Hélder Miranda is making his debut at Rali da Madeira, a race in which “the aim is to win for the national championship but where, realistically, we should be aiming for the best possible result. “This is my debut on the island, a new experience as the only other island rally I’ve competed in was on gravel in the Azores. I’m not as fast on tarmac as I am on gravel. I feel limited because we’ve also had very few kilometres of testing on this surface. I’ll be doing another test here and should be better prepared. Despite my weakness on tarmac, our championship campaign has been positive and we’ll be aiming for a good final position.”

Miranda is 45 years old and began his rallying career in 2009 with a Ford Escort Mk IV. The following year, he switched to a Seat Ibiza GTi 16V, which he kept until 2016 and with which he mainly competed in regional events in the north of the country. Over the next two years, he drove a Citroën C2 R2 Max. Between 2019 and 2024, he alternated between a Renault Clio R3T and a Seat Ibiza. Last year, he switched to his current Peugeot 208 Rally4 and began competing in the Portuguese Rally Championship. In 2026, he leads the Peugeot Rally Cup Portugal and is second in the national two-wheel-drive championship.