Rali da Madeira: Event Introduction and Name Change
The Rali da Madeira, formerly known as Rali Vinho da Madeira, begins today, and runs through August 2 on the island of Madeira, Portugal. This year marks the 66th edition of the rally, which has been organised annually by Club Sports da Madeira since 1959. The event changed its name in 2025, removing the reference to wine to comply with broader sports regulations related to alcohol promotion.
▶️ See Detailed Rallye Map
Organisation, Structure, and Funding
The 2025 edition is organised with support from the Regional Secretariat for the Economy, which provided updated funding after several years of unchanged investment. The rally director is Filipe Sousa, who replaces Pedro Melvill de Araújo in this role. The structure of the event has also changed: the number of special stages was reduced from 15 to 13, and the Câmara de Lobos stage has been removed from the route.
Route Overview and Key Stages
The event starts with a shakedown in Água de Pena tomorrow morning, followed by a super special stage (2.18 km) through the streets of Funchal in the evening.
On August 1, the rally continues with seven stages across various parts of the island, including Campo de Golfe, Palheiro Ferreiro, and Santana, covering roughly 93 kilometers.
The final day, August 2, includes important stages such as Ponta do Sol, Calheta, and Rosário. The total rally distance is around 629 kilometers, most of it on tarmac.
a challenging race. A very fast rally with very demanding corners. We want to stay as far ahead as possible, but the local drivers have a clear advantage given their knowledge of the roads. I don't know anything about it. We want to win the Peugeot Rally Cup Iberica, and to do that we need to get a good classification and score as many points as possible.
Giovanni Fariña, driver from Spain ralidamadeira.com
Competitors and Race Conditions
There are 97 registered entries in this year’s rally. The list includes 24 Rally2-class cars, 7 RGT vehicles, and 26 Rally4 cars. Notable international competitors include Dani Sordo (Hyundai i20 N Rally2), Simone Campedelli, Diego Ruiloba, and Kris Meeke. Leading Portuguese drivers such as Armindo Araújo and Miguel Nunes are also competing.
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