The ‘Rally1’ hybrids have competed on asphalt and snow to date, so they still have to show their qualities on gravelthe surface with the greatest presence in the World Rally Championship. And there is no better possible setting to debut on gravel than the stages of the Rally de Portugal. In the end, the Portuguese event is one of the most iconic events in the WRC and the ingredients could not be more appropriate, with a list of entries that reaches one hundred participants and a new edition of the duel between Sébastien Ogier and Sébastien Loeb.
The Rally de Portugal has been for many years the test in charge of opening the gravel ‘season’ in the WRC, a condition that it will occupy again this year. It does so with a demanding route in which the resistance of drivers, cars and teams will be put to the test. Markku Alén and Sébastien Ogier are the most successful riders on the Portuguese stages with five wins eachwhich puts the Frenchman in a position to make history if he reaches his sixth win. They will also seek to repeat success in the Portuguese stages Elfyn Evans -winner in 2021-, Ott Tanak -2019- and Thierry Neuville -2018-.
The route of the 55th edition of the Rally de Portugal is practically identical to that used in 2021. In fact, the great novelty is a show section on Thursday night, since the rest of the event’s program is traced to that of a year ago. Same sections, small adjustments in the times of the last day and some adjustments in the mileage of the specials are the largest variations. This draws a rally start on Thursday night in Coimbra to make way for a first stage with almost 122 kilometers of competition.
If the usual first day, without intermediate assistance, includes the classic ‘Arganil’ stage or a super special stage on the Lousada rallycross circuit, Saturday’s day is drawn with two identical loops with ‘Amarante’ and its 37.24 kilometers as the longest special of the rally. The action ends in the urban section of Porto after 165 kilometers of competition. Sunday’s route focuses on the mythical Fafe with five stages totaling 50 kilometers against the clock, but which will define a rally that has 21 specials and 338.34 timed kilometers.
As is customary in Portugal, the starting order of the first stage will determine the development of the rest of the event. If it doesn’t rain, starting in front is a problem due to the cleanliness factor of the stages. In principle, the test will take place in dry and hot weather, which will make the debut of the ‘Rally1’ on gravel even harder. Tire management and avoiding punctures will be key. In this aspect, premier class drivers will be able to use up to 28 tires during the rally to choose between 24 Scorpion KX WRC HA tires (hard) and 8 Scorpion KX WRC SA tires (soft).
The Rally de Portugal entry list is brilliant, starting with a premier category in which for the first time there will be twelve ‘Rally1’. Four Toyotas -Kalle Rovanperä, Ott Tänak, Sébastien Ogier and Takamoto Katsuta-, three Hyundais -Thierry Neuville, Ott Tänak and Dani Sordo- and five Fords -Craig Breen, Gus Greensmith, Adrien Fourmaux, Pierre-Louis Loubet and Sébastien Loeb- add up to this digit. The duel between Sébastien Ogier and Sébastien Loeb, the performance of Kalle Rovanperä by opening the track as the leader or the debut of Dani Sordo with the Hyundai i20 N Rally1 are the great attractions of the event.
If the list of participants in the queen class is spectacular, the silver category goes one step further. WRC2 breaks entry records with more than 40 participants. Andreas Mikkelsen, Marquito Bulacia, Teemu Suninen, Kajetan Kajetanowicz, Yohan Rossel or Chris Ingram will measure forces with the permission of Oliver Solberg. In Spanish key, Jan Solans will compete with a Citroën C3 Rally2, while Alex Villanueva will use a Skoda Fabia Rally2 Evo, the same car that will use Miguel Diaz-Aboitiz. At the same time, Marc Marti will act as co-pilot for Bruno Bulacia, as will Carlos of the neighborhood by Fabrizio Zaldivar Dani Cue of Benito Guerra and Axel Coronado by Emilio Fernandez.
Besides, Pepe López will compete outside the WRC2 category, being the last Spaniard present with a ‘Rally2’ vehicle. However, the national representation does not end there since the Rally de Portugal is part of the calendars of the Peugeot Rally Cup Ibérica and the TGR Iberian Cup, which guarantees the presence of Óscar Palomo, Diego Ruiloba, Iago Gabeiras, Roberto Blanch, Delbin García and Raúl Hernández with the cars of the lion brand and Francisco Cima and Daniel Berdomas with the Toyota GR Yaris. In addition, the WRC3 Junior drivers also compete in Portugal.
Stages and schedules of the 55th edition of the Rally de Portugal
Thursday, May 19, 2022
Friday May 20, 2022
Saturday May 21, 2022
Sunday May 22, 2022
Photos: Rally of Portugal