Preview Rally of Portugal 2024

The World Rally Championship begins its gravel stage with the Rally of Portugal. This event, part of the WRC calendar since 1973, is known for its challenging stages.

Four different winners in four events have left the championship very competitive, with Hyundai's Thierry Neuville leading by six points over Toyota's Elfyn Evans. Both will face a difficult start due to their early starting positions on the dusty stages.

Toyota has entered its two part-time drivers in the same event for the first time. World champion Kalle Rovanpera will join five-time Portugal winner Sebastien Ogier as part of the four-car lineup of the reigning manufacturers' champion. Takamoto Katsuta, Toyota's second full-time driver, will not score manufacturers' points. Toyota boss Jari-Matti Latvala noted that the new points system has complicated the championship, with Toyota only seven points ahead of Hyundai.

Hyundai will have Dani Sordo in Rally1 for the first time this year. The experienced Spanish driver has finished on the podium in Portugal on seven occasions, including in each of the last three editions. His teammate Ott Tanak will have a better starting position than his title rivals on a surface where he has previously excelled with the i20 N. Portugal could be the best opportunity for the Estonian to secure his first victory of 2024.

M-Sport Ford has not had good results in its last two visits to Portugal, with only one result in the top six. However, the British team has had a strong start to the season, with Adrien Fourmaux aiming for his third podium of the campaign. Gregoire Munster will make his second start in the Rally of Portugal this weekend.

The Mexican participation will be represented by Alejandro Mauro, Miguel Granados, and Juan Carlos Peralta in the WRC3 category, which will feature a total of nine teams. The rally, consisting of 22 stages covering 337.04 competitive kilometers, starts on Thursday and will continue through the weekend.