Rally Madeira Legend’s first edition has impressively charmed a population passionate about racing cars and tourists that could not be indifferent to the emotions brought by the presence of drivers with cars that, due to its shape and sound, brought back the past motorsport.
As for the sports event, organized by Club Sports Madeira, was quite cheered and after a few switches in the leadership, the victory belonged to Miguel Andrade/Bruno Gouveia in a Renault 5 GT Turbo, just a few 1,7 seconds over Rui Conceição/Roberto Fernandes behind the wheel of a Ford Escort RS Cosworth. The lowest podium position was for João Martins/Sílvio Malho who, driving a Ford Escort Mk I, became one of the rally’s stardom.
Very popular was the Legend Show, where the former two-time World Champion Massimo Biasion in a Lancia Delta S4 decorated with the same colours that Fabrizio Tabaton won the 1986 Rali Vinho da Madeira. The enthusiastic fans also applauded the Audi Sport Quattro S1 of Stewart Bowes and Joachim Luttcken or historic vehicles such as Opel Ascona 400 ex-Henri Toivonen of Wolf Dieter-Ilhe or the Lancia Delta Integrale 16V driven in 1993 by Carlos Sainz and Achim Loth.
Rally Madeira Legend ended with a special stage show in Avenida Sá Carneiro, one of the main streets of Funchal’s downtown that has become small to receive the high number of spectators who decided to witness an exhibition that has recalled many similar Rali Vinho da Madeira stages in the last decades of the previous century.