Miguel Correia will be, for the fourth time, in Rali Vinho da Madeira, a competition that he hopes to “perform well, in the region of our sponsor. We will try to get the best standing in the board of the Portugal Rally Championship. This is a rally that demands great physical effort and we will try to have maximum focus from the beginning until the end. In each rally that I race, I am improving my knowledge. Still I am far from the other drivers and that, in a way, limits my standing. Nevertheless, we will try to shine. About to be 30 years old, Miguel Correia gave his first steps in the rallies in 2017, with a Renault Clio R3. In the following year, he kept the same vehicle and was the best of his category in the national championship of such sports. In his motorsport career, he drove a Ford Fiesta R5 and last year used a Skoda Fabia R5. In 2021, the vehicle that he is going to race is a Skoda Fabia Rally 2 Evo and he is the sixth in the CPR, after having been the third in the rally Terras d’ Aboboreira and fifth in Castelo Branco, with a withdraw in the middle of the Vodafore Rali de Portugal.  

The next Rali Vinho da Madeira edition will have, driving its first kilometres in the Regional ground and driven by Caetanovich, the Ford Fiesta R3. Rally3 is a group with a new concept and wants to be the formula for young people who have driven until now the Rally 4 front traction, for the vehicles with all wheel traction. This model is the first to be eligible in this group, as it was developed by the Polish branch of M-Sport and had its first competitions in 2021.  Ford Fiesta Rally3 has an engine of 3-cylinder in line with 1.497 cc and debits about 215 horse power to 5.000 rpm and a binary of 400 NM to 3.500 rpm. The transmission is made through a 5-speed gearbox by Sadev and the front and rear differentials have limited slip.  The suspensions are by Reiger and allow three types of adjustment. The breaks are by Alcon and the rims used in tarmac are 17 inches. It has a weight close to 1.210 kg.  

Paulo Fontes, president of the Organizing Committee of Rali Vinho da Madeira, has published, this afternoon the list of entries for the event that is on the roads since 1959 by the Club Sports da Madeira. Including 50 competitors, the list has high quality, as it included no less than two World Champions of either level or category, a European Vice-Champion, seven National Champions and six Regional Champions in a list that a FIA priority driver is highlighted and nine have FPAK priority.  Adding the first standings and regular drivers of the National and International Championships of Madeira and Azores, the course directed by the clerk Pedro Melvill Araújo will be the stage of a vehicle debut, Renault Clio Rally4, nationally, and the first competing kilometres in the island of the models Subaru S14 WRC, Ford Fiesta Rally3 and Renault Clio Rally5. Rali Vinho da Madeira will be performed between the 5th and 7th August in 16 special stages that cross every municipality of Madeira Island. Below is the list:  aqui

Throughout the years, Rali Vinho da Madeira has been launching to stardom several drivers who brighten the international sport stage. With great international prestige, the competition organized by Club Sports da Madeira registers, for example, the three absolute standings champions. In 1978, was on the Island Ari Vatanen awarded in the World Championship in 1981. In 1983, Massimo Biasion was also in the Island, becoming in 1988 and 1989 World Champion and, in 1986, racing in the competition Carlos Sainz, winner of the WRC in 1990 and 1992. In Madeira, there were at least 25 European champions, namely Adartico Vudafieri, Andrea Navarra, Armin Kremer, Armin Schwarz, Bruno Thiry, Carlo Capone, Cesar Baroni, Dario Cerrato, Enrico Bertone, Erwin Weber, Fabrizio Tabaton, Giandomenico Basso, Henrik Lundgaard, Jan Kopecky, Jean-Claude Andruet, Juho Hanninen, Krzysztof Holowicz, Luca Rossetti, Patrick Snijers, Piero Liatti, Renato Travaglia, Robert Droogmans, Simon Jean-Joseph, Toni Fassina and Yves Loubet.  

The Regional Government supports the achievement of the “Rali Vinho da Madeira”, organized by Club Sports da Madeira, which is the greatest motorsport event performed in Madeira for 6 decades. We have a competition that, besides the strong connection it has with the local people, can be considered a tourist animation centre, as it brings to the Autonomous Region of Madeira not only fans but also the whole commercial and sports engine of drivers and teams involved. The rally, besides the contribution coming from outside the island to the Regional economy, also has the particularity to revival local business spread all over the Island, where the racing cars drive by, as the numbers of fans follow them year after year.  On the other hand, our cooperation for the “Rali Vinho da Madeira” to be back on the roads is justified by the impact it has in the promotion and disclosure of the Madeira Destination, as a result of other important sports events here achieved, that are part of the annual calendar of Tourism Animation of the Autonomous Region of Madeira.  Madeira is a Tourism Destination of recognized quality, with great statement. Being so, we create conditions in order to always have such events, with great mediatic, social and economic impact, allowing to amplify the visibility of the Region through diversified events for different audiences. An acknowledgement is due to the Club Sports Madeira and his whole team involved in the achievement of one more Rali Vinho da Madeira” edition. The Regional Secretary for Tourism and Culture  Eduardo Jesus  

This year’s Rali Vinho da Madeira edition will have a new format of the official board competition. Until last year, the competitors, main part interested in the information published, could check such information in a board placed in the Rally Control Centre of the Organization Committee, which has been at the Dr Horário Bento de Gouveia School. This year, the whole information will be in the official board on the website https://ralivm.com/2021/pt Every time there is an update, a text message will be sent, allowing anyone to check the information. This innovation is going to fasten the search for any documentation, making the whole process a lot easier.  

The harsh and demanding roads of the Island in the first Rali Vinho da Madeira editions challenged the drivers with multiple difficulties in order to achieve average speed, impossible at a time when this type of competition was regular and was decided by the minimum penalties. Recently, a very technical asphalt did not reduce the level of success in a competition that also demands perfect knowledge of roads that impose perfect trajectories. Being so, there was an idea that it would almost be impossible for a driver to win his first competition. As a contrast of such idea, nine foreign drivers already won their premier in the competition in Madeira. Such conquests were achieved by the French Jean-Pierre Nicolas, in 1967 with a Renault R8 Gordini, by the Finnish Ari Vatanen, in a Ford Escort RS in 1978, by the Italian Toni Fassina, with the powerful Lancia Stratos em 1979, by the Luxembourgish Ali Kridel, in  1981 behind the wheel of a Ford Escort RS, by the Italian Massimo Biasion, in 1983 with a Lancia Rally 037, by the Finnish Henri Toivonen, in the following year, driving a Porsche 911 SC, by the Spanish Salvador Serviá, in 1985 with a Lancia Rally 037, by the Italian Fabrizio Tabaton, in 1986 with the very insightful Lancia Delta S4, and again in 1992, also by the Italian Andrea Aghini, driving a Lancia Delta Integrale 16V.  In 2021 the Rali Vinho da Madeira will have, as debuts, the Spanish Jan Solans, driving a Citroën C3 Rally2, and Francisco Santana Castro in a less recent Opel Corsa B Kit-Car.