August 2022

Avenida Arriaga was the setting chosen for the press conference held this afternoon and which sat at the table José Paulo Fontes, President of the Organizing Committee of RVM, Eduardo Jesus, Regional Secretary of Tourism, and Culture and Dorita Mendonça, Tourist Promotion Director. For the speakers, one idea is unanimous: "The Rali Vinho da Madeira is an international event which combines sports competitions and tourism promotion resulting in the dynamization of the regional market".  In the reports of last year's edition, the AVE (Advertising Value Equivalent) of the RVM exceeded 5.5 million euros. This range results from the bet that has been made on the communication of the rally. José Paulo Fontes is convinced that this year this value will be greatly exceeded, "we will have more broadcast with RTP International, national television channels and national and international sports channels ... everything will be done so that the return on the support of the Regional Government is largely compensated. This year, the livestreaming transmissions are a strong bet of the organization both through the website and the social networks of the race, a way to take the atmosphere of the RVM to the international communities, ensuring the great international projection of the rally.  The President of the Organizing Committee believes that the wide dissemination of RVM in the media will be important because "when the International Automobile Federation thinks or rethinks in the future about international rallies, the name of Madeira and the Rali Vinho da Madeira will be on the table, because of the atmosphere that we live, the way we welcome and live the rally, an inter-generational event". José Paulo Fontes took the opportunity to once again apologize, as he puts it "we are going to cause inconvenience to those who make their lives in the centre of Funchal, but it is for a good cause it is for Madeira, for the promotion of Madeira and for the environment that is being lived and which the Madeirans can’t live without".  The Regional Secretary for Tourism and Culture, Eduardo Jesus stressed the importance of the RVM being a rally of regional, national and international reference, "the VAE is the product of the notoriety created by the Rali vinho da Madeira, which allows us to quickly draw a conclusion: the investment in this event is multiplied by ten only in terms of the notoriety of the event itself.  The Secretary added that "we are sure that the RVM's multiplier effect is much greater than this value of EAV and therefore, I would like to point out that only a special event can achieve this multiplier effect. We need events that have this capacity to mark Madeira's presence abroad". Madeira is a destination that has a lot to offer. Official Website of the Event:  More than 9600 users, in the last week. 70% of users are national, the remaining are international   368 news articles published +700,000 in media  Social Networks + 500.000 people reached so far   6894 visitas à página do Rali Vinho Madeira no Facebook 6371 visitas ao perfil no Instagram do Rali Vinho Madeira

Bruno Magalhães will drive a Hyundai i20N Rally2 in Rali Vinho da Madeira, a race for which, "as it is known, I’m especially fond of. The car I have is fast and I hope to be at a level above the one I showed in Faial so that I may fight for victory. This would be my fourth consecutive victory in Madeira for the CPR. We still have one more test and we will have a lot of information to use to set the car. I foresee a very difficult rally but we all hope it will be the traditional party again. I advise the public to keep the traditional good safety behaviour so that the competition can aspire to move up in the rankings". Magalhães is 42 years old and made his rally debut in 1999 with a VW Golf GTi 16V. In 2002 he started competing with a Peugeot 206 GTi and in 2004 he won the mono-brand trophy with the model in 2004. Between 2005 and 2011 he represented Peugeot and was national champion three times between 2007 and 2009. Between 2014 and 2018 he had a private international programme and was European Vice-Champion in 2017 with a Skoda Fabia R5. In 2019 he returned to the national championship with Hyundai, the brand he still defends. Currently fourth in the CPR, he has won the Rali Vinho da Madeira on four occasions.

Bernardo Sousa returns to the Madeira Wine Rally with a Citroën C3 Rally2. The goal of the Madeiran is "to fight for the podium in the CPR. I don't have the same rhythm as my adversaries. At the Faial Rally I got good indicators, but this race is very long. This rally has its secrets and some small changes that exist this year reduce the advantage of knowledge. However, the pilots who usually race in Madeira always have the advantage of knowing the level of adherence. We want to fight for the top five even if, after 2019, we have only done about 100 kilometres with this car..." Bernardo Sousa is 35 years old and made his rallying debut in 2005 with a 2000 Ford Escort RS. In the following year he alternated mostly between Peugeot 206 S1600 in the Madeira championship and a Skoda Fabia TDi in the national competition. In the two following years he used a Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX and got his first victory at Porto Santo in 2007. This then in a world campaign with a Fiat Punto S2000. He returned to the national championship, which he won in 2010 with a Ford Fiesta S2000. In the last few years he has not had a full programme but is preparing to compete in the remaining CPR season.

The RVM Organization had, this morning, a meeting with different entities involved in the preparation of the RVM 2022, to present the work done by each one of them and their role in the success of the rally, a "coordinated and cooperated work so that the rally can flow". Pedro Araújo, Clerck of the Course, said on the occasion that "without the collaboration of these entities, the rally could not hit the roads". Police Department The Police Department was represented by Luís Teixeira Vieira, who stated that "at this moment, PSP has everything lined up and in perfect harmony with the institutions present here", highlighting the "strong connection" between the police and the organization. There have been preparatory meetings and road reconnaissance to articulate all the work. Around 800 police officers are involved in this operation. Funchal City Hall Bruno Pereira, Councillor for traffic, civil protection and fire department, was present from Funchal City Hall. The Rali Vinho da Madeira is "the biggest street event in the City of Funchal", which is why safety demands are high. It was necessary to proceed to restrictions and changes in terms of traffic. Bruno Pereira also asked for the collaboration of the population in complying with these rules. This year, with the more central location of the Parc Fermé, in Largo do Município, the City Hall had an added role with the logistics of installation of the space, which is already happening. The return of the Special Stage in the Funchal Ecological Park, was also a subject addressed by the Councillor, "we will raise awareness of safety and environmental issues". Civil Protection Services Marco Lobato, Vice-President of the Civil Protection Services, highlighted the "longstanding partnership with the organization of the RVM". The Civil Protection Services have a key role in the rescue of participants, the public and professionals on site and a prevention system and firefighting. A total of 45 vehicles and 106 operational resources are mobilized, as well as a team from EMIR that is permanently on duty. Marco Lobato said that Civil Protection wants to "contribute to another successful event. Betting on the harmony and symbiosis of the various entities and the efficient articulation of all means". Forest and Nature Conservation Institute The IFCN was represented by its President, Manuel Filipe, who explained the role of the Institute in this partnership, on the one hand "environmental sustainability, as the rally has as its chosen location the mountains and forest spaces and protected areas, which means that we have many people enjoying these places". The message must be passed on, although there is less rubbish every year, it is never too much to remember the importance of putting it in the right containers. On the other hand, there is "a great concern with forest fires". This is the year with the largest number of campers, 3500 people, in 1500 tents, in the 20 areas available for this purpose, which are practically full. The IFCN has deployed 60 elements of inspection teams, 10 cars from the Forestry Police force, besides the staff that collaborates in several ways. Manuel Filipe highlighted on the occasion what he considers to be a good example of sustainability "using reusable wood instead of other materials to mark areas". The responsible reminds us that "these are small steps to help raise the RVM to the highest level".