Portugal (WRC) - 9-12 May 24

Livery: McErlean/Fulton

Posted: May 10, 2024 2:18 AM

Creighton/Regan ready for Portuguese challenge

Posted: May 10, 2024 2:17 AM

Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy driver William Creighton will head for his third FIA World Rally Championship outing of the season this week, as he tackles Vodafone Rally de Portugal [9-12 May].

Creighton and co-driver Liam Regan will embark on their first WRC2 round on gravel, and the difficult, sandy stages will present a real challenge for the Irish pairing as they aim for a positive result in their M-Sport Ford Fiesta Rally2.

Just a few weeks ago, Creighton would blast to second overall in Wales, taking his second Probite British Rally Championship podium of the season with a strong performance on world-class stages such as Hafren and Myherin. That result was enough to remain second in the championship, closing in on the BRC lead.

Soon after, he would head for the asphalt of Rally Croatia and after a tricky opening day, Creighton maintained a strong pace against the WRC2 regulars to add another WRC finish to his tally.

Now, he returns to the gravel as Portugal marks the next event in his WRC2 campaign but is aware of the challenges ahead.

“There is a nice flow to our season at the moment. We are entering another busy period and having these events so close together means it feels much more comfortable when you get back behind the wheel” says Creighton.

“We have done a lot of asphalt this season, with our Irish Tarmac, BRC and WRC outings so it was nice to see we had a strong pace on the Welsh gravel last month, considering I hadn’t really been over those stages before. But looking ahead to Rally Portugal, similar to previous years it’s going to be a big challenge with extremely rough stages in hot conditions. We will be doing our best to be consistent across the weekend.”

And Creighton knows just what is required to conquer the deep sandy ruts found in the stages, having contested the rally twice before.

“I always look forward to Rally Portugal and I've enjoyed it every time I've contested it,” he says.

“It’s a difficult rally though and running a little down the order brings its own challenges with ruts and the possibilities of punctures. That can be a challenge, so a good strategy will be key. But like all WRC events, there are three long days ahead so a consistent pace will really be important to secure a positive result for us. I want to continue to build as we go this season and I’m eager to get back to the WRC and see how we get on."

McErlean/Fulton set for first WRC outing of 2024 at Rally Portugal

Posted: May 10, 2024 2:16 AM

Josh McErlean will get his 2024 FIA World Rally Championship campaign underway next weekend, as he tackles the Vodafone Rally de Portugal [9-12 May].

The 24-year-old finally embarks on his assault on the WRC2 category and will pilot a Toksport World Rally Team Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 with returning co-driver James Fulton alongside. The difficult gravel event will mark a new era in McErlean’s career, as he starts his third season in the World Rally Championship, but his first behind the wheel of a Škoda and his first in a new team.

Backed by the Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy, McErlean feels ready for his reinvigorated season after tackling Rally Terras d’ Aboboreira a fortnight ago, where he recorded a string of top times on his competitive debut in the car and secured fifth overall against several WRC2 regulars.

“It was fantastic to get behind the wheel of the Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 for the first time in an actual event and it was all about data gathering and getting to grips with the car and how it works on the unique sandy stages we see in Portugal,” says McErlean.

“From our side, it was mission accomplished, and we got everything we needed to from the weekend and it was nice to set a good pace too as we continued to get to grips with our new surroundings. It was important to get the miles under our belts but we can’t be too complacent, WRC Portugal will be a very different animal”.

Aboboreira served as the perfect warm-up to the WRC encounter and whilst it’s a later start to the season than normal, McErlean is very eager to get going and is already feeling at home in the new camp.

“I am super excited to start our WRC season and I feel comfortable in the relationship with Toksport and Škoda Motorsport which has started really well. It’s all so professionally run and a very positive environment.

“It’s now full speed ahead into WRC Portugal and it’s great to have James [Fulton] back by my side. Preparation has been good and we now know what direction we have to head for, in terms of driving style and set-up. Our pace is encouraging, and we want to build on this as well as consistency. We know Portugal can turn into a game of survival at times, so we have to use our heads as always and manage any situations presented to us. But it feels like a long time coming and I can’t wait to get stuck into the thick of it next weekend”.

Vodafone Rally de Portugal offers over 337 kilometers of special stages, spread across four days. Thursday [9 May] houses the opening super special stage, before Friday’s eight tests, separated by just one tyre fitting zone. Saturday is the longest of the rally at 145 kilometers, before Sunday’s four tests, including the world-famous Fafe stage, round out the weekend.

Title-winning team-mates go head-to-head in Portugal

Posted: May 10, 2024 2:14 AM

Fireworks are guaranteed at Vodafone Rally de Portugal this week (9 – 12 May) as FIA World Rally Championship superstars Kalle Rovanperä and Sébastien Ogier go head-to-head for the first time this season.

The title-winning team-mates form part of a four-strong Toyota Gazoo Racing line-up for round five of 2024, which is based close to the city of Porto and kicks off a run of seven gravel-based fixtures in a row.

Eight-time title holder Ogier, who received the Legion of Honour medal from French President Emmanuel Macron last week, is a Rally de Portugal expert and tops the event’s roll of honour with five victories to his name. But Rovanperä, the reigning world champion for two years running, is aiming to catch up to his colleague and has claimed victory in the rally's past two editions.

They join Elfyn Evans, currently second in the points, and Takamoto Katsuta in identical GR Yaris Rally cars, eager to extend Toyota’s seven-point lead in the manufacturers’ standings. Katsuta will score points for the drivers' championship only.

“I’m excited to be returning to Portugal after a year away,” Ogier said. “The atmosphere is always great there and I look forward to that.”

“Of course, our aim will be to try and win again this year, but it’s never easy,” added Rovanperä. “All of the top drivers know the stages quite well, so the pace is usually pretty high and it can be quite a close fight there.”

At the top of the championship and leading Friday’s running order is Thierry Neuville, currently six points clear of Welshman Evans. The Belgian is hoping for a wet start to the rally, as dry weather will mean he is tasked with sweeping a cleaner and faster line for those following his Hyundai i20 N Rally1 onto the stages.

“Road conditions and position will make a huge difference to how we perform,” he explained. “Whenever it’s raining we will be fast, but when it’s dry we will struggle more because everyone knows the stages well.”

Neuville is joined in the team by 2019 WRC champion Ott Tänak plus Spain’s Dani Sordo, who starts his first rally of the season and the 210th of his career.

Adrien Fourmaux is looking to utilise the confidence he gained from his maiden Wolf Power Stage win in Croatia last month to fuel his performance on the Portuguese stages, which are characterised by roads that vary from soft and sandy to rutted and rocky. He teams up with fellow youngster Grégoire Munster, hailing from Luxembourg.

The rally starts on Thursday and coincides with the Beyond Rally Forum on 9 May, during which WRC Promoter will present an in-depth exploration of its Sustainability Roadbook. This roadmap sets out actionable steps for sustainability initiatives as the championship strives towards a sustainable future.

Competitors tackle 22 stages spanning nearly 340km before reaching the finish on Sunday afternoon.

Four-strong TOYOTA GAZOO Racing squad to push for more Portugal success

Posted: May 10, 2024 1:56 AM

TOYOTA GAZOO Racing World Rally Team will take on the Rally de Portugal (May 9-12) with a strong line-up of four drivers ready to continue the team’s run of success on the popular gravel event.

For the first time in the 2024 season, the team will be able to count on both of its world champion drivers, Kalle Rovanperä and Sébastien Ogier: winners of the last two rounds in Kenya and Croatia respectively. Rovanperä is aiming to win in Portugal for the third year in succession, while Ogier is a five-time winner of the event – sharing the record for the most victories with Markku Alén.

Elfyn Evans is also a previous winner in Portugal: his victory in 2021 is one of four consecutive wins by TGR-WRT there since 2019. Evans is currently just six points from the lead of the drivers’ championship after a consistent start to his campaign, with three podium finishes from four events. While the team has nominated the three previous Portugal winners to contribute towards the manufacturers’ championship, which it currently leads by seven points, Takamoto Katsuta will also be aiming high on an event he has performed strongly on in the past.

Portugal will be the first of seven consecutive rallies on gravel. The event is based in the north of the country around the second-largest city of Porto, with the service park located in nearby Matosinhos. The stages are fast but technical in nature, with a surface that is usually soft and sandy at first but often becomes rocky and rutted for the second pass.

The route is similar to previous years, with the rally beginning to the south around the historic city of Coimbra. This year, the competitive action begins on Thursday night with the Figueira da Foz super special that was run on Friday last year. Friday still features added stage kilometres with the Mortágua test to now be run at both the start and end of the day. It’s one of four stages to be driven twice around Arganil, which hosts a mid-day tyre fitting zone.

Saturday is the longest day of the rally, featuring 145.02 competitive kilometres. A repeated loop of four stages in the Cabreira mountains to the north-east of Porto includes the retuning Montim as well as Amarante, the longest stage of the season so far at 37.24 km. Another super special stage at the Lousada rallycross circuit runs in the evening. Sunday features two passes of Cabeceiras de Basto and the famous Fafe, which serves as the rally-ending Power Stage.

The GR Yaris Rally2 will also be well-represented in WRC2 with eight examples entered – the largest amount on any rally so far in its debut season. Sami Pajari (Printsport), Georg Linnamäe (RedGrey), Roope Korhonen (Rautio Motorsport) and Jan Solans (Teo Martín Motorsport) are joined on the entry list by the TGR WRC Challenge Program duo of Yuki Yamamoto and Hikaru Kogure plus two drivers making their debuts in the car: Australia’s Lewis Bates (Neal Bates Motorsport) and Frenchman Jean-Michel Raoux (ERACE WRT).

Quotes:
Jari-Matti Latvala (Team Principal)
“It will be great to have all four of our drivers with us in Portugal. This year we wanted to bring them all together on at least one rally and this was a good opportunity to do it. With the new points system, it’s been difficult to make big differences in the manufacturers’ championship so far. In Portugal we will have three drivers that have won the event before, plus Taka who has also been very fast, so it’s a strong line-up for this rally. Kalle has been very successful there the last two years, while Seb has won it five times before. Elfyn’s road position could be more challenging, but he just needs to keep concentrating on maximising his points against his championship rivals. Taka has also been driving very well and has the capability to fight for the podium. But we know the competition will be strong and I’m sure it will be another big fight for the top positions in Portugal.”

Kalle Rovanperä / Jonne Halttunen
Kalle Rovanperä (Driver car 69)
“I’m really looking forward to Portugal. It’s a rally that I really like. There’s a lot of fans and a great atmosphere, and the stages have very nice characteristics. They seem to suit me quite well: we’ve had some really nice success there in the last two years. Of course, our aim will be to try and win again this year, but it’s never easy. All of the top drivers know the stages quite well, so the pace is usually pretty high and it can be quite a close fight there. Maybe our road position could help us, but we will have to see what the weather does, because rain can really change things quite a bit.”

Elfyn Evans / Scott Martin
Elfyn Evans (Driver car 33)
“We’re into a busy part of the season now with rallies coming thick and fast, and our focus moves back to gravel for the next events. Portugal can be quite a nice rally with some fast and flowing sections, but recently it’s also become more of a challenge in terms of how rough the roads can get, especially in some of the classic stages further south that we drive on Friday. Like always on gravel, road position could be a factor but it’s also a rally that can really depend on the weather. We just have to focus on doing the best job we can with the conditions we have and try to take the maximum from the weekend.”

Sébastien Ogier / Vincent Landais
Sébastien Ogier (Driver car 17)
“I’m excited to be returning to Portugal after a year away. It’s a country that I have a lot of good memories of, maybe a bit more from when the rally was in the south rather than the north. Still, the atmosphere is always great there and I look forward to that. It’s a rally where normally we should not be at a disadvantage with our road position, and maybe it can even benefit us a bit – but it’s too early to say for certain because there can also be heavy rain there sometimes. It will be my first time competing on gravel for a while but we had a good test last week and I’m looking forward to the rally.”

Takamoto Katsuta / Aaron Johnston
Takamoto Katsuta (Driver car 18)
“I’m looking forward to these next rallies on gravel and I’m confident that they can be good events for me. Portugal especially is a rally that I like and I know the stages pretty well, and our car should work well there. There are some famous stages like Fafe with many jumps, and some stages that are very rough with a lot of rocks, especially on Friday. But if it’s going well, I will try to push as much as I can. As I’m not registered to score points for the team on this event, I have no pressure on that side and I can just focus on driving fast and trying to do my best.”

Hyundai Motorsport Preview: Round 5 – Rally de Portugal

Posted: May 10, 2024 1:55 AM

Following a strong showing from Hyundai Motorsport in Croatia, the team is heading to Rally de Portugal (May 9-12) for the fifth round of the 2024 FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) with another podium finish in its sights.

The 2024 season remains incredibly close, with Thierry Neuville and Martijn Wydaeghe leading the drivers’ and co-drivers’ standings with a small margin of six points. After a nail-biting weekend in Croatia, where the Belgians led for the majority of the event before finishing third overall, the crew is looking to get back to winning ways at a rally where Neuville was victorious in 2018.

2019 winners Ott Tänak and Martin Järveoja have enjoyed solid performances so far this season as they have built confidence in the Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Hybrid. The Estonians departed Croatia as the second-highest scoring crew and hope to capitalise on this momentum on their return to gravel, as they seek to make gains in the championship standings.

Portugal also marks the return of Hyundai Shell Mobis World Rally Team crew Dani Sordo and Cándido Carrera. The Spaniards have claimed two back-to-back podiums in Portugal, with Sordo boasting seven top-three finishes at the event. The gravel specialists will be focused on improving the team’s position in the manufacturers’ standings, where the gap to first stands at just seven points.

The ever-evolving gravel and sizeable jumps of Portugal present unpredictable challenges for crews. With the profile changing on each pass, deep ruts can become rally-ending risks if not navigated precisely. Rain is one of the biggest threats to a clean weekend at the Matosinhos-based rally: adding water to the extremely dusty surface creates a muddy threat for the Rally1 cars. The fan favourite Fafe stage (11.18km) returns once again on the final day of the weekend, with the iconic jump posing a unique test to close the rally.

Hyundai Motorsport President and Team Principal Cyril Abiteboul said:
“We enter the fifth round of the season with a lot of positive momentum. Despite Croatia not going exactly as planned, we can still gather plenty of positives from across the weekend – including a podium finish. We are happy to welcome Dani and Cándido back and we know how well they perform in Portugal. Having them in the car means we have plenty to anticipate this weekend. Thierry and Martijn are looking to extend their lead in the championship, so they will be going full force into the weekend in search of a clean drive and maximum points. In Ott and Martin, we know they are looking forward to getting back to gravel and they can push the car here to score as many points as possible, similarly to how they operated in Croatia. Finishing on at least one of the podium steps would be an ideal end to the weekend to help us advance in all three championships, and a win is at the forefront of our minds.”

Crew Notes: Thierry Neuville/Martijn Wydaeghe (#11 Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Hybrid)
Belgians start fifth round at the top of the standings
Neuville looking to add to two previous Portuguese podiums

Neuville said: “Success in Portugal comes down to the same factors as always. We need consistency, a good setup and confidence in the car. Road conditions and position will also make a huge difference to how we perform: whenever it’s raining we will be fast, when it’s dry we will struggle more because everyone knows the stages well. I was happy with the car in the pre-event test, and we focussed on a setup that would bring me the necessary confidence to push in very slippery conditions. This more precise car is needed for all the corner combinations, but I still need some of the traction we focussed on in Kenya. My goals are to optimise our performance on Friday and Saturday before pushing on Sunday for maximum points, I would love to finish on the top step of the podium.”

Crew Notes: Ott Tänak/Martin Järveoja (#8 Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Hybrid)
Estonians returning to a firm favourite event in search of a maximum points haul
Previous success at the rally makes the duo prime candidates for a top-three finish

Tänak said: “After Croatia, it’s great to go back to a rougher surface. Portugal is really enjoyable – it’s an event I am looking forward to. It’s a fast rally with high speeds and usually smooth on the first run and very rough on the second. During this part of the season it starts to get warmer, and Portugal is one of the first rallies where it can get quite challenging for the car and the tyres. The contrast from the first to the second loop is noticeable because of how the soft roads can become so rutted. We have already done the pre-event test and there is definitely still work to do, but I am really looking forward to pushing hard.”

Crew Notes: Dani Sordo/Cándido Carrera (#6 Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Hybrid)
Spaniards return to the Hyundai i20 N Rally1 Hybrid for their first outing of 2024
Crew looking to add to four consecutive podiums at the event

Sordo said: “I’m really excited to be back in the car, especially in Portugal. It’s always a special rally for everyone – both drivers and spectators. It is a unique challenge for the car because of the temperatures and profile of the stages, so getting the right setup is key to doing well in Portugal. We worked a lot on the pre-event test to try and perfect this so we can push hard next weekend. It will be interesting with a lot of the part-time field being so competitive this season, and with road position being another important factor in going well on this kind of gravel, there will be a huge push across a cleaner line at the back of the order. The ultimate goal in my mind is to win, but I am hoping to claim as many points as possible from the weekend for the team.”

Weekend at a Glance
Rally de Portugal begins on Thursday morning with Shakedown, followed by SS1 Figueira da Foz (2.94km) in the evening
Friday’s challenges are presented in eight stages across 126.90km
Saturday is the longest day of the weekend in terms of distance, with nine stages covering 145.02km
The weekend’s tests end on Sunday with four final stages, including the Power Stage of Fafe 2 (11.18km).

PUMAS PREPARED TO BE PUT THROUGH THEIR PACES ON RALLY PORTUGAL

Posted: May 10, 2024 1:52 AM

Fast approaching the mid-point of the season, M-Sport Ford World Rally Team is geared up to take on the fifth round of the 2024 World Rally Championship, on the challenging Rally Portugal. With M-Sport frontrunner, Adrien Fourmaux, sitting third in the driver’s championship, the team will push for more strong results in Portugal after two podium results already this season.

With a rich heritage in the WRC and claiming the title of ‘Best Rally in the World’ on five separate occasions, Rally Portugal’s famous stages await M-Sport’s three crews to mark the beginning of the championship’s long run of gravel rallies throughout the summer months. The team will compete two Ford Puma Rally1s with regulars Fourmaux and Grégoire Munster, and a Fiesta Rally2 in the WRC2 category driven by William Creighton.

Balancing high speeds with rough and technical sections, crews will tackle 22 special stages across 337 total competitive kilometres around the city of Porto. The event kicks off with a popular ceremonial start in Coimbra, followed by the iconic Lousada city super special stage. With pairs of cars taking on the stage side-by-side in high-intensity competition, the street stage attracts thousands of fans every year.

Highlights include one of the longest and most gruelling stages of the WRC season, with Saturday’s Amarante stage clocking in at an eyewatering 37 kilometres. Followed by Sunday’s famous Fafe jump, which can see cars launching over 50 metres, Rally Portugal proves itself to be a real spectacle and justifiably one of the most popular events on the calendar.

With a long day ahead of the crews on Friday, with only a tyre-fitting zone separating two loops of four stages, crews will carefully manage their cars and ensure survival to Friday’s evening check-in. High temperatures add an extra level to the challenge of this rally, with crews battling scorching heat inside the cockpit, plus battling to avoid dust from the dry gravel stages into the car.

Adrien Fourmaux heads to Portugal after strong performances on the opening rounds this season. Still sitting third in the driver’s championship, with Tanak only 6 points behind him, Fourmaux will be thinking tactically to protect his position and claim more valuable points. Claiming a strong sixth overall in his first top-level outing in Portugal in 2021, Fourmaux has honed his knowledge of the stages in both Rally1 and Rally2 machinery. Now ready to take on the challenge once again, the Frenchman sets his aim on another impressive finish.

With his best finish of the season so far and valuable points scored in Croatia last month, Grégoire Munster hopes to finish Rally Portugal in a similar vein. Making his debut in Portugal only last year, Munster will have a lot to learn about how to best manage the quick and complex stages around Porto for the first time in Rally1 machinery. After showing promising pace in Kenya this season, Munster hopes to be able to show his skill on gravel and maintain a competitive pace to achieve another good result.

William Creighton will be back in the Fiesta Rally2 after showing promising pace in Croatia, despite challenges with punctures and a mistake on Friday putting him off the road. Creighton will face a big challenge in Portugal, as his road position will see him take the worst of the rough conditions. But the Irishman has proved his skill on gravel throughout the Junior World Rally Championship, claiming wins on gravel in the Fiesta Rally3. Adapting well to the increased power of the Fiesta Rally2, Creighton looks to finish with a strong result and match his top-ten WRC2 finish in Croatia.

Richard Millener, Team Principal, said:
“Portugal is always a popular event, for good reason. The stages are fast, technical and rough, so it ticks all the boxes of a gravel rally! There’s a lot of jeopardy here, with risk of punctures and damage to the cars on the rough sections very high. It’s always a good one to watch and it’s a fantastic event for the fans.

“Adrien is pretty experienced here, so he has a good knowledge base and knows where you can push and where to respect the road! He’s had a truly fantastic start to the season, and Croatia would have been an equally strong finish had he not had the bad luck on Sunday morning. There’s every reason for him to do well in Portugal.

“Grégoire will have a little bit more work to do, he has less experience here and will need to work hard to stay in step with those who have more knowledge of the stages. But he showed some good pace in the Puma in Kenya, so he can be strong on loose surfaces and just needs to aim for another strong, clean drive. William is in a similar position in the Fiesta, but he performed well on gravel in the Juniors, so he just needs to focus on adapting these skills to the higher performance of the Rally2 and gathering valuable experience before the next few events on gravel.”

Adrien Fourmaux said:
“Rally Portugal is a really famous and spectacular rally! The roads are all in the middle of the mountains, so they’re really technical and we normally have very tough conditions where the temperatures are quite high. It’s really demanding for the cars and the crew.

“It’s going to be my fourth time in Portugal, I really like it as a rally, especially when you finish the Power Stage at Fafe and there are so many fans there watching. I’m looking forward to enjoying the atmosphere and hopefully achieving another good result.”

Grégoire Munster said:
“We had a good pre-event test, with two days of testing last week. Portugal will be a lot like Sardinia, a bit of a tricky one for us because we don’t have a lot of experience compared to our fellow competitors. Thanks to my great idea to roll the car on the first stage of the rally last year, it means we lack the knowledge of the stages, so we will try to grab a lot of experience in both Portugal and Sardinia to move forward into the second part of the season’s gravel rallies with confidence.”

William Creighton said:
“This will be my first gravel rally in the WRC with the Fiesta rally2, and I’m looking forward to it after our podium on BRC’s Severn Valley stages. Rally Portugal is always enjoyable with a good atmosphere but it’s a big challenge; Friday will be difficult with extremely rough stages and no service. It looks like it’s going to be a warm rally too, so it’ll be a proper challenge for the me, Liam and the car!”

Sportity / Rally Guide / Event Website

Posted: May 10, 2024 1:17 AM

Rally de Portugal