Kris Meeke leads Rali Vinho da Madeira

Kris Meeke is the first leader of the Rali Vinho da Madeira, an event counting for the FIA European Rally Trophy, national and regional championships of the sport that is on the road until next Saturday, 5th August. The Hyundai i20N Rally2 driver completed the 2.18 km of Cidade do Funchal, the only Special Stage of the first day of competition held in the downtown of the host city and framed, as usual, by many tens of thousands of spectators, in 1:34.8. His time was 0.2 seconds better than the second fastest, Simone Campedelli, in a Skoda Fabia Rally2 Evo. Third fastest, Armindo Araújo took 0.7 seconds longer than the leader in his Skoda Fabia RS Rally2. In the accounts relevant to the regional championship of the sport, the command belongs to Miguel Nunes, fourth absolute with 0.1 seconds less than Alexandre Camacho. The best among the users of two-wheel drive vehicles are also the first in the Peugeot Rally Cup Iberica, a trophy in which João Silva is in the lead, with an advantage of 1.6 and 3.3 seconds over Pedro Antunes and Hugo Lopes, respectively. Gil Freitas, in his debut with the Alpine A110, was the fastest among the competitors with RGT.

Lucas Simões opens the road in the 1st Special Stage

The 18 drivers who took part in the Qualifying have already chosen the starting order for the 1st stage of Rali Vinho da Madeira. The first to choose was Giandomenico Basso and the Italian chose to be the fifth to start tomorrow at Campo de Golfe 1. The competitors who followed him at the time also opted for positions between the third and seventh slot on the list that determines the start on the road. The starting order for the 1st section, to be completed today, 3rd August, is the reverse of that for the remaining 1st Stage.  

Giandomenico Basso was the fastest in the Qualifying Session

Giandomenico Basso, at the wheel of a Skoda Fabia Rally2 Evo and with a time of 1:50.885, was the fastest driver in the Qualifying of Rali Vinho da Madeira. The Italian will therefore be the first to choose his starting order for the 1st stage of the event organised by Club Sports da Madeira. The second fastest driver was Miguel Nunes, from Madeira, with an identical car, who drove in 1:51.052. In the next positions were the British Kris Meeke, in Hyundai i20N Rally2, the Madeiran Alexandre Camacho, in another Skoda Fabia Rally2 Evo, and, from Algarve, Ricardo Teodósio in the other car of Team Hyundai Portugal. The drivers will choose the starting order at Praça do Mar at 13:45. The results of this session can be found here.  

Rally checks took place this afternoon

The initial administrative and technical checks of the Rali Vinho da Madeira took place this afternoon. All 85 registered competitors attended these events, which took place at Praça do Mar and Pier 6 of the Port of Funchal. There were also many fans who, as is already traditional, made a point of witnessing every moment of these two more events of the lively Rally Week.

Tomorrow is the Rally!

It's already tomorrow, August 3, that the 64th edition of Rali Vinho da Madeira will hit the road, organised by Club Sports da Madeira, which will last until Saturday, August 5th, and will feature 15 stages, divided into two legs. With a list of 85 entries, the event promises plenty of entertainment on the island's beautiful roads, always framed by the many spectators who always make a point of attending what many call the Party. Sportingly, there are many reasons to believe that this will be a very competitive rally. Alexandre Camacho, winner of the previous edition and record holder of victories, with a Skoda Fabia Rally2 Evo, is the favourite. However, there are many names, within a list of 22 drivers with Rally2 vehicles, who have the potential to climb to the top step of the podium on Saturday afternoon in downtown Funchal, host city of the race. Among others, Giandomenco Basso, Miguel Nunes, Kris Meeke, José Pedro Fontes, Armindo Araújo, Ricardo Teodósio and Simone Campedelli will be in contention for the outright victory, in a line-up that brings together drivers with international experience and the main protagonists of the national and regional championships. The sporting interest of the event is also guaranteed throughout the caravan as there are many competitors with chances to impose themselves in disputes such as the classification reserved for drivers with two-wheel drive vehicles or in the Peugeot Rally Cup Iberica, a mono-brand competition that enrols 18 teams. The first day of competition of Rali Vinho da Madeira starts at 08:30 with the Free Practice, reconnaissance and training session for the Qualifying, a timed session that will allow the fastest drivers to choose their starting order. The rally itself begins with the starting ceremony at 4 p.m., in Praça do Povo, and the contest of Cidade do Funchal, a city show-classification attended by tens of thousands of enthusiasts.

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