Tomorrow, 30^th July, the 67^th edition of Rali da Madeira hits the road. The event, which has been organised by Club Sports da Madeira since 1959, forms part of the FIA European Rally Trophy and the Portuguese and Madeiran rally championships. The event, with Filipe Sousa as the Clerk of the Course, has a field of 86 high-calibre entrants, promising excitement, competition and a lively atmosphere throughout the extensive convoy and the three days over which the event unfolds on the island’s roads.

With a total distance of 801.12 km, of which 202.52 km are on special stages, the event – which has long been a real celebration in the archipelago – remains divided into two legs and now features 15 special stages. The sporting programme begins tomorrow morning with the Shakedown, an official session in which competitors make final adjustments to their cars, and, in the late afternoon, the Funchal city centre super-special stage, which takes place in the host city’s downtown area, surrounded by a crowd of tens of thousands of enthusiastic spectators.

The first leg continues on Friday, 31^st July, and includes two runs through Santo da Serra, Palheiro Ferreiro and Santana, alongside a new version of the Ribeiro Frio stage. The second and final stage takes place on Saturday, kicking off with a run through Chão da Lagoa and including two passes through the Ponta do Sol stages – which return to a format used in the past – the returning Ponta do Pargo stage and the iconic Lameiros stage, an extended version of Rosário.

The start 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 1^st August at 7.30 pm.

In sporting terms, the entry list needs no introduction and promises a fierce battle for the much-coveted victory or even a place in the top ten at the finish. The line-up includes names such as Diego Ruiloba, winner of the last two editions; Giandomenico Basso, a four-time winner; and World Rally Championship driver Kris Meeke, who is eager for his first triumph. The stars of the national championship – Rúben Rodrigues, Pedro Almeida and José Pedro Fontes (who has also won the rally before), Ricardo Teodósio, Gonçalo Henriques and Hugo Lopes – along with the Madeiran specialists Miguel Nunes, João Silva, Miguel Caires and Alexandre Camacho, the event’s all-time record holder for wins, will also be in contention for the top places.

With a strong line-up and a diverse range of entrants across the classes and other competitions, Rali da Madeira also features 25 Rally2 cars, 5 RGTs and 22 Rally4s, as well as many drivers and cars promising a spectacular show over the course of around an hour and a half as the drivers make their way through the island’s characteristic special stages. With safety and environmental considerations firmly in mind, the conditions are in place for Rali da Madeira to be another success and a new edition of the festival it has become since 1959.