August 2020

RVM legends: Henri Toivonen

Henri Toivonen is one of the magical names associated with rallies, and, also, one who, like many others, belong to the history of the Rally Vinho da Madeira. The Finnish was in Madeira in 1984, in an uncertain phase of his world renowned career, and ended up taking his sponsor's beautifully coloured Porsche 911 SC to the highest place on the podium. That would be the driver's last triumph in a year when he, and his demanding car, only came up second place in the European championship. Toivonen was born in August 1956 and debuted in rallies in 1975 with a Simca Rallye 2. He drove various other cars with which he shone, and ended up being hired by the Talbot team to drive a Sunbeam Lotus, a vehicle with which he would win the Rally RAC. He then went to work with Opel in an Opel Manta 400 that, as would later his Porsche, showed not to be one of the most competitive cars of the time. In 1984he went to the powerful Lancia team and took some time to obtain results. Things took a different turn with his Lancia Delta S4 with which he won the Rally RAC in 1985 and the 1986 Monte Carlo Rally. He passed away in May 1986, after crashing off the road at the Tour of Corsica. 

BPI and the RVM: a long term commitment

  BPI is once again the official Sponsor of the Rally Vinho da Madeira, a partnership that has been renewed since 1998. This year's edition of the RVM will award the BPI Trophy, which consists of a monetary prize given to the three fastest drivers enrolled in the race. The director of the BPI sector for the Azores and Maderia, Carlos Lopes, argues that "the Rally Vinho da Madeira is one of the most important motor-racing events of the country, the result of the investment and professional dedication of the Organizing Committee, staff and volunteers. Therefore, for BPI, it makes all sense to renew its historical connection to the RVM, which is, in fact, a vector for the tourist and economic promotion of the region".   

Verifications already tomorrow

It is already tomorrow, August the 6.th, that the initial administrative and technical verifications of the 61.st edition of the Rally Vinho da Madeira will take place. The administrative verifications will happen between 3 p.m. and 6:30 p.m., outside on open air at Praça CR7, and the first verification of the enrolled vehicles by the technical commissioners will, like in 2019, take place at the northen deck of the Port of Funchal. These verifications are, usually, very attractive to the many enthusiasts of motor-racing residing in the archipelago, who see, in moments like these, a great opportunity to get closer to their idols, as well as to be able to, attentively, observe the many details of the vehicles that will later take on the road. There, they will be providers of much emotion through speech and competition.   

We hope to be strong

  Winner of the last three editions of the Rally Vinho da Madeira , Alexandre Camacho presents himself ready to, if all goes well, " try to fight for the podium and with the hope of being competitive enough to go for a new victory. We have the disadvantage of not having toured much with the car due to what happened in Calheta, but we hope to have a good rhythm and that the developed work on the last test allows us to be strong. The pressure with which I will face this rally is the same with which I faced it in previous years, since, at least in 2019, I was also 'obliged' to win and to get a good ponctuation". At 40 years of age, Alexandre Camacho debuted in rallies in 2001 with a Toyota Yaris. He drove many different vehicles and, this last decade, he was at the driving-gear of a Peugeot 207 S2000, a Porsche 993 GT3, a Peugeot 208 T16, and, up to the end of last year, a Skoda Fabia R5. He debuted in Calheta in a Citroën C3 R5. From his various awards in this sport, he counts with six Madeiran absolute titles (2008, 209, 2015, 2017, 2018 and 2019), as well as the conquest of the European FIA Trophy in 2018.  

The RVM Special Stages (Day 2)

PE 9 e 13 – CÂMARA DE LOBOS Câmara de Lobos is now part of the Rally Vinho da Madeira and is fought between the Caminho das Fontainhas and the Ribeiro Garcia Street. It will be divided, practically, in two halfs. The first on a rise and the second coming down. Alternating some straight lanes with sequences of very technical curves and even some "hook" sequences that will favour the show. It will also bring together areas of forest and/ or agriculture with more urban landscapes. Accesses: Via Câmara de Lobos: Caminho Velho da Igreja, Caminho Francelheira and Caminho Luzirão.   PE 10 e 14 – PONTA DO SOL Ponta do Sol starts at Vale Road and Cova do Pico and evolves in areas of great speed in which, in the middle, offer certain "hook"-like curves up to Carvalhal, traditionally a zone of showmanship in the small side streets neighboring the municipal stadium. From then on, the road starts going down in a way that even becomes eery in the few meters before the Madalena do Mar stream.  Accesses: Via Ponta do Sol: via Caminho Lombo do Meio, by Eng. Ribeiro de Sousa Road and the ER 222   PE 11 e 15 – PONTA DO PARGO  This is a special stage in which the final scoring is mostly determined by the riders' abilities, due to being extremely demanding with its sequences of "hook" like curves and curves in both directions and very close to each other. Its terrain has a great variation going from a very humid ground in the area walled by trees, to the dryer and even abrasive in more naked areas. Since it is characterised for being quite similar in all its extension, it demands of the team a great capacity to take travel notes.    Accesses: Via Ponta do Pargo: Municipal way that leads to Pedregal and Serrado.    PE 12 e 16 – ROSÁRIO This path crosses the island through the imaginary line between São Vicente and Ribeira Brava, from Rosário to Serra d'Água, passing by Encumeada. It demands a lot from the driver when going up, up to Encumeada and, in a later stage, may inspire some fear when coming down the vertiginous ramp leading to the finishing line. This is one of the Special Stages that traditionally gathers the most spectators in the Rally Vinho da Madeira.  Accesses: With no alternative access roads. It requires a timely presence for both the beginning and the end.

The RVM Special Stages (Day 1)

PE 1 e 5 – Golf court This Special Stage begins at ER 207 just after the entrance to the local Golf Court and includes a small sequence of straight lanes up to Santo da Serra. From there and up to Fonte de Santo António, the route is very sinuous and narrow. After the, also very fast evolution up to Ribeira de Machico and Portela, which precedes another flat zone up to Serragem in Santo da Serra. Accesses: Via Santo da Serra: at the crossroads with Fonte de Santo António Road, and, by Municipal Road Caramachão and Municipal Road Lombo das Faias.  Via Machico: At the Ribeira de Machico, the stream pay attention to the Emergency Exit, and Portela by Caminho Fajã dos Rolos. Via Porto da Cruz: By ER 108 (pay attention to the Emergency Exit). PE 2 e 6 – PALHEIRO FERREIRO The ER 201, commonly known as Caminho dos Pretos, is the "cathedral" of Madeiran rallies and, in the past, few were the races which would not include it in its itenerary. It is done by "going up" between Palheiro Ferreiro and Terreiro da Luta with a lane that mixes, almost perfectly, high speed zones with those that require a lot of technich. Accesses: Via Funchal: By Caminho de São João Latrão, by Rua Nova Curral dos Romeiros Road and in Choupana, by the Caminho do Meio and Caminho do Terço.   PE 3 e 7 – BOAVENTURA Boaventura was, for many years, the only Special Stage to be fought entirely in the North of the island. For many years it was also absent from the Rally Vinho da Madeira itinerary. It demands a lot of technic due to the constant changes between ups and downs and high and low speed zones, in a route sometimes narrow between Boaventura and Arco de São Jorge.  Accesses: No alternative access roads. It is recommended a timely presence for the beginning and the final moment of the Special Stage.   PE 4 e 8 –  SANTANA CITY Introduced twelve years ago in the Rally Vinho da Madeira's itinerary, it begins around the center of the parish of Ilha and finishes at Eiras Road. It is mostly always uphill, except for some flat and very fast areas. In its route there are many technically demanding zones in which some "hook" like curves appear. It is usually marked by very specific climatic conditions which vary a lot from the rest of the island. Accesses: Via Santana: By the Caminho das Queimadas, by the Padre Agostinho J. Cardoso Road, by the Joaquim S. Branco Road (Atention: Emergency Exit) and by the Caminho Feiteira do Nuno.

A good result would be a victory.

  José María "Pepe" Lopez returns to Madeira and is thankful to "the organization and the team for taking part, and to Citroën to allow me to drive a car that led me to become the Spanish champion. This year I already have some experience in the Rally and, as such, I intend to get a good result , which would be a victory [he laughs]. This competition has a great public, very hospitable, and has stages that are very technical and demand a lot of experience to really be fast. It is similar to what we find on the Canary Islands, but also harder due to the many different changes in grip". "Pepe" Lopez will turn 25 in little over a week and has debuted in rallies in 2012 in a Peugeot 206. In 2014 he drove a Ford fiesta R2, but the following year went on to drive the gear of a Peugeot 208 R2. With that model he conquered the Volant Peugeot in 2016. In 2017 he participated in the European championship with a Peugeot 208 T16, and, the next year, he drove a Citroën DS3 R5. Since 2019, the year he debuted in Madeira, he has been driving a Citroën C3 R5 with which he became champion in the neighboring country.   

RVM legends: Lancia Delta S4

  The Lancia Delta S4 was the most powerful car to have ever raced at the Rally Vinho da Madeira. The Italian model was one of the "monsters" of group B and allowed Fabrizio Tabaton, mainly after the retirement of Carlos Sainz, to face virtually no competition on his way to that which would be his first triumph on the island. Around the middle of the 1980's, the S4 would be outstanding for its efficacy. After betting on the 037, Lancia decided to convert it to full traction in order to face competition, and, in 1985, introduced us to the Delta S4, a model with a bodywork in which function would surpass aesthetics and that was the product of many hours in the wind tunnel. The engine, center rear, was a four in-line cylinder and had 1.759 cc. It also had a double overfeeding system with a volumetric compressor in order to deliver the binary at a low rotation, as well as a turbo-compressor for its highest power. Officially it would count up to 480 horses, but anecdotal testimony exists that guarantees they'd go 80 horses above that limit. It was conceived to favour assistance speed and with materials that allowed for a 950 kg weight, 10 kg lower than the regulated minimum.   

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