Vodafone Rally de Portugal 2021

29 www.rallydeportugal.pt 20-23 / 05 / 2021 29 T he one which has received several times the status of best rally in the world is back between the 20th and the 23 rd May. The race organized by the Automobile Club of Portugal scores for the World Rally Championship and receives the world elite of this sport. Portugal is preparing to bring together the world’s best rally riders. The event is scheduled for the period between 20 and 23 May. The enthusiasm surrounding the return of the WRC is enormous. The fastest cars, driven with mastery by names such as world champion Sébastien Ogier or his biggest rival, and 2019 champion Ott Tanäk, will go through some of the world’s most demanding and challenging stretches of rallying. As has happened sinceVodafone rally in Portugal returned to the northof the country,Exponor, inMatosinhos, is again the operational centre of the entire race. That is where the participating structures will be established for a week. It will also be fromthis centre,where theAutomobile Club of Portugal will have its headquarters, that competitors will depart to go through qualifiers that constitute this edition of the fourthWRC round. After a year in which, due to the covid-19 pandemic, the Vodafone Rally of Portugal did not take place, which happened for the first time since the competition became a reality in 1967, the country returns to have the best in the world. So as to have everything going for the best, the Automobile Club of Portugal has developed a rigorous plan, in close cooperation with the health authorities.This work,which has lasted for several months and required the mobilization of several resources, has contributed for the 2021 edition of Vodafone Rally de Portugal to even become a reality. Competition begins on Friday, May 21, but action starts the day before. It will be on Thursday that the riders take part in the Shakedown in Paredes to check that everything is ready. That same day, the caravan will go to Coimbra which will once again be the stage for the official Cerimonial Ceremony. Once the protocol is complied with, the competition begins in the sections of the Centre of the Country. Lousã, Góis and Arganil again feel the vibration of the fast rally cars, while Mortágua returns to welcome the world elite two decades later. Finally, Lousada closes with the realization of the super-special that will be entitled to live transmission. The cars stay overnight at Exponor and on Saturday, the competitive stage focuses further north. Vieira do Minho, Cabeceiras de Basto and Amarante are the challenges of the day that ends with an unprecedented super special. The organization has designed a qualifying show in the Foz area of Porto. There are 3.3 km of asphalt that will certainly require a lot from cars and drivers, in a test that will be broadcast live on the most varied platforms. The Vodafone Rally of Portugal ends with a classic and a return more than 20 years later. Felgueiras is again part of the Rally program, with two passages, in a stage where, in addition to the foray by Montim, riders face the inescapable section of Fafe, with live broadcast on television and with the second passage closing the competition with the realiza- tion of the Wolf Power Stage. Vodafone Rally de Portugal scores for the Rally World Championship and for all support championships, such as WRC2, WRC3 and JWRC. In addition, it is also eligible for the Portuguese Rallies Championship and the Peugeot Rally Cup Ibérica. THE BEST RALLY IN THE WORLD IS BACK