24 Hours Off-Road Fronteira 2019: Portuguese Season "Grand finale" is almost ready

With the northern hemisphere summer long gone and the winter approaching, in most European countries is time to start making plans for the new racing season or preparing the race cars for the start of the year big rallies, either Dakar Rally or Africa Race.  But there is an exception: Portugal.  In just a few weeks a small village in the Alentejo region will be once more packed with racing cars, drivers and fans that refuse to follow the normal pattern of all the rest.

Mostly quiet during all the year, the village of Fronteira in Alentejo Region comes to life like no other for the annual 24 Hours Off-road race organized by ACP - Automovel Club de Portugal. The 22nd edition of 24 Hours Off-Road Vila de Fronteira will take place from the 29th of November to the 1st of December, and will once again join the whole motorsport community for an event that is much more than a simple race.  

Apart from the race, the “24 Hours” (as it is called by many) works as a meeting place for teams, sponsors, media and fans in an environment more like a party than a competition. Even many of the teams are made by people who are connected to the races but usually aren't behind the wheel, and this is their chance to feel the adrenaline inside the car. The field is also extremely varied, including a wide range of vehicles, from an old Peugeot 504 Pick-up to some of the most advanced off-road prototypes coming from France, including of course many “more usual” cross-country rally vehicles that we often find in Baja or Rally type events.

But don't take us wrong: if 24 Hours of Fronteira is a big event, it is also because there is a very serious competition. Many teams fight very hard for the victory, with very detailed racing strategies where every second count.  In some of the boxes, the feeling is almost like in other kinds of motorsport, with live telemetry and communications between boxes and cars.

This race grew to a huge success in Portugal and also in France: the drivers of the two countries can’t live anymore without this event, and the track is the stage for a battle going on for several years between the two sides.  Usually, the fastest cars come from France, small “rockets” that sound more like F1 than an off-road car. The Portuguese side often makes their bet on very well-prepared cars, preferring reliability over pure speed. Most of the teams know that speed is nice, but endurance is essential.
Teams from a few other countries are also regular in "Fronteira" but the Portuguese and French dominate the entry list by far.  

The 24 Hours is a very particular event, where the teams should display a set of very particular skills and also required for the cars to be particularly well built and strong to keep a strong pace during all the race if the team is serious about the victory. Maybe for this or some other unknown reason, the top cross-country rally cars were mostly away from the entry list, until 2 years ago when the Italian Michele de Nora, Carlo Cinotto, Paolo Bacchella and Michele Cinotto decided to enter with a Mini All4 Racing from the German X-Raid Team.  The Mini rapidly caught a lot of attention and after a few rounds in the track showed that it was a serious menace.  In both editions, they finishing close to the top - in third in 2017 and fourth in 2018.  Will they return this year? It is not known yet.

The Rally-Raid Network will also be "racing", as we will once more support the most famous and fan-favorite team: Team Peugeot 504.  This very modest vehicle became one of the icons of the race and is very particular in many aspects.  Despite the "relaxed" pace of the 504, she will be fighting hard with others in their category.

2019 24 Hours race will start on on the 28th of November with the technical and administrative verifications. On the 29th the "hostilities" will begin with the free and timed practice sessions.  On saturday morning, before the main event there will be a 4 Hour Endurance race for SSV. As for the 24 Hour Race it will start at 14pm of Saturday 31 and finish at 14pm of Sunday 1st of December.