In the Portuguese rally series, both of the former WRC stars are competing in a full season this year. As in the season-opening Fafe Rally, it was Northern Irishman Meeke who celebrated victory on the gravel roads of southern Portugal. Meeke is competing in a Toyota Rally2 car.
Sordo suffered a turbo issue on the first two special stages of Friday’s opening day, which dropped the Spaniard 50 seconds behind Meeke. On Saturday’s six special stages, Sordo launched a fierce comeback, winning all of them. However, the Hyundai driver still had to concede to Meeke by a margin of 13.3 seconds.
“We won the Casino de Algarve Rally. That’s now two wins out of two. Opening the road for the entire rally was a big challenge. A huge thanks to my co-driver Stuart Loudon and the Toyota Portugal crew as well as the team. Now it’s time for a Superbock (a Portuguese beer brand),” Meeke wrote on Instagram.
Third place in the rally went to Gonçalo Henriques, who, like Sordo, was behind the wheel of a Hyundai. However, he finished well over a minute and a half behind the leader. Nevertheless, the podium was a strong result for the 26-year-old, as he beat, among others, multiple Portuguese champion Armindo Araújo, who missed out on the podium by just 0.9 seconds.
The Portuguese rally series continues in early May with the Rallye Terras d’Aboboreira, which will be held around the city of Amarante. The series comprises a total of eight rallies.
With two victories under his belt, Meeke naturally leads the Portuguese rally series. However, the gap to Sordo is only eight points.
Rallye Casinos de Algarve, results:
| POS. | Driver | Car | Time |
| 1. | Kris Meeke | Toyota | 54:55.7 |
| 2. | Dani Sordo | Hyundai | +13.3 |
| 3. | Goncalo Henriques | Hyundai | +1:37.8 |
| 4. | Armindo Araujo | Skoda | +1:38.7 |
| 5. | Ricardo Teodosio | Toyota | +1:45.9 |
| 6. | Pedro Almeida | Skoda | +1:51.6 |
| 7. | Jose Pedro Fontes | Citroen | +2:05.2 |
