Giandomenico Basso, at the wheel of a Skoda Fabia RS Rally2, retains the lead in Rali da Madeira despite having lost ground to his closest rivals on the first special stage of the third section. On the second run through Santo da Serra, the fastest time was set by Armindo Araújo in a car identical to the leader’s. Following this timed stage, Miguel Nunes, in another Skoda Fabia RS Rally2, retains second place but is now 0.4 seconds off the lead. João Silva, in a Toyota GR Yaris Rally2, has also reduced his deficit and is now 6.8 seconds behind the leader. Armindo Araújo and Alexandre Camacho remain in the immediate positions behind, both in Skoda Fabia RS Rally2s. The competitors are now heading for the second stage through Palheiro Ferreiro, the longest special stage of the event, before returning to the service park in Funchal.

Gil Freitas, at the wheel of his usual Alpine A110 RGT+, is the leader amongst drivers competing in RGT-class cars. He holds a 6.9-second lead over Filipe Freitas, who is driving a Porsche 991 GT3, and a 30.3-second lead over Paulo Mendes, in a newer Porsche 992 GT3. Close behind are Miguel Andrade and Paulo Carvalheiro, both in Porsche 991 GT3s. These competitors were awarded provisional times on Santo da Serra 1, a Special Stage that was halted due to Gonçalo Henriques’ skidding off the road.

Miguel Nunes and Giandomenico Basso, both driving Skoda Fabia RS Rally2 cars, finished first and second respectively in the third special stage of Rali da Madeira, clocking a time of 12:4.3. After the first run through Palheiro Ferreiro – the longest special stage of the event organised by Club Sports da Madeira – Basso remains in the lead, now followed by Nunes, 1.6 seconds behind. Third place is held by João Silva, in a Toyota GR Yaris Rally2, 8.9 seconds behind. Rounding out the top five are Armindo Araújo and Alexandre Camacho, both in Skoda Fabia RS Rally2s. The second section of the rally was marked by a collision involving Kris Meeke on PEC 2, problems experienced by Diego Ruiloba with his Citroën C3 Rally2, and the retirements of José Pedro Fontes in a Lancia Ypsilon Rally2 HF Integrale and Gonçalo Henriques in a Hyundai i20N Rally2, both following crashes. The competitors are now heading back to the service park.

Kris Meeke, driving a Toyota GR Yaris Rally2, is the early leader of the 67th edition of Rali da Madeira, which is taking place this weekend. The Briton completed the Funchal City super special stage in 1:34.4—nine-tenths of a second faster than local driver João Silva, who is driving a car identical to the leader's. Silva's rival in the regional championship, Miguel Nunes, sits in third place in a Skoda Fabia RS Rally2, three-tenths of a second behind his main adversary. Fourth place is held by Spaniard Diego Ruiloba—winner of the last two editions of the event in a Citroën C3 Rally2—trailing the leader by 1.3 seconds. Rounding out the top five is Italian driver Giandomenico Basso in another Skoda Fabia RS Rally2, 1.5 seconds off the pace. Also appearing in the top ten are Alexandre Camacho, Armindo Araújo, and Miguel Caires—all in Skoda Fabia RS Rally2s—along with Guilherme Meireles (Skoda Fabia Rally2 Evo) and Rúben Rodrigues (Toyota GR Yaris Rally2). Gil Freitas, driving an Alpine A110 RGT+, leads the RGT class competitors, while Rafael Cardeira (Peugeot 208 Rally4) heads the field of front-wheel-drive cars, followed by Tiago Nunes (Renault Clio Rally4) and João Rodrigues (another Peugeot 208 Rally4). Rali da Madeira returns to action tomorrow to complete the remainder of the first leg, featuring two passes each through Santo da Serra (09:15 and 12:55), Palheiro Ferreiro (10:00 and 13:40), and Santana (16:50 and 19:10), with a run through Ribeiro Frio (18:05) interspersed between them. Along the way, the caravan will visit the service park in Funchal—on Avenida Sá Carneiro—four times: at 08:10, 11:35, 15:15, and 20:28.