At 22.06 kilometres, it's the longest special stage of the rally. The ER 201, aka Caminho dos Pretos, is the ‘cathedral’ of Madeiran rallies and in the past there were few races that didn't include it in their itinerary. It runs ‘uphill’ between Palheiro Ferreiro and Terreiro da Luta with a route that almost perfectly mixes fast areas with those that require a lot of technique. After Terreiro da Luta, there's the climb up to the South Gate of Chão da Lagoa, through the Funchal Ecological Park and the fast descent from the North Gate of Chão da Lagoa to Poiso. This year, it then turns onto the ER 108 and descends, in the direction of Ribeiro Frio, to Chão das Feiteiras.

Access:

From Funchal: via Cam. São João Latrão, via Rua Nova Curral dos Romeiros and in Choupana, via Cam. Meio and Cam. Terço, and Terreiro da Luta (Warning: Emergency Exit) via ER 103. From Camacha, Poiso (Warning: Emergency Exit) via ER 203 and the South Gate of Chão da Lagoa via ER 203 and ER 103.