In a press conference held today, called to reiterate the maintenance of the World Rally Championship (WRC) super special stage in Figueira da Foz, Manuel Domingues, councilor responsible for Sports, addressed some changes to the layout of what will be the first special stage of the rally this year.

Thus, according to the mayor, the urban special stage will once again take place on Avenida de Espanha and in the adjacent parking lot (known as Parque das Gaivotas), but with three roundabouts designed inside this space.

Two of the roundabouts, according to Manuel Domingues, will be driven by the drivers as if they were a "figure eight" and the jump that existed in 2023 inside the parking lot -- which limited the drivers' performance because it preceded a left-hand bend -- will be placed this year, roughly in the middle of one of the straights of Avenida de Espanha (near the pilots' building), and will be made in an east -- west direction.

"It was understood this year that some changes could be made. The jump [from last year] was a bit daunting for the drivers. The course, in terms of distance, is the same, it has the jump [outside the parking lot] and internal changes", observed Manuel Domingues.

"This year, the first stage of the rally, which is the super special stage, will take place in Figueira da Foz [in 2023 it was only the 8th special stage], with the drivers and their teams staying overnight in Figueira da Foz and, on the following day, leaving from here for the special stages in the Centro region [Mortágua, Lousã, Góis and Arganil]", added the councilor.

The urban super special stage in Figueira da Foz is 2.94 kilometers long and is scheduled for 7:05 pm on May 9, after the symbolic start of the rally, which will take place in Coimbra at 5:00 pm.

Regarding the maintenance of the super special stage in Figueira da Foz and the issue raised on Tuesday by the Coimbra City Council, which intends to reclaim, in 2025, the urban special stage it gave up in 2023, Manuel Domingues recalled that Figueira da Foz signed a three-year contract with the Automóvel Clube de Portugal (ACP) last year, which guarantees it the right of option until next year, inclusive.

"Coimbra can say whatever it wants (...) The municipality of Figueira has the right of option for these three years, if it so wishes it can continue to hold the super special stage in Figueira da Foz, if it does not wish to do so, the decision will be ours", he emphasized.

This assessment will be made in November, although Manuel Domingues anticipated that, initially, the municipality of Figueira da Foz will not give up organizing the super special stage, as Coimbra did in 2023.

Also the ACP, in a brief statement released on Wednesday, reiterated that Figueira da Foz "receives and wins the first super special stage of the WRC Vodafone Rally de Portugal, according to the contract that gives it this right of option until 2025".

Scheduled for next Tuesday, according to Manuel Domingues, is the signing of the protocols with the ACP for the Rally de Portugal, by the six municipalities of the Centro region, in a ceremony to be held, as in the previous year, at Casa do Paço, in the riverside area of Figueira da Foz.

JLS // JEF

Lusa/Fim