Filipe Freitas returns to Rali da Madeira, “a gruelling event. Our aim is to drive as well as we possibly can. We’re setting off without any specific target in terms of results, free from any pressure, and we want to drive fast – with ‘knives between our teeth’. We’ll try to have fun and put on as spectacular a show as possible. We’ll set our own pace and see, at the end of the first day, where we stand. At that point, we’ll be able to set new goals for this event. Above all, we want to put in a good performance, one that lives up to what the whole team deserves and honours all the excellent work they’ve been doing.”

Freitas is 54 years old and made his rally debut in 1998 in a Citroën AX GTi. Over the following two years, he excelled in a one-make series with the Citroën Saxo before moving on to drive more competitive cars. He secured his first overall victory in 2005 in a VW Golf IV Kit-Car. He was Madeira champion in 2013 in a Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X and in 2016 at the wheel of a Porsche 997 GT3. He has been driving his current Porsche 991 GT3 since 2019 and was regional champion in his class in 2020 and 2022. He recently won two special stages, in the overall classification, at the Calheta Rally.