In the first four rallies, Fourmaux has reached the podium twice and currently holds third place in the championship standings. The Frenchman clinched his first career Power Stage win in Croatia in April, boosting his confidence.
This week, Fourmaux is chasing more success as the season continues on the gravel roads of Portugal.
“It’s going to be my fourth time in Portugal. I really like it as a rally, especially when you finish the Power Stage at Fafe and there are so many fans there watching,” says Fourmaux.
“I’m looking forward to enjoying the atmosphere and hopefully achieving another good result. That (Wolf Power Stage win) was perfect for the confidence. It makes me think that now I can do it on the tarmac, I need to do it on the gravel. For me it’s good, because I have always felt more comfortable on the gravel.”
However, Fourmaux notes that luck is also needed in Portugal, as the stages can become quite rough on second passes.
“Rally de Portugal is a really famous and spectacular rally! The roads are all in the middle of the mountains, so they’re really technical and we normally have very tough conditions where the temperatures are quite high. It’s really demanding for the cars and the crew,” Fourmaux sums up.
M-Sport team principal Richard Millener also believes that Fourmaux can perform well on the gravel roads of Portugal.
“Adrien is pretty experienced here, so he has a good knowledge base and knows where you can push and where to respect the road,” Millener explains.
“He’s had a truly fantastic start to the season, and Croatia would have been an equally strong finish had he not had the bad luck on Sunday morning. There’s every reason for him to do well in Portugal.”
The Rally de Portugal starts Thursday morning with a shakedown stage. The actual event features 22 special stages, covering a total distance of about 337 kilometers.
