Simone Campedelli was the fastest driver of Rali da Madeira shakedown, official test session that happened this morning in Estrada dos Cardais e ER 234, Água de Pena, Machico. The Italian with a Skoda Fabia RS Rally2 achieved, as the best time, 1:49.1, 0,4 seconds faster than the winner of the previous edition of this event organised by Club Sports da Madeira, the Spanish Diego Ruiloba with a Citroën C3 Rally2. The third best driver was the British Kris Meeke, behind the wheel of a Toyota GR Yaris Rally2, ahead of the best national driver, from Madeira, Miguel Caires in his usual Skoda Fabia RS Rally2. The shakedown results can be checked here.

As has been the practice over the past few years, the STREAMadeira project will broadcast Rali da Madeira live in partnership with the Portuguese Automobile and Karting Federation, the Madeiran Automobile and Karting Association, and the Club Sports da Madeira. A series of live broadcasts are scheduled. Yesterday, the autograph session took place from the Madeira Casino Gardens. Tomorrow, at 8:30 AM, the Shakedown will be broadcast, and later at 7:30 PM, the first special qualifying stage - City of Funchal. On Friday, live coverage of Rali da Madeira will continue, with broadcasts beginning at 9:10 AM with the first Service Park of the day, followed by the two passes through Santana at 12:20 PM and 5:15 PM. The remaining two Service Parks will also be broadcast live, a great opportunity to get a behind-the-scenes look at the teams that prepare and service the vehicles participating in the rally. The final day of the race will also be packed with STREAMadeira Livestreams. Just like on Friday, the service parks will be broadcast starting at 9:10 AM and the double runs through the Calheta Special Stage at 11:15 AM and 4:00 PM. At the end, at 6:30 PM, the final results of the teams will be broadcast as they enter the final podium from Avenida do Mar. Interested parties can watch and rewatch all these broadcasts on the STREAMadeira Facebook pages, Rali da Madeira, FPAK, and AMAK, as well as on the STREAMadeira YouTube channel. Schedule: July 31st Shakedown – 8:30 AM 1st PEC: Funchal – 7:30 PM August 1st Service Park A – 9:10 AM 4th PEC: Santana 1 - 12:20 PM Service Park B 7th PEC: Santana 2 - 5:15 PM Service Park C August 2nd Service Park D – 9:10 AM 9th PEC: Calheta 1 – 11:15 AM Service Park E - 1:40 PM 12th PEC: Calheta 2 - 4:00 PM Final Podium - 6:30 PM

AND NOW, "Rali da Madeira" A warm welcome to the Autonomous Region of Madeira and to the "Rally Festival," the sporting event with the highest international visibility, which perfectly combines and fulfils the dual goals of promoting Madeira's tourism abroad and boosting its domestic economic activity. The enthusiasm with which successive generations of Madeirans embrace their rally continues and is renewed year after year, compelling the Board of Directors of the Madeira Sports Club to assume a lofty ambition to continue to affirm the history and national and international prestige of the oldest event on the Portuguese Rally Championship calendar. This tremendous and spontaneous connection of an entire region to this sporting event, and the collective and contagious experience among all who attend this sporting spectacle, are more than enough reasons to continue to affirm Madeiran values more broadly, through its rebranding, with vision, strategy, and future positioning. Starting this year, we are "Rali da Madeira." We have adopted the "Madeira Brand" for international projection and positioning, while continuing to promote our traditional products and, particularly, the famous and renowned "Madeira Wine," our institutional partner for over forty years. To demonstrate the prestige and international reputation of the "Rali da Madeira 2025," simply look at the extensive entry list, which surprised everyone. We can see the excellent quality of the competitors. Highlights include several previous winners of Rali Vinho da Madeira, other drivers who are renowned for their speed on asphalt and are familiar with our roads. Joining them are the feared Madeiran drivers and the most highly acclaimed continental drivers, as well as the renowned and world-class FIA driver Dani Sordo, the 2024 Portuguese Championship winner Kris Meeke, and the 2024 RVM winner Diego Rui Loba. There are many reasons to follow "Rali da Madeira 2025" closely along our roads in the various municipalities, or via RTP-Madeira, RTP Internacional, and streaming channels, which will provide coverage and broadcast of all the special qualifying rounds. Competitively, we have no doubt that we will witness a very healthy battle for the top spots in the standings. But there are other reasons for interest, including other "rallies," both in the RGT category and the RC4 class, where drivers from the Peugeot Rally Cup Ibérica Trophy will be joined by many others in vehicles of the same class. We are convinced that we will have a highly competitive race and many fans watching the caravan of competitors pass along our winding and challenging roads. With such a high number of participants, there's no room for error, carelessness, or oversaturation. Close to the excitement, but far from danger. Affirming the international brand "Rali da Madeira" means having a race that is both safe and environmentally sustainable. And it all depends on the behaviour, civic-mindedness, and attitude of each person. We must have, in each spectator, an element of our safety. We count on all of you! The rally doesn't belong to "Madeira." It's the "Rali da Madeira." For all of us! José Paulo Fontes President of Club Sports da Madeira  

Tomorrow, July 31st, the 66th edition of Rali da Madeira takes to the road. It has been organised since 1959 by the Club Sports da Madeira and is part of the FIA European Rally Trophy, the Portuguese and Madeiran championships, and the Peugeot Rally Cup Ibérica. The event, now with Filipe Sousa as the Clerk of the Course, has assembled a high-quality field of 97 entrants, promising excitement, competition, and excitement over three days on the island's roads. With a total distance of 629.07 km, 177.56 of which are selective, this truly celebratory event on the archipelago is divided into two stages and 13 special qualifying rounds. The sports program kicks off tomorrow morning with the Shakedown, an official session in which teams make final adjustments to their vehicles, and, in the late afternoon, the Funchal City Super-Special Stage, which takes place, framed by tens of thousands of spectators, in the downtown area of the host city. The remaining first Special Stage, to be held on Friday, August 1st, includes two stops at Campo de Golfe, Palheiro Ferreiro, and Santana, while the second Special Stage, the following day, includes two stops at the redesigned Ponta do Sol, Calheta, and the iconic Rosário. The starting ceremony will take place tomorrow at 4:00 pm at Praça do Mar, on Avenida do Mar e das Comunidades Madeirenses, which will also host the awards ceremony on Saturday, August 2nd, at 6:30 pm. In sporting terms, the battle for the top positions is eagerly awaited by, among others, drivers such as "world champions" Dani Sordo and Kris Meeke, Italian Simone Campedelli, Spaniard Diego Ruiloba, the event's most recent winner, national championship protagonists such as Armindo Araújo, José Pedro Fontes, and Ricardo Teodósio, and Madeiran specialists João Silva, Miguel Nunes, Miguel Caires, and Alexandre Camacho, the record-holder for victories in the race. With a good field and a diverse range of entries in both classes and single-make competitions, the audience will be thrilled to see the best current racing cars and other spectacular models.

Crosses the island on the imaginary line between São Vicente and Ribeira Brava, from Rosário to Serra d'Água, passing through Encumeada. It requires a lot of driving on the climb to Encumeada and then great recklessness on the steep descent to the finish. It is one of the Rally's most popular special stages. Access: With no alternative access roads, it requires timely travel between the start and finish.