The 67th edition of Rali da Madeira was unveiled today at the Funchal Harbour Maritime Terminal. José Paulo Fontes, president of the organising club, Club Sports da Madeira, and of the event’s organising committee, highlighted “the pleasure of welcoming you to what is the new operational centre for a rally whose organisation involves more than 1,400 people. This solution frees up the city centre for its users. Another change is that the grandstand at the Sá Carneiro Roundabout on the Super-Special Stage will be allocated to the general public, with invited guests directed to other grandstands. The organisers have decided to accept all entries up to the limit set out in the regulations. This will lead to increased safety challenges, with competitors taking longer to pass through each Special Stage, as we will have at least an hour and a half of team action. The route for this year’s event has been well planned; we will pass through the Funchal Ecological Park four times, with plenty of areas where spectators can position themselves in advance to watch. The rally has been organised so that people can move around and watch safely, as the roads are not expected to be opened to traffic between passes. We’ll have lots of top drivers – all those competing in the national and Madeira championships – as well as three foreign drivers, two of whom have already won here – Diego Ruiloba and Giandomenico Basso – and another who is very keen to win, Kris Meeke. This was a commitment to quality and competitiveness. Beyond the podium, there will be plenty of competition spread throughout the field. The rally will also feature many promising young talents from the national motorsport scene. Despite the increased costs, all the drivers want to be here in Madeira.” Jorge Carvalho, Mayor of Funchal, highlighted “the financial support provided, but also the use of the local authority’s resources, whether physical or human, and here I must acknowledge the commitment and willingness of the staff. In addition to the opening of the Funchal Ecological Park, our environmental awareness team will also be on hand to encourage the public to behave responsibly when it comes to protecting the environment.” We would like to highlight the organisation’s sensitivity in ensuring that the lower town and city centre were kept clear by relocating the operations centre to the Harbour of Funchal, as well as the fact that Praça do Município has been ‘freed’ from the closed car park and is now available to the many visitors seeking this prime, highly visible spot in the municipality. The conditions are in place for the great celebration that is the Rally. The municipality is fully committed to creating the conditions for an event of international standing. The city is behind the Rally.” José Manuel Rodrigues, Regional Secretary for the Economy, pointed out that “this is a rally that needs no introduction. Over the decades, it has established itself as one of the leading events in motor sport in the region and has secured a prominent place on the national and international calendars for this sport. This is down to the quality of the organisation, the unique characteristics that Madeira offers for an event of this nature, the public turnout and the calibre of the drivers competing in it. The media coverage of the event brings Madeira to the attention of audiences who would otherwise have no contact with this destination, and showcases a region capable of hosting large-scale events such as this rally, which has a distinct identity of its own. The event has a direct impact on the regional economy and benefits many municipalities across the region.” “It is our entire island and its images that are seen throughout the country and abroad. All the conditions are in place for the rally to be a success – and I am certain it will be.” Zeca, the event’s mascot, was also introduced on that occasion.

Gil Freitas is back competing in Rali da Madeira in an Alpine A110 RGT+ and his aim is “to make it to the finish. This is a major rally, with lots of new Special Stages that are unfamiliar to us and which will require us to be careful. We’re still battling it out with Artur Quintal for a place on the overall championship podium, so we’ll drive as best we can. We’re not going to worry about the RGT category, and, given our position in the standings, the Master class isn’t a concern for us either. We’re a bit apprehensive about the braking system in this rally and I’m afraid it might cause us problems on special stages like Ribeiro Frio. Any changes in the weather could make things difficult for us, as we can only change tyres at the service park”. The driver is 60 years old and began rallying in 2013 with an Opel Kadett GT/E. That same year, he quickly switched to an Opel Ascona 400 and, the following season, moved to a Porsche 997 GT3, which he kept until 2016 and with which he was national group champion in 2015 and won the AMAK Trophy between 2014 and 2016. In 2017, he drove a Citroën DS3 R5, but the very next year he returned to Porsche, this time with a 991 GT3. In 2024, he tested an Alpine A110 RGT at Rali da Madeira, a model he also competed in in 2025 and which he is now using full-time in the regional championship, where he is currently fourth in the standings.

Pedro Almeida returns to Rali da Madeira in a Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 with “a simple aim: to score points for the championship. It’s a very difficult event, and I’m at a disadvantage because I haven’t taken part in recent years. Our performance at Calheta didn’t give us much to go on, and we’re working to find a better pace. We can only focus on the national championship; we can’t compete with drivers who are specifically aiming for overall victory. We face more difficulties due to our lack of knowledge and familiarity with the rally. Almeida is 28 years old and made his rally debut in 2014 in a Renault Twingo R2, which he drove until 2016, the year in which he began competing regularly. In 2017, he alternated between a Renault Clio R3 and a Škoda Fabia S2000 and won his first overall rally victory. Over the following two years, he drove a Ford Fiesta R5 and a Škoda Fabia R5. In 2020 and 2021, he was at the wheel of a Peugeot 208 Rally4 and, during that period, finished as national junior runner-up and fourth in the Volant Peugeot championship. Between 2022 and 2024, he drove a Škoda Fabia Rally Evo, and in 2025 a newer Škoda Fabia RS Rally2. In 2026, he won the Lisbon Rally and is currently second in the CPR

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.

Emanuel Martins is lining up for Rali da Madeira with the aim of “focusing on the result for the regional championship. I’d like to be able to compete with the best national two-wheel-drive drivers, but given their experience, they’re likely to have a faster pace than us. As the race progresses, we’ll see if we can keep up with them. I must, however, focus on enjoying myself and on our regional goal. This year we’re well placed in the championship and have shown good pace, which I wasn’t expecting, as this was meant to be a year of adaptation so that, in the future, we can take things more seriously.” Martins is 49 years old and made his rally debut in 2003 in a Toyota Starlet, a car he also drove in a few events the following year. He took a break until 2022, when he took part in a few sporadic events in a Citroën DS3 R1. In 2023, he made a full return to the rally circuit in a Citroën Saxo VTS, with which he was always in contention for victory in his class. In 2025, still driving the same car, he turned his attention to rallies and continued to impress with his performances in a less modern car. In 2026, he switched to a Renault Clio Rally4 and has dominated the category in recent months. He is currently second in the regional two-wheel-drive championship.

João Rodrigues is setting out on what will be his debut at Rali da Madeira with the aim of “scoring points for the CPR. This is a new rally for me and, given our limited budget and lack of time, we won’t be able to test. I’m not thinking about winning, but rather about finishing close to the podium. As I love competing and if I feel comfortable, of course I might think about fighting for the top positions. I’m expecting a difficult rally, a bit of a challenge. I won’t be able to recce the stages as I’d like to, and we’re likely to face changes in road surface and weather conditions. I really hope the weather stays stable and that, despite a poor start to the season, we can build on our recent good results.” João Rodrigues is 45 years old and made his rallying debut in 2005 in a Lancia Delta HF Turbo. Although he drove other cars in between, that was the car he drove until the end of 2007. In 2008, he drove a BMW 325 iX before taking a long break from his career. He made a full comeback in 2021 in a Peugeot 106 1.6, in which he retired on several occasions but also achieved some good results up until 2023. In 2024, he competed in two rallies with two different cars. Last season, he spent most of his time behind the wheel of a Renault Clio Rally5, in which he excelled in his class and won the Clio Trophy Portugal. This year, he is driving a Peugeot 208 Rally4 and leads the national two-wheel-drive championship.