Rally Serras de Fafe-Felgueiras Portugal preview 08.03.2022: RALLY SERRAS DE FAFE - FELGUEIRAS CABREIRA E BOTICAS 11-13 March 2022 Event essentials: Starts: Friday 11 March Finishes: Sunday 13 March Headquarters: Pavilhão Multiusos, Parque da Cidade, Fafe, Portugal

RALLY SERRAS DE FAFE - FELGUEIRAS
CABREIRA E BOTICAS
11-13 March 2022



Event essentials:

 
Starts: Friday 11 March
Finishes: Sunday 13 March
Headquarters: Pavilhão Multiusos, Parque da Cidade, Fafe, Portugal

ERC appearances (since 2004 restructuring): 1 (2021) Stages: 17 Stage distance: 196.21 kilometres Liaison distance: 587.24 kilometres Total distance: 783.55 kilometres Surface: Mainly gravel, some asphalt sections Free Practice (for Rally2 drivers): Lagoa (3.04kms), 13h00,
11 March Qualifying Stage (for Rally2 drivers): Lagoa (3.04kms), 15h00, 11 March Shakedown (all other drivers): Lagoa (3.04kms), 16h30-18h30, 11 March





The rally in 100 words


After rally-mad Fafe hosted the all-asphalt Rally Fafe Montelongo in 2020, last season marked the first time that the long-standing, gravel-based Rally Serras de Fafe e Felgueiras was part of the European schedule.



This year’s 35th running of the event, a mainstay of the Portuguese national championship, signals the start of the 2022 ERC season when the highlight will undoubtedly be the Lameirinha stage complete with the iconic Pedra Sentada jump, which has been part of rallying folklore for decades.



 And following the success of the 2021 edition, organisers are planning limited changes as they stick to a winning formula.





Event eligibility: ERC, ERC3, ERC4


What’s new for 2022? Measuring 1.43 kilometres in length, the short, sharp Fafe Super Special Stage is new for 2022 and gets underway at 21h08 local time on Friday 11 March as the first of 17 stages. Running through the heart of Fafe town centre, the stage is open to spectators and is also close to the event service park.



Crews tackle the test one by one and will be challenged by sections of asphalt and cobblestones plus an off-camber roundabout. The stage also includes a blast down a side street, a narrow hairpin turn, a downhill section and a point where drivers must perform donuts before they continue on their way.





The route in short:



Friday March 11: Once reconnaissance has been completed, Rally2 drivers tackle Free Practice and the Qualifying Stage from 13h00 local time with all other drivers completing their pre-rally preparations during Shakedown, which gets underway at 16h30.



 The Start Order Selection for Rally2 drivers is from 18h00 with Rua Angelo Medon hosting the start from 21h03 ahead of the Fafe Super Special Stage going live at 21h08.



Saturday March 12: Leg one takes crews northeast of the event’s host town to the Alto Tâmega region and the Boticas municipality for the day-opening 15.05-kilometre stage of the same name from 09h00 local time. It’s off next to the Serra da Cabreira for the new Cabeceiras Basto stage, a 10.84-kilometre test, from 10h17.


The itinerary then takes competitors north to the 16.93-kilometre Vieira do Minho run, a slightly shortened version of last season’s Sra da Fé / Anjos and the longest of the rally, which comes complete with “very fast parts”, according to three-time event winner Bruno Magalhães.



A reworked version of Luilhas completes the loop ahead of service in Fafe. The morning’s four stages are repeated in the afternoon from 15h09 with the first crews due back in Fafe for end-of-day service from 19h08.



Sunday March 13: The ERC season opener concludes with the same four stages that decided last year’s Rally Serras de Fafe e Felgueiras, albeit in a tweaked order. It means the 8.73 kilometres of Montim now opens the action from 08h08 followed by Seixoso (9.97 kilometres) and the 9.18-kilometre Sta Quitéria test, which last season followed the exact same route as was used on the WRC-counting Vodafone Rally de Portugal.


The famous Lameirinha stage, consisting of almost 15 kilometres of arduous, twisting gravel action, completes the morning loop and forms the ERC’s inaugural Power Stage when the morning stages are repeated in the afternoon following service in Fafe from 11h19.


The Lameirinha Power Stage measures 14.83 kilometres in length and is due to begin at 15h08h. It includes the iconic Pedra Sentada jump, which follows a short asphalt section – one of a handful on the run – and has been part of rallying folklore for decades.



The landing is located almost in sight of the stage finish, where the Power Stage podium will be housed. Fafe’s City Hall hosts the finishing ceremony and prize giving from 17h50.




Recent winners: 2021: Andreas Mikkelsen/Elliott Edmondson (Škoda Fabia Rally2 Evo) 2020: Armindo Araújo/Luís Ramalho (Škoda Fabia Rally2 Evo)* 2019: Dani Sordo/Carlos del Barrio (Hyundai i20 R5)* 2018: Ricardo Moura/António Costa (Ford Fiesta R5)* 2017: Pedro Meireles/Mário Castro (Škoda Fabia R5)* *Non-ERC event




Five facts:


1: Rallying is such a big deal in Fafe that it has a museum, the Museu do Rali, which celebrates the sport’s long-standing link to the town


2: And Lameirinha – complete with the iconic Pedra Sentada jump – is the stage that’s intrinsically linked to Rally Serras de Fafe e Felgueiras.


3: As well as winning the Azores Rallye more times than any of his rivals, Fernando Peres holds the record for the most victories on what is now Rally Serras de Fafe e Felgueiras with six wins. Bruno Magalhães and Carlos Bica are equal second on the list having both triumphed on three occasions.


4: Fafe isn’t just home to mainland Portugal’s round of the ERC, it’s also home to leading co-driver Hugo Magalhães, who received special recognition in October 2020 for his achievements in rallying and the ambassadorial role he performs for Fafe.


5: The inclusion of St.a Quitéria – Felgueiras and the mythical Seixoso test in the Felgueiras municipality resulted in the inclusion of Felgueiras in the event title for the 2021 edition.



Adalberto Ramos,


-Marc Wilford, photo FIA ERC