July 2023

Trying the Podium Cup

Leader of the Peugeot Iberian Rally Cup, Pedro Antunes brings to the island a 208 Rally4. For the driver from Torres Vedras, "this will be a debut in Rali Vinho da Madeira as I only attended the race once as a spectator. The goal is to get a place on the podium of the trophy. We know that João Silva should be very strong and is the biggest candidate for victory, but on the other hand, he "does not enter" the accounts of our championship. We'll be focussing on our opponents for the whole year, especially the Spaniards who trail us in the standings.  Let's see what happens. I don't know the rally, only what they tell us, that it's complicated. But everyone also praises the special stages... We will fight for as many points as possible." Antunes recently turned 30 and made his debut in 2015 with a Citroën C2 R2. He won two national class titles, in 2016 with a Citroën DS3 R1 and in 2017 with a Peugeot 208 R2. That same year he became ERT junior champion. He won the Peugeot Iberian Rally Cup in 2020 and in 2021 he represented Citroën with a C3 Rally2 in the Azorean championship. Last year he only competed in one event. In 2023, he returned to active duty and was the best in the cup in the Ourense and Terras d'Aboboreira rallies.

Rally secretariat at Escola Profissional Atlântico

As provided for in the regulations, the secretariat and operational centre of Rali Vinho da Madeira are already in operation at Escola Profissional Atlântico. These facilities, on Avenida Arriaga, will be used from today until the end of the event organised by Club Sports da Madeira, bringing greater proximity between the nerve centre of the competition and the assistance park and press room, operating on Avenida Sá Carneiro and the harbour of Funchal. The 64th edition of Rali Vinho da Madeira will be on the road in just over a week, between the 3rd and 5th of August, and foresees the dispute of 15 Special stages between Thursday and Saturday. The event, in addition to the Qualifying Stage and Shakedown on Thursday morning, starts in the city of Funchal on the afternoon of 3 August. The 1st stage continues the next day with a double round through Campo de Golfe, Palheiro Ferreiro and City of Santana. On Saturday, the 2nd stage is completed, with two rounds through Câmara de Lobos, Ponta do Sol, Calheta and Rosário.

Providing an amazing show

Adruzilo Lopes returns with a Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X to Rali Vinho da Madeira "for what will be my 20th participation. I love competing in this event and I always try to include it in my programme. It's a rally that I like a lot for everything I've done and that I always want to repeat. I'll be there with the car I use in the Promo championship and the goal is to provide a lot of spectacle. There are real rally lovers in Madeira and I have many fans. It will also be with them in mind that I will give my best. My car has limitations compared to other more recent ones but I will try, once again, to do my best". Winner of Rali Vinho da Madeira in 2001 with a Peugeot 206 WRC, Lopes is 60 years old and his first steps in the sport were in 1988 with a Toyota Corolla. Between 1996 and 2001, he worked for Peugeot, driving models such as the 306 Maxi and 206 WRC. In addition to many titles in the class and grouping, the driver won the FPAK Cup in 2000, was national champion of 2RM in 2010, GT in 2016, North in 2021, Promo in 2022 and absolute National Champion in 1997, 1998 and 2001.

Trying to win the Cup

As part of the Peugeot Iberian Rally Cup, Spaniard Iago Gabeiras is making his debut in Rali Vinho da Madeira, "a race, from what I've heard, that is one of the most difficult in Portugal. But it's also one of the most beautiful and I must thank my sponsors for the opportunity to be there. For us, it's going to be a complicated rally. Everything is unknown to me and the Portuguese drivers know the terrain very well. In the trophy, there will be many of us at the start and the competitiveness should be enormous. I've seen several videos of the rally and there's nothing like it in Spain. Despite everything, I will try to win in the Cup". Iago Gabeiras is 27 years old and his first rally season was in 2016 with a Citroën Saxo. He kept that car until the end of 2017 and achieved several victories and podiums in the class. In 2018, he won the Suzuki Swift Junior Cup in the neighbouring country. In 2019 and 2020 he was at the controls of a Peugeot 208 R2 and since 2021 he has been driving the current Peugeot 208 Rally4. On arrival in Madeira, he is the second place in the Peugeot Iberian Rally Cup.

Simone Campedelli was second in Lana

Driver at the start of Rali Vinho da Madeira, Simone Campedelli, teaming up with Tania Canton in a Skoda Fabia Rally2 Evo, was in northern Italy this weekend to compete in the Lana Rally, a race based in Biella and part of the Italian tarmac rally championship. The MRF team did not win any of the seven timed sections but reached the finish line in second place, 6.9 seconds behind the winner, Stefano Albertini, in an identical car. Campedelli will be at the Rally di Roma Capitale next weekend, the transalpine round of the FIA European Rally Championship.

Toyota Yaris Proto debuts in Madeira

The next edition of Rali Vinho da Madeira will be the stage for the first evolution on the island of several models. One of them is the Toyota Yaris Proto. The car that will be at the event is prepared based on a kit from the Polish company Dytko and is based on a Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X mechanic. The specifications, except for the dimensions, are similar to those of the Japanese car in its NR4 version. The car has a turbocharged four-cylinder engine of around 2,000 cc and is transmitted to all four wheels via a Samsonas sequential gearbox. In its configuration and on tarmac, the suspensions are from Reiger and the weight is around 1,300kg. This car will be on the island by the hands of João Sousa, who is teamed up with Helena Maia. This will be "my debut in Madeira and I will try to enjoy the fulfilment of a dream I have had since I was a kid. I'm not going to worry about results, trying, of course, to do the best I can. I wanted to take my Peugeot 306 Maxi to the island but its restoration is not yet complete. This participation is also the fulfilment of a "joke", a challenge made by Nuno Figueira last year. I can only thank my sponsors for this opportunity". The driver is 34 years old and has already been through various aspects of motorsport. He won the national VSH title in 2013.

Winning the Peugeot Cup

Spanish driver Sergi Perez is one of the young drivers coming to Madeira to compete in the Peugeot Iberian Rally Cup. For what will be his first appearance on the island, Perez says that "I have heard that it is a very beautiful race but also very hard for the cars and drivers, especially on their debut. I'm really looking forward to it. Our goal is to win the Cup, we will be there for that. We are fighting for the championship and this result is very important for the team. There are riders with much better knowledge of the terrain but, in essence, we all have two arms and two legs..." Sergi Perez is 19 years old and made his rally debut in 2020 with a Peugeot 106 Rallye. With the exception of very few occasions, he has always been behind the wheel of the French brand's cars, as he switched from the initial vehicle in 2022 to the current one. In his short career, he won the Catalunya junior title in 2021 and the Volant RACC last year. At the start of Rali Vinho da Madeira, he is third in the Peugeot Iberian Rally Cup.

Maximum driving

The Azorean Luis Pimentel returns to Rali Vinho da Madeira with a Porsche 997 GT3. The goal is, "first of all, to be present in what is the best rally in Europe. It is a unique event, always very well organised, with fabulous timed sections and where the public's affection is fantastic. I want to compete in more events in Madeira and this is the ideal event to start. Sportingly we will have 4 Porsche and another RGT, it will be very nice. I'll have the problem of less knowledge but I mainly want to drive and do kilometres. The rallies in the Azores are small and here I will have the opportunity to get to know the Porsche better, which still has a lot to explore." Pimentel is 58 years old and made his first rally in 1983 with a Fiat 124 Spider. Throughout his career he has been behind the wheel of mythical cars such as Renault 5 Turbo, Lancia Delta Integrale, Mitsubishi Galant VR-4, Toyota Celica Turbo 4WD, Ford Escort RS Cosworth, Subaru Impreza or Mitsubishi Lancer Evo. The driver who was absolute Azorean champion in 1993, 1994, 1995 and 1998 has been at the controls of the current vehicle since 2018.  

Rali Vinho da Madeira with phased transport

The huge number of teams from outside the island that will be at the start of the next edition of Rali Vinho da Madeira means that in 2023 the transport of competition vehicles and other support vehicles will have to be carried out in several phases and on several occasions. The first shipment takes place today, 21 July, in Leixões and the disembarkation is scheduled for the port of Caniçal, in Madeira, next Monday, 24 July. Vehicles from the Sports & You teams, of Bernardo Sousa, Kris Meeke, Pedro and Paulo Meireles and Diego Ruiloba, and Racing4You, of Ernesto Cunha and Rafael Cardeira, will be transported in this first phase.

Prioritising Madeira Championship

Renato Pita will line up in Rali Vinho da Madeira with the usual Peugeot 208 Rally4 and, "as defined at the beginning of the year, our goal will be the Madeira two-wheel drive championship. We want to fight again with Artur Quintal, Pedro Macedo and Dinarte Baptista to keep the second position in that competition, since João Silva has been unreachable. We ended up not including the Iberian Cup but it will be good to have many opponents in similar cars to see where we position ourselves, never running away from what is planned. This is a long rally and we have chosen to change some mechanical components. I will enjoy the experience of 2022 with the excellent rapport, in a good environment, with my co-driver, Rubina Gonçalves, an asset to the project ". Born in 1976, Renato Pita started rallying in 2005 with a Peugeot 106 Rallye. Since then he has been behind the wheel of cars as different as a Nissan Micra 1.3, several versions of Mitsubishi Lancer Evo or Renault Clio R3. Since 2012, he has crewed front-wheel drive cars and was a regular presence in the ERC and TER with Peugeot 208 R2 and Ford Fiesta R2. In these participations, he won the 2RM title in Ter 2017. In partnership with BP, he has been raising awareness in the field of road safety for many years.

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