Rally de Portugal
The Rally de Portugal (formerly: Rallye de Portugal) is a rally competition held in Portugal. First held in 1967, the seventh running of the race, the 7º TAP Rallye de Portugal was the third event in the inaugural FIA World Rally Championship in 1973. The rally remained on the WRC calendar for the next 29 years, and after being dropped for 2002–2006, the event returned to Portugal in 2007. During the 1970s, 1980s and early 1990s, Rally de Portugal was a mixed event between asphalt and gravel. Currently it is an all-gravel event.
| Rally de Portugal | |
|---|---|
| Status | active |
| Genre | motorsporting event |
| Frequency | annual |
| Country | Portugal |
| Inaugurated | 1967 |
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Rally de Portugal has been awarded "The Best Rally in the World" five times and in 2000 "The Most Improved Rally of the Year".[1] The most successful driver in the history of the rally is Finland's Markku Alén, who has won the event five times (1975, 1977, 1978, 1981 and 1987).
History
The Rally of Portugal has an important aspect which once made it so famous or maybe infamous; crowd control. During the 1970s and especially the 1980s, Portugal was known for spectators standing on the roadway even as the cars drove by, often resulting in near-collisions, and finally in the 1986 season a collision between cars and spectators. It was the last year the Group B cars dominated the WRC scene. And it was because of a tragic accident which occurred during the rally that the future of Group B cars came under scrutiny. The final blow came at the Tour de Corse later that year with the death of Henri Toivonen.
In the first section of the rally (Sintra), in the "Lagoa Azul" stage, Portuguese works Ford rally driver Joaquim Santos came over a crest in his RS200 getting too loose through the corner.[2] Santos managed to avoid the crowd on the outside of the corner, but he was not able to avoid the crowd on the inside of the corner. The inevitable happened; the car left the road, plunging right into the crowd, killing three and injuring dozens more. After this accident all works teams withdrew from the rally.
Although it was tragic, it was also a logical result for the irresponsible behaviour of the Portuguese crowd throughout years. Additionally the speed of the Group B cars was a contributing factor.[2] It was not only dangerous for the crowd, but also for the drivers themselves. Former world champion Timo Salonen admitted at the '86 edition that he was scared to run first on the road. Walter Röhrl had his own theory on the crowd situation: "You just have to see the crowd as a wall and not as spectators."
It did not necessarily go any better in following years. At the 1987 edition a privately entered, FR car driven by Portuguese rally car driver Joaquim Guedes plunged into the crowd. Luckily enough this only led to minor injuries, but the crowd control was not much improved. It was not until the early 1990s that the Portuguese rally became an example for better crowd control and for being a great rally itself. Crowds were no smaller, but were better-behaved and more aware of the risks involved in spectating.
In the 1980s, the rally had a special stage at the Autódromo do Estoril.[3][4]
The last WRC edition of the Portugal rally for five years was run under heavy rain in 2001. It was won by Tommi Mäkinen in a Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution. In 2002, it was replaced in favour of Germany's Rallye Deutschland. In 2005, the organisers of the Rally of Portugal announced their intentions to rejoin the WRC, this time switching locations to an area around the Algarve. This means the character of the rally has changed. It is fully driven on gravel these days. This is frowned upon the Portuguese fans, who consider the Algarve stages less exciting, which is also reflected in lower attendance numbers. In 2006, it ran as an official WRC candidate event for the 2007 WRC calendar and was formally incorporated into the 2007 calendar on 5 July 2006. The 2007 Rally Portugal was the fifth round of the season and was won by Citroën Total's Sébastien Loeb.
After a year in the Intercontinental Rally Challenge schedule, the Rally Portugal returned to the WRC calendar for the 2009 season. The competition in the 2009 Rally Portugal was set in the surroundings of Faro, capital of Algarve, on twisty hill sections, with fast blind corners and narrow sections. The first stage in the Estádio Algarve (Algarve Stadium) was won by Henning Solberg, but when the rally really began, Jari-Matti Latvala took the lead. However, he soon suffered a big crash, rolling his Ford Focus WRC 17 times down a steep mountain. The rally was eventually won by Loeb.
The 2020 edition of the rally would be cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.[5]
Results 1967–2001
| Rally name | Stages | Podium finishers | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | Driver co-driver |
Team Car |
Time | ||
| 1º Rallye de Portugal 1967 |
8 stages 47,60 km* |
1 |  |  |
14758,9 pts |
| 2 | |  |
15888,9 pts | ||
| 3 | | |
22560,5 pts | ||
| 2º Rallye de Portugal 1968 |
8 stages 94,60 km* |
1 | |  |
16503,3 pts |
| 2 | | |
17989,6 pts | ||
| 3 | | |
22661,8 pts | ||
| 3º Rallye de Portugal 1969 |
10 stages 140,00 km* |
1 | | |
104759 pts |
| 2 | |  |
113476 pts | ||
| 3 | .svg.png){kind=small} | |
113945 pts | ||
| 4º TAP Rallye de Portugal 1970 |
12 stages 205,50 km |
1 |  | |
7099 pts |
| 2 | | |
7486 pts | ||
| 3 |  |  |
7929 pts | ||
| 5º TAP Rallye de Portugal 7 to 10 October 1971 |
20 stages 304,50 km |
1 | | |
19249 pts |
| 2 | | |
20664 pts | ||
| 3 | | |
23630 pts | ||
| 6º TAP Rallye de Portugal 11 to 15 October 1972 |
31 stages 389,60 km |
1 | | |
5 h 51 m 03 s |
| 2 | | |
6 h 00 m 05 s | ||
| 3 | | |
6 h 08 m 54 s | ||
| 7º TAP Rallye de Portugal 13 to 18 March 1973 Round 3 of the 1973 World Rally Championship |
32 stages 387 km |
1 | | |
5 h 42 m 16 s |
| 2 | | |
5 h 48 m 16 s | ||
| 3 | | |
6 h 7 m 48 s | ||
| 8º TAP Rallye de Portugal 20 to 23 March 1974 Round 1 of the 1974 World Rally Championship |
455 km | 1 | | |
6 h 26 m 15 s |
| 2 | | |
6 h 30 m 12 s | ||
| 3 | | |
6 h 37 m 17 s | ||
| 9º Rallye de Portugal Vinho do Porto 18 to 21 July 1975 Round 6 of the 1975 World Rally Championship |
512 km | 1 | | |
6 h 24 m 15 s |
| 2 | | |
6 h 26 m 58 s | ||
| 3 | | |
6 h 29 m 29 s | ||
| 10º Rallye de Portugal Vinho do Porto 10 to 14 March 1976 Round 3 of the 1976 World Rally Championship |
470 km | 1 | | |
5 h 41 m 26 s |
| 2 | | |
5 h 44 m 24 s | ||
| 3 | | |
6 h 26 m 37 s | ||
| 11º Rallye de Portugal Vinho do Porto 1 to 6 March 1977 Round 3 of the 1977 World Rally Championship Round 4 of the 1977 FIA Cup for Rally Drivers |
580 km | 1 | | |
6 h 51 m 47 s |
| 2 | | |
6 h 55 m 43 s | ||
| 3 | | |
6 h 56 m 8 s | ||
| 12º Rallye de Portugal Vinho do Porto 19 to 23 April 1978 Round 4 of the 1978 World Rally Championship Round 5 of the 1978 FIA Cup for Rally Drivers |
46 stages 627 km |
1 | | |
7 h 45 m 33 s |
| 2 | | |
7 h 50 m 1 s | ||
| 3 | | |
8 h 1 m 1 s | ||
| 13º Rallye de Portugal Vinho do Porto 6 to 11 March 1979 Round 3 of the 1979 World Rally Championship |
45 stages 735 km |
1 | |  |
9 h 13 m 52 s |
| 2 | | |
9 h 16 m 36 s | ||
| 3 | | |
9 h 35 m 0 s | ||
| 14º Rallye de Portugal Vinho do Porto 4 to 9 March 1980 Round 3 of the 1980 World Rally Championship |
47 stages 673.5 km |
1 | | |
9 h 13 m 52 s |
| 2 | | |
9 h 16 m 36 s | ||
| 3 | | |
9 h 35 m 0 s | ||
| 15º Rallye de Portugal Vinho do Porto 4 to 7 March 1981 Round 3 of the 1981 World Rally Championship |
46 stages 681 km |
1 | | |
8 h 27 m 26 s |
| 2 | | |
8 h 36 m 36 s | ||
| 3 | | |
8 h 43 m 47 s | ||
| 16º Rallye de Portugal Vinho do Porto 3 to 6 March 1982 Round 3 of the 1982 World Rally Championship |
40 stages 639 km |
1 | | |
7 h 39 m 36 s |
| 2 | | |
7 h 52 m 43 s | ||
| 3 |  | |
8 h 7 m 25 s | ||
| 17º Rallye de Portugal Vinho do Porto 2 to 5 March 1983 Round 3 of the 1983 World Rally Championship |
40 stages 642 km |
1 | | |
7 h 17 m 24 s |
| 2 | | |
7 h 18 m 19 s | ||
| 3 | | |
7 h 19 m 14 s | ||
| 18º Rallye de Portugal Vinho do Porto 6 to 11 March 1984 Round 3 of the 1984 World Rally Championship |
45 stages 684 km |
1 | | |
7 h 35 m 32 s |
| 2 | | |
7 h 35 m 59 s | ||
| 3 | | |
7 h 58 m 21 s | ||
| 19º Rallye de Portugal Vinho do Porto 6 to 9 March 1985 Round 3 of the 1985 World Rally Championship |
47 stages 733 km |
1 | | |
8 h 7 m 25 s |
| 2 | | |
8 h 12 m 12 s | ||
| 3 | | |
8 h 13 m 23 s | ||
| 20º Rallye de Portugal Vinho do Porto 5 to 8 March 1986 Round 3 of the 1986 World Rally Championship |
42 stages 660 km |
1 | | |
7 h 50 m 44 s |
| 2 | | |
8 h 4 m 11 s | ||
| 3 | | |
8 h 7 m 36 s | ||
| 21º Rallye de Portugal Vinho do Porto 11 to 14 March 1987 Round 3 of the 1987 World Rally Championship |
37 stages 597.67 km |
1 | | |
7 h 9 m 39 s |
| 2 | | |
7 h 12 m 32 s | ||
| 3 | | |
7 h 14 m 37 s | ||
| 22º Rallye de Portugal Vinho do Porto 1 to 6 March 1988 Round 3 of the 1988 World Rally Championship |
37 stages 589.89 km |
1 | | |
6 h 44 m 1 s |
| 2 | | |
6 h 52 m 47 s | ||
| 3 | | |
6 h 53 m 23 s | ||
| 23º Rallye de Portugal Vinho do Porto 28 February to 4 March 1989 Round 3 of the 1989 World Rally Championship |
37 stages 576.88 km |
1 | | |
6 h 47 m 1 s |
| 2 | | |
6 h 57 m 19 s | ||
| 3 | | |
7 h 10 m 19 s | ||
| 24º Rallye de Portugal Vinho do Porto 6 to 10 March 1990 Round 2 of the 1990 World Rally Championship |
38 stages 544.2 km |
1 | | |
6 h 17 m 57 s |
| 2 | | |
6 h 20 m 33 s | ||
| 3 | | |
6 h 23 m 8 s | ||
| 25º Rallye de Portugal 5 to 9 March 1991 Round 3 of the 1991 World Rally Championship |
36 stages 524.75 km |
1 |  | |
6 h 6 m 36 s |
| 2 | | |
6 h 7 m 23 s | ||
| 3 | | |
6 h 8 m 41 s | ||
| 26º Rallye de Portugal 3 to 7 March 1992 Round 3 of the 1992 World Rally Championship |
40 stages 577.38 km |
1 | | |
6 h 24 m 37 s |
| 2 | | |
6 h 26 m 10 s | ||
| 3 | | |
6 h 29 m 36 s | ||
| 27º Rallye de Portugal 3 to 6 March 1993 Round 3 of the 1993 World Rally Championship |
37 stages 562 km |
1 | | |
6 h 20 m 37 s |
| 2 | | |
6 h 21 m 32 s | ||
| 3 | | |
6 h 23 m 17 s | ||
| 28º TAP Rallye de Portugal 1 to 4 March 1994 Round 2 of the 1994 World Rally Championship Round 2 of the 1994 FIA 2-Litre World Cup for Manufacturers |
36 stages 571.82 km |
1 | | |
6 h 20 m 59 s |
| 2 | | |
6 h 21 m 39 s | ||
| 3 | | |
6 h 21 m 49 s | ||
| 29º TAP Rallye de Portugal 8 to 10 March 1995 Round 3 of the 1995 World Rally Championship Round 3 of the 1995 FIA 2-Litre World Cup for Manufacturers |
33 stages 467 km |
1 | | |
5 h 32 m 37 s |
| 2 | | |
5 h 32 m 49 s | ||
| 3 | | |
5 h 35 m 51 s | ||
| 30º TAP Rallye de Portugal 6 to 8 March 1996 Round 2 of the 1996 FIA 2-Litre World Championship for Manufacturers |
34 stages 425.24 km |
1 | | |
5 h 13 m 28 s |
| 2 | | |
5 h 15 m 15 s | ||
| 3 | | |
5 h 23 m 22 s | ||
| 31º TAP Rallye de Portugal 23 to 26 March 1997 Round 4 of the 1997 World Rally Championship |
31 stages 419.78 km |
1 | | |
4 h 53 m 1 s |
| 2 | | |
4 h 57 m 6 s | ||
| 3 | | |
4 h 59 m 34 s | ||
| 32º TAP Rallye de Portugal 22 to 25 March 1998 Round 4 of the 1998 World Rally Championship |
28 stages 380.18 km |
1 | | |
4 h 20 m 58.1 s |
| 2 | | |
4 h 21 m 0.2 s | ||
| 3 | | |
4 h 21 m 43.9 s | ||
| 33º TAP Rallye de Portugal 21 to 24 March 1999 Round 4 of the 1999 World Rally Championship |
23 stages 358.85 km |
1 | | |
4 h 5 m 41.7 s |
| 2 | | |
4 h 5 m 54.0 s | ||
| 3 | | |
4 h 5 m 58.2 s | ||
| 34º TAP Rallye de Portugal 16 to 19 March 2000 Round 4 of the 2000 World Rally Championship |
23 stages 398.35 km |
1 | | |
4 h 34 m 0.0 s |
| 2 | | |
4 h 34 m 6.5 s | ||
| 3 | | |
4 h 36 m 9.2 s | ||
| 35º TAP Rallye de Portugal 8 to 11 March 2001 Round 3 of the 2001 World Rally Championship |
22 stages 390.14 km |
1 | | |
3 h 46 m 42.1 s |
| 2 | | |
3 h 46 m 50.7 s | ||
| 3 | | |
3 h 49 m 37.7 s | ||
2002–2006
Rally out of World Rally Championship
| Rally name | Stages | Podium finishers | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | Driver co-driver |
Team Car |
Time | ||
| 36º TMN Rallye de Portugal 7 to 8 June 2002 |
8 stages 152,77 km |
1 | | |
1h41m25,5s |
| 2 | | |
1 h 43 m 59,9 s | ||
| 3 | | |
1 h 44 m 35,9 s | ||
| 37º TMN Rallye de Portugal 28 to 29 March 2003 |
9 stages 164,97 km |
1 | | |
2 h 04 m 12,7 s |
| 2 | | |
2 h 05 m 57,9 s | ||
| 3 | | |
2 h 09 m 07,1 s | ||
| 38º TMN Rallye de Portugal 2004 |
8 stages 151,82 km |
1 | | |
1 h 54 m 49,1 s |
| 2 | | |
1 h 55 m 31,7s | ||
| 3 | | |
2 h 00 m 33,9 s | ||
| 39º TMN Rallye de Portugal 31 March to 2 April 2005 |
12 stages 237,66 km |
1 | | |
2 h 44 m 54,0 s |
| 2 | | |
2 h 46 m 03,0 s | ||
| 3 | | |
2 h 47 m 19,2 s | ||
| 40º PT-Rally de Portugal 2006 |
12 stages 239,90 km |
1 | | |
3h 06 m 14,0 s |
| 2 | | |
3h 07 m 31,0 s | ||
| 3 | | |
3h 07 m 49,6 s | ||
2007–2014
Rally back to World Rally Championship, but held in Algarve
2015–
Rally back to its roots: North of Portugal
- Notes
- † – Event was shortened after stages were cancelled.
Multiple winners
Embolded drivers are competing in the World Rally Championship in the current season.
A pink background indicates an event which was not part of the World Rally Championship.
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References
- "Rally – The Killer Years". 2012. Event occurs at 0:40. Retrieved 16 December 2012.
- "Estoril". RacingCircuits.info. Retrieved 15 April 2018.
- Seara.com. "History – Circuito Estoril – Portugal". circuito-estoril.pt. Retrieved 15 April 2018.
- "Portugal WRC round called off". WRC - World Rally Championship. Retrieved 14 May 2020.
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Rally Portugal. |