The Rally of Portugal will be held between May 9 and 12, 2024date indicated by the promoters of the World Rally Championship (WRC) for “logistical issues”said this Friday the president of the Automobile Club of Portugal (ACP), Carlos Barbosa.
For the sixteenth consecutive time, the Rally of Portugal is part of the 13-race calendar of the WRC World Championship, which sees the entries from Poland and Latvia as the main novelty for 2024, to the detriment of the entries from Mexico and Estonia.
“The Rally of Portugal is very attractive. It is the first truly on land. and it is important to score in Portugal, to start the rest of the season,” Carlos Barbosa told Lusa, recalling the record of competitors registered in 2023.
Carlos Barbosa considered that the calendar adjustment is punctual, since the Rally of Portugal is held practically on the same date as the last edition, and that the entries from Poland and Latvia, in exchange for Mexico and Estonia, are due solely to issues economic. .
“Is the calendar possible for those who can pay. Whoever stops paying leaves”, admitted the president of the entity in charge of organizing the Rally of Portugal, which continues to receive a positive assessment from the WRC promoters.
Carlos Barbosa considered that the last edition of the Rally de Portugal was “calm” and that the behavior of the public, always under scrutiny, “was great, given that the spectators already hug each other and follow the rules.”
“My fear is not the Portuguese spectators, but the Spanish ones,” he added, revealing that The study of a new security plan is underway. to confront the “madness” with the funds spent on the GNR, which in 2023 amounted to about 600 thousand euros.
The Rally of Portugal is the fifth round of the WRC World Championship, which opens again in Monaco, between January 25 and 28, 2024, followed by Sweden (from February 15 to 18), Kenya (from March 28 to 31 ) and Croatia (April 18-18). 21), and closing in Japan, from November 21 to 24.
2024 World Rally Championship (WRC) schedule:
1. January 25 to 28: Monte Carlo Rally (asphalt/snow)
2. February 15-18: Rally Sweden (snow/ice)
3. March 28-31: Kenya Rally (dirt)
4. April 18 to 21: Croatia Rally (asphalt)
5. May 9 to 12: Rally of Portugal (dirt).
6. May 30 to June 2: Sardinia Rally, Italy (dirt)
7. June 27-30: Rally Poland (dirt)
8. July 18-21: Latvia Rally (dirt)
9. August 1 to 4: Rally Finland (dirt)
10. September 5-8: Acropolis Rally, Greece (dirt)
11. September 26 to 28: Rally Chile (dirt)
12. October 31 to November 3: Central European Rally (asphalt)
13. November 21-24: Rally Japan (dirt)
Source: TSF
