The itinerary for Rally de Portugal has been released alongside the regulations. The route structure remains similar to previous years, but stages that were run once before are now scheduled to be run twice.
The rally kicks off in Coimbra on Thursday, with the opening stage being Figueira da Foz, familiar from last year’s Friday. Instead of returning to the Matosinhos service park, cars will spend the overnight break in Figueira da Foz.
Friday encompasses 126 special stage kilometres spread over eight stages around Coimbra without a proper service, just a tyre change. Compared to last year, the Mortagua stage is run twice, both as the morning opener and the evening’s final stage. However, the Gois stage has been shortened by five kilometres.
The day also includes the legendary Arganil stage. Friday’s stages are bumpier and more technical than those on the other days.
The biggest change on Saturday is the omission of the Vieira do Minho stage – highly praised by Kalle Rovanperä. In its place, two shorter stages have been included. Montim is more familiar from Sunday’s loop, although it wasn’t run last year. Paredes, on the other hand, was last year’s new addition, run only once, partially using the shakedown route and also finishing at the Baltar rallycross track.
However, most of Saturday’s kilometres come from the 37-kilometre Amarante stage, potentially the season’s longest. It also includes three tarmac sections.
Saturday concludes with the Lousada spectator stage. There are two spectator stages in Rally de Portugal, while many rallies – like Croatia and Sardinia – have none.
On Sunday, all stages are run twice. The Fafe Power Stage, with its classic jump, remains a constant year after year and is often the rally’s fastest stage. The 20-kilometre Cabeceiras de Basto ensures that Sunday’s points are well-earned.
The rally now features 22 special stages, more than any year in the last nine since the rally moved to the northern part of the country. There are 333 special stage kilometres, in line with previous years, meaning the stages are now shorter on average than before.
Rally de Portugal is scheduled for May 9-12. Rovanperä has two consecutive victories in the event. It’s still uncertain whether Rovanperä will compete in this year’s round.
