After notching up another for the French marque in 2011, Ogier went on to add further victories in 20 for Volkswagen, then in 2017 at M-Sport Ford.Īlen scored a historic fifth Portugal win in 1987 Rally Portugal winnersįinnish rally legend Markku Alen and eight-time world rally champion Sebastien Ogier share the record for the most wins in Portugal with five apiece.Īlen claimed four of his wins (1975, 1977, 1978, 1981) driving a Fiat Abarth 131 before adding a fifth with a Lancia Delta in 1987, while the Portuguese gravel stages are the scene of Ogier’s maiden WRC rally win in 2010 driving for Citroen. This often requires teams to raise the ride height on their cars to avoid mechanical damage. Sandy roads ensure grip is at a premium for the early starters during the first pass through the stages and the surface can degrade to unearth sharp rocks and deep ruts for the second pass. Varying road surfaces and changeable weather add to the task facing crews. It dropped off the WRC calendar from 2002 to 2006, but has largely remained a staple of the world championship. Until the 1980s the rally was a mixed surface event, featuring asphalt and gravel stages, before moving to an all gravel round. Iconic rally imagery, particularly at the iconic Fafe stage which features a crowd-pleasing large jump, is the result. It has proven to be hugely popular, with fans commonly flocking to the event in their droves.
The rally dates back to 1967, when Carpenteiro Albino won the inaugural event. What is Rally Portugal?Ī founding round of the WRC back in 1973, Rally Portugal is ranked as one of the championship’s classic events with challenging gravel stages to the east and south of host city Porto. M-Sport will once again field two Ford Pumas for 2019 world champion Ott Tanak, four points adrift of the championship lead, and Frenchman Pierre-Louis Loubet. Thierry Neuville leads Hyundai’s charge in the championship, sitting fifth the standings, 11 points shy of the summit, while team-mate Esapekka Lappi heads to Portugal after recording his first podium for the team in Croatia last month. Sordo returns as Hyundai scales back to a third entry The third i20 N will be driven by Dani Sordo, a regular on the podium in Portugal having secured silverware on six occasions, although the 40-year-old Spaniard is yet to taste victory.
Hyundai will return to fielding three cars after withdrawing an entry that was set to be driven by the late Craig Breen, who died in a Rally Croatia testing crash.
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