Rally-Raid Portugal is generating a lot of anticipation among Portuguese fans, who are more used to following rally-raid racing and their own championship, which is admittedly one of the best in the world. But the event is also having a very big impact outside the circle of fans of the sport, with a growing number of people interested in the event.
The fact that the World Championship caravan is coming to Portugal, including of course the big teams taking part in the Dakar Rally, which is widely broadcast in the country, has suddenly brought back a sparkle that had disappeared in 2008, when the Dakar Rally was about to start from Lisbon and was cancelled at the last minute due to a possible terrorist threat on African soil.
Those who have attended or followed the Dakar Rally in Portugal will certainly remember the hundreds of thousands of people who followed the competitors on the first stages on Portuguese soil or who filled the capital in the days before the start of the race.
We don't expect the same kind of crowds for this race, but we can be sure of an excellent turnout for some of the stages in Portugal.
But it's not just the spectators who are interested in the race, because in all, or almost all, of the municipalities where the race will be held, there is great interest from the local authorities, who believe that the race will be an excellent showcase for their territory and will show the world a little more of this country in the extreme south-west of Europe.
As far as the participation of local drivers in the whole W2RC event is concerned, there shouldn't be many, although some names are already known. They will be competing in the Auto, SSV and Moto classes, most of them with the ambition of achieving a good result in the World Championship, and the rest motivated by the opportunity to show their worth side by side with the best in the world in a race that will be held on terrain that they know like the back of their hand.
The large and highly competitive Portuguese caravan is sure to provide plenty of excitement during the first two days of the race, which will be used for the local championship. On the first day, all the competitors will take part in a prologue of around 5 kilometres. This will be followed by two sections totalling 103 kilometres. On the second day there will be only one stage with 220km lenght.
From the third day onwards, the race will be open only to the W2RC riders, while the local riders will certainly increase the number of spectators who will be on the roadside to watch the battles for the best places.
You can find more about the municipalities that will host this leg of the race in our site, www.guiarural.pt
Rally-Raid Network
Photo: ImagensDesportivas
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