Rali da Madeira

RVM legends: Adartico Vudafieri

Adartico Vudafieri was one of the names that, for some time, rhymed with "speed" in Madeira. In the transition between the 1970's and the 1980's, the Italian driver was present at Rally Vinho Madeira in four different occasions, always at the gear of the most competitive Fiat 131 Abarth. In 1979 he finished second only to Tony Fassina's competitive Lancia Stratos, but, in 1980, he avenged his name and was able to open the honour champagne bottle at Avenida Arriaga, right in front of the seat of Club Sports da Madeira. Adartico Vudafieri was born in 1950, near to Venice, and started to partake in rallies in 1973 on a Simca Rallye 2. The two following years he ran in a group 3 Porsche, a vehicle with which he came third at the national rally trophy. He then went to drive a Lancia Stratos, but it was with a Fiat 131 Abarth that he became the Italian rally champion in both 1978 and 1980, and, later, in 1981, the European champion. In 1982 and 1983 he defended, falling short, the colours of the Lancia Stratos brand with the 037 model. We would become in 1984, at the driving gear of one of these, the Italian champion, retiring shortly after.

Think of yourself and others, Enforce social distancing.

Becoming the best peninsular driver

Ricardo Teodósio, the current national champion, is taking part in this edition of the Rally Vinho da Madeira with "the ambition of becoming the best amongst racers from Peninsular Portugal. Four Madeiran racers are strong candidates to victory and I will be focusing mostly on the Portuguese Championship, by collecting the most points possible. I want to perform differently to how I have before, in other rallies. I am more confident, after all the work put towards the Rally of Calheta. Anyway, we will still be testing next week and checking some more stuff. The goal is to feel at ease." Originally from the Algarve, Ricardo Teodósio is 44 years old and started racing in 2001. The current national champion is known for his spectacular driving and for being a faithful user of the many versions of the Mitsubishi Lancer up to 2017, with a passage of the wheel of a Renault Clio Williams and a Ford Fiesta R5. Since 2018 he is equipped with a Skoda Fabia R5, with which he won his first national title in 2019. This year he will be driving a Skoda Fabia R5 Evo.

RVM legends: Andrea Aghini

Andrea Aghini's popularity in Madeira began with his victorious start in 1992 at the wheels of a glamorous "Deltona" by Martini Racing. A televised split off the road, the following year, also contributed to his fame. The Italian driver has always been very fast racing on the roads of the island and would manage to obtain another three titles in 1994, on a Toyota Celica, in 1998, with a Toyota Corolla WRC and also in 2002, on a Peugeot 206 WRC. Being a winning record holder, he was the only one to achieve, in 1994, the feat of winning all of the edition's special stages. Currently at 56 years old, Aghini started racing in 1983 on a Autobianchi A112. In 1987 he drove a Peugeot 205 GTi and took part of the french brand's team in his country between 1988 and 1991 at the wheel of the 309 GTi and 405 Mi16 models. Captured the attention of Lancia whose colours he defended in 1992, the same year in which he obtained his only victory at the WRC, and, again, in 1993. He was later involved with the Grifone team with a Toyota and Procar, with a Subaru. He has raced in the most varied models, regularly, up to 2011 and appeared, for the last time, in 2017 and 2018.

Finishing with a win

Vítor Sá will take part in this edition of the competition, he won back in 2004 with the ambition of "finishing the rally and winning in our category. We hope not to come across the bad luck we did in Calheta and, so, we intend to be competitive. Having that in mind, we made small alterations to the tuning and material of our vehicle and hope that these will translate in a significant betterment". Vítor Sá, 55 years old, premiered in motor-racing back in 1988 on a Renault 5 GT Turbo. Between 1989 and 1991 he was part of the Toyota Madeira team and, in the following year, he obtained his first regional title at the gear of a Ford Sierra RS Cosworth. He would come to become local champion another ten times, driving at the gear of cars such as a Subaru Impreza 555, a Subaru Impreza WRC, a Peugeot 306 Maxi, a Peugeot 206 S1600, a Renault Clio S1600, a Fiat Punto S2000 and a Peugeot 207 S2000. After a long pause, Sá returned to racing last year with a Citroën DS3R3T.

Think about yourself and others. Enforce social distancing.

RVM legends: Porsche 911S

Many were the drivers who participated in the Rally Vinho Madeira at the driving gear of a Porsche 911S, which rose to the podium by the hands of Giovanni Salvi in 1971. Nonetheless, it was with Américo Nunes that this model registered in the memory of Madeirans. The driver won four editions, being, in one of them, the only competitor to reach the finish line, all due to the power of a vehicle nicknamed "the Green Bomb". Porsche 911 was presented in 1966, coming up, in its first versions, with a six horizontal opposit cylinders of 1.991 cc, which, when competing, would go a little over 200 horses. Later, the model would come to receive a 2.687 cc engine, close to a 300 horse power, an important value for its time. The back traction as well as the positioning of the engine, also in the back of the vehicle, made driving it a demanding task.