th Paulo Neto, 24; 8th Pedro Meireles, 18; 9th Diogo Salvi, 8; 10th Gil Antunes, 7; 11th Manuel Castro, 6; 12th Fernando Teotónio, 5; 13th Daniel Nunes, 2; 14th Alexandrino Dinis, 2; 15th Paulo Barata, 1.  

How is the Rali Coral da Madeira Championship doing?

Due to a postponed start imposed by the pandemics, only two competitions of the Madeira motorsports Championship have been accomplished. The balance between the main drivers has been clear and the competitions have been exciting until their finale, as the leader was only revealed in the last stage of the events.  At the time, behind the wheel of a Citroën C3 Rally2 Evo, Alexandre Camacho was the leader in Ribeira Brava, on the 25th and 26th July, ahead with 1,4 seconds on Miguel Nunes, as he was the leader of Rali do Marítimo, on the 16th and 17th July, by 0,5 seconds. This balance is also in the championship standings, led by Camacho with 2 points as head start from Nunes.  Getting to know Skoda Fabia Rally2 Evo, Pedro Paixão was racing in defence in his debut competition and lost a lot of time with a tyre puncture just when he started fighting back in Machico. Rui Pinto and Filipe Freitas have been getting similar positions, however, they both withdrew once. That takes José Camacho, stronger with his Peugeot 208 T16, to be next in the fourth position of the competition, followed by Rui Jorge Fernandes, until now unstoppable in his category. With two victories, Américo Gouveia also stands out of RC4 group. After Rali Vinho da Madeira, the rallies missing are Câmara de Lobos/Funchal, Faial – Santana e Calheta. Standings: 1st Alexandre Camacho, 51; 2nd Miguel Nunes, 49; 3rd Pedro Paixão, 32; 4th José Camacho, 22; 5th Rui Jorge Fernandes, 20; 6th Rui Pinto, 17; 7th Filipe Freitas, 14; 8th Dinarte Baptista, 14; 9th Paulo Mendes, 10; 10th Américo Gouveia, 8; 11th João Ferreira, 8; 12th Carlos Silva, 3; 13th Pedro Macedo, 2; 14th Cláudio Nóbrega, 2; 15th Paulo Nunes, Miguel Caires, Ricardo Gonçalves, Miguel Gouveia, Rodrigo Jasmins and Tiago Neves, 1.       

Administrative checks and scrutineering are this afternoon

This afternoon, the Administrative checks and scrutineering will be set for Rali Vinho da Madeira de 2021. The administrative checks will take place at the Praça CR7, between 6 p.m. and 9 p.m., while the scrutineering of sealing and marking of components will be held at the Pontão Norte do Porto, in Funchal, starting at 6:15 p.m. and ending at 9:30 p.m. These procedures usually gather a lot of public who see, in theses occasions a great opportunity of a first contact with the competitors and their vehicles, who will race on the Island’s roads in the next few days. As for the rest of the competition’s program, a responsible behaviour and the respect for all sanitary measures should be taken into account.  

Rally has six Posthumous Tributes

Next Thursday, 5th August, by the end of the presentation of the drivers and parade of the vehicles on the podium at Praça do Povo, the motorsport enthusiast photographer Filipe Ferraz, the former co-driver, Duarte Coelho, the Observer of Portuguese Federation of Auto racing and Karting – FPAK, Claudino Romeiro and  Noel Deberdt, Leper Rally Organizer, in Belgium, the dearest Madeiran driver  Janica Clemente and Joaquim Sá e Sousa, who shared a few rallies with Janica, becoming, later on, part of the Organizing Committee of RVM, are the six posthumous tributes, in the public ceremony.   In the descriptive memory of his master piece, the sculptor Ricardo Veloza, sees it as a piece of “an iron wall, with an orifice where a metal tape coated in golden leaf crosses to the other side, representing life, as the golden element represents the passage to the other side. The orifice switches according to the time they lived. Being so, and according to their age, the orifice can be on the top of the iron wall, as those who passed away when they were younger, is below.”  

Repeating the victory

Miguel Nunes has set for Rali Vinho da Madeira “the main goal of achieving the best outcome, hoping that I am able to repeat the 2020 triumph, nevertheless, there is a lot of strong competition. Many teams have the potential to win this competition. In the Madeiran Rallies we can already feel that we are pushing ourselves to the limit and the leading figures of such race will be here. Besides the regional drivers, we should not forget the teams that are visiting us too, as they will try their best. For this rally we have nothing new, just a few setups in the car we already had before. Under the circumstances, it’s hard to do better.” Miguel Nunes is 40 years old and started in the rallies in 2005 with a Citroën C2 R2. In 2007, he drove a Peugeot 206 S1600, which made him the regional vice-champion in 2008. He had the same standings in 2009, with a Peugeot 207 S2000 and with that vehicle he got his first title in 2010. Later he was behind the wheel of a Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X was once more a champion in 2012 and 2014. He was a few years with less sports activity, almost always driving a Ford Fiesta R5. In 2018, he was back to the Regional rally with a Citroën DS3 R5 and then a  Hyundai i20 R5, a car that he kept in 2019. In 2020, was again champion, this time driving a Skoda Fabia Rally2 Evo. In 2021, he won in Machico and was the second in the debut competition and is second in the championship.  

FIA ERT: how does it work?

FIA European Rally Trophy was born in 2014 and has succeed the European Rally Cup. Nowadays, it is the European Trophy of rallies that is divided in eight geographical regions. It happens in the Alps, with countries such as France, Italy and Switzerland, near the Alps; Balkan, with countries as Bulgaria, Romania, Turkey  and Servia, throughout the Balkans; Baltic, for countries like Latvia, Estonia e Lithuania, through the Baltic; Benelux for Belgium and Luxemburg; Celtic, limited to Ireland and united Kingdom; Central, for central countries as Austria, Checks Republic, Croatia, Slovenia, Poland or Germany;  Iberian for Portugal and Spain and finally Scandinavian for Sweden, Finland and Denmark. In every area there are champions not only according to the absolute standings (ERT1) but also for vehicles with two driving wheels (ERT2) e Junior, for drivers under the age of 26. From all areas, the top ten standings of each category are also set for the finale. It is in that finale that the title for each category is given. In 2021 this finale will take place in the International ADMV, Lausitz Rallye fighting for Germany, between the 4th and 6th November. this finale was staged in 2017 and 18 at the Casinos do Algarve Rally, in Portugal.  

RVM (Day 2)

PE 9 and 13 – CÂMARA DE LOBOS Câmara de Lobos started, a few years ago, Rali Vinho da Madeira and it is competed between Caminho das Fontainhas and  Ribeira Garcia Street. It is divided in two, the first on a rise and the other one coming down. It shifts from some straight lanes to some very technical curves and even a few sequences of “hooks” that allow a better show. It also has forest and agricultural areas with nearby houses. Accesses: Via Câmara de Lobos: Caminho Velho da Igreja, Caminho Francelheira and Caminho Luzirão.   PE 10 and 14 – PONTA DO SOL Ponta do Sol begins in Vale e Cova do Pico road and shifts to very fast areas having, throughout the route, a few hooks until reaching Carvalhal, a traditionally stage show in the neighbourhood roads until the town’s stadium. From there, it goes down in a very steep, rough route until the last few metres of the stream in Madalena do Mar. Accesses: Via Ponta do Sol: by Lombo do Meio Road, by Eng. Ribeiro de Sousa Street and Regional Road 222   PE 11 and 15 – PONTA DO PARGO   This special stage, whose rating is mostly determined by the skills of the drivers, as it is very demanding in the sequence of long hooks and quite close curves in both directions. Its road floor ca be very wet in the areas covered by the shadow of trees and very dry in the open places. As it is quite similar during its whole extension, demands a good progress rhythm. Accesses: Via Ponta do Pargo: town road that leads to Pedregal and Serrado.   PE 12 and 16 – ROSÁRIO   Crosses the island in an imaginary line between São Vicente and Ribeira Brava since Rosário to Serra d’Água, through Encumeada. It demands a lot of driving up to Encumeada and then a great rashness in the vertiginous down. It is one of the special stages that gathers more spectators in the rally. Accesses: Without alternative roads, it is recommended to get there earlier for the stage’s start and finish.    

RVM (Day 1)

PE 1 and 5 – CAMPO DE GOLFE This Special Stage begins at ER 207, after the local Golf Court entrance, and includes a small sequence of quite straight lanes up to Santo da Serra. From there, and up to Fonte de Santo António, the route is quite sinuous and narrow. After a very fast evolution to Ribeira de Machico and Portela, which precedes another flat zone until Serragem, in Santo da Serra. Accesses: Via Santo da Serra: at the crossroads with Fonte de Santo António Road, and, by Municipal Road Caramachão and Municipal Road Lombo das Faias.  Via Machico: At the Ribeira de Machico, (Pay attention to the Emergency Exit), and Portela by Caminho Fajã dos Rolos. Via Porto da Cruz: By Municipal Road 108 (Pay attention to the Emergency Exit). PE 2 and 6 – PALHEIRO FERREIRO   The Regional Road (ER 201), usually named as Caminho dos Pretos, is the “Cathedral” of Madeiran Rallies and, in the past, few were the competitions that didn’t include this route. It is driven up between Palheiro Ferreiro and Terreiro da Luta, with an almost perfect combination of a route that mixes fast areas with the ones that demand more technical skills. Accesses: Via Funchal: Through São João Latrão Road, through Nova Curral dos Romeiros Road and in Choupana, through Caminho Meio e Caminho Terço.   PE 3 and 7 – BOAVENTURA   Boaventura was, for many years the only special stage, meaning with a timed section, competed in the north of the Island. For many years, it was also absent from the Rali Vinho da Madeira itinerary. It demands a lot of technical skills going up and down, as well as fast and slow in a route often narrow between Boaventura and Arco de São Jorge. Accesses: Without an alternative route, it is recommended to get there earlier for the stage’s start and finish.   PE 4 and 8 – CITY OF SANTANA    A part of the Rali Vinho da Madeira itinerary 13 years ago, it begins close to the centre of the Ilha Municipality and all the way to the Eiras Road it is driven mostly up, except some very fast and straight lanes. In its route, there are many technical areas with “hooks”. Its race is often featured by the weather conditions different than the rest of the Island. Accesses: Via Santana: Through Queimadas Road, by Padre Agostinho J. Cardoso Road, Joaquim Road (Pay attention to the Emergency Exit) e through Feiteira do Nuno Road.  

Trying a Fourth Victory

Alexandre Camacho starts Rali Vinho da Madeira with the main “goal to try to accomplish, for the fourth time, the competition. We will have very strong opponents, such as Miguel Nunes and Pedro Paixão and there may be a driver from the mainland who wants to fight for the first place on the podium.  The rhythm of the competition in the championship in Madeira has been increasing in each event and I believe this rally will be very competitive and extremely fast, with amazing quality. We had the first kilometres with our current car in Machico and, in that sense, and with the information we have gathered in that race, we have been working in a few aspects that can be improved, as my goal is to have it all perfectly setup.  The 41 years old driver, Alexandre Camacho, had his first steps in the rallies in 2001 with a Toyota Yaris. He drove numerous vehicles and in the last decade was behind the wheel of a Peugeot 207 S2000, Porsche 993 GT3, Peugeot 208 T16, Skoda Fabia R5 and, during last year, Citroën C3 R5. In 2021, he has already driven a Citroën C3 Rally2 and now a Skoda Fabia Rally2 Evo.  Of his honours, he has six absolute standings in Madeira (2008, 2009, 2015, 2017 and 2019) as well as the FIA European Rally Trophy achievement, in 2018. After a victory in Ribeira Brava and second place in Machico, he is the leader of the Regional Championship.   

Follow RVM on your mobile equipment

Rally fans can follow the evolution of Rali vinho da Madeira 2021 edition through their mobile equipment. The information and results of the competition are available in two mobile apps: IOS and Android. On Rali vinho da Madeira app, the users can check the news, watch footage and pictures of the different special stages, service park, as well as the start and finish podium. The whole information is updated by the minute and it is possible to check the competitors’ performances in the different stages. On the AMAWEB App, the timing of each driver and its absolute standings after each special stage can be checked, also being able to verify the outcome of the Regional, National and European Championships. It is even possible to have access to all statistic and historical data of previous championships. The app has an update for this year: the addition of the official boards. The users who already have the previous version installed, should update it in order to have access to these updates.  Both apps can be downloaded on the official website: www.ralivm.com  

Parishes back up RVM’s safety teams

The RVM safety teams have, this year, the head of parishes where the rally will drive by, to back them up. The main goal is to help spreading important information for the safety of the competition close to the population, especially the elderly people, who live in the countryside.  Priests and Canons have a closer relationship with their parishioners, which makes the spread of information and clarification easier, namely abo the closed roads and the awareness for the fulfilment of safety measures.   

Information

For personal reasons, the Observer nominated by the FIA to accompany the RVM 2021 edition, Jordi Parro (Spanish) was replaced by the Observer Kostyantyn Bevz (Ukrananian) 

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