Latvian driver Martinš Sesks set the fastest time in the shakedown stage of the Vodafone Rally de Portugal, with Diogo Salvi finishing as the fastest Portuguese driver, placing 16th overall.
Thousands of fans created a festive atmosphere during the Baltar shakedown, which gave drivers one final chance to fine-tune their setups and get a feel for the rally’s dynamics before the ceremonial start in Coimbra and the opening super special stage in Figueira da Foz.
Most drivers completed three runs on the short 5.7 km stage, which was mostly on gravel.
Kalle Rovanperä, driving the Toyota GR Yaris Rally1, started off with the best time, but Martinš Sesks wasn’t satisfied — on his final run, he posted the fastest time, beating the Finnish driver by 0.6 seconds. It’s worth noting that this was Sesks’ first time driving a Rally1 car on Portuguese roads.
“It was spectacular. We tested some new things in the shakedown and we’re still learning. I’ve done the rally once before in a front-wheel drive Ford Fiesta in the Juniors — all I remember are the city names!” said Sesks.
Reigning world champion Thierry Neuville clocked the third-fastest time in the Hyundai i20 N Rally1, with Sébastien Ogier fourth in his Toyota GR Yaris Rally1.
“I have a lot of experience, but not with these tyres. I haven’t done a single kilometre on dry gravel,” said the eight-time world champion.
Diogo Salvi was the best Portuguese driver, finishing 16th overall and 12th among Rally1 cars in his Ford Puma Rally1.
“It’s wild — the car slides a lot, and that’s the good part. The downside is that it’s very physically demanding,” he commented after the shakedown.
This year’s Vodafone Rally de Portugal officially kicks off today, with the ceremonial start in Coimbra followed by a super special stage in Figueira da Foz, where the first car is scheduled to hit the stage at 7:05 PM.
Shakedown Results:
1st – Martinš Sesks / Renars Francis (Ford Puma Rally1) – 3:52.30
2nd – Kalle Rovanperä / Jonne Halttunen (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) – 3:52.90
3rd – Thierry Neuville / Martijn Wydaeghe (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) – 3:53.20
4th – Sébastien Ogier / Vincent Landais (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) – 3:54.00
5th – Ott Tänak / Martin Järveoja (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) – 3:54.10
6th – Elfyn Evans / Scott Martin (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) – 3:54.30
7th – Joshua McErlean / Eoin Treacy (Ford Puma Rally1) – 3:54.90
8th – Takamoto Katsuta / Aaron Johnston (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) – 3:55.00
9th – Adrien Fourmaux / Alexandre Coria (Hyundai i20 N Rally1) – 3:55.50
10th – Sami Pajari / Marko Salminen (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) – 3:56.00
12th – Oliver Solberg / Elliott Edmondson (Toyota GR Yaris Rally2) – 4:02.90 (fastest Rally2)
12th – Gus Greensmith / Renars Francis (Škoda Fabia RS Rally2) – 4:02.90
16th – Diogo Salvi / Axel Coronado (Ford Puma Rally1) – 4:03.90 (fastest Portuguese)
40th – Diego Domínguez / Rogelio Piñate (Ford Fiesta Rally3) – 4:15.30 (fastest Rally3)