João Silva and co-driver Luís Rodrigues claimed victory at the Rali de Santana, driving a Toyota GR Yaris Rally2, strengthening their lead in the Coral Madeira Rally Championship. The duo outpaced the defending champions Miguel Nunes and João Paulo, who finished second in a Skoda Fabia RS Rally2, trailing by 32.6 seconds. Rui Jorge Fernandes and João Pedro Freitas, in a Skoda Fabia Rally2 Evo, completed the podium in third place, more than a minute behind.
The decisive moment came during the second special stage when Miguel Nunes suffered a puncture, hampering his performance. Overall, João Silva won five of the nine stages and earned two additional points for the most stage victories. Miguel Nunes took four stage wins. This result allowed Silva to consolidate his championship lead. Rui Jorge Fernandes, while unable to challenge for the win, displayed consistent pace to secure a well-deserved third place.
In the Two-Wheel Drive category, Carlos Ferreira and Jhony Fernandes, in an Opel Corsa Rally4, claimed a surprise victory on the final stage, benefiting from issues faced by their main rivals. Sandro Teixeira and João Neves, in a Peugeot 208 Rally4, finished second, 5.4 seconds behind, while Tiago Nunes and Nuno Nóbrega, in a Renault Clio Rally4/5, took third, 31.3 seconds adrift. Among the Juniors, Martim Nunes and Kamran Lamba, in a Peugeot 208 Rally4, emerged victorious. In the Master category, Hélder Pestana and Pedro Figueira, in a Renault Clio Rally4/5, claimed the win.
The next championship event is scheduled for May 15-16, the Rali Município de São Vicente.
Elsewhere, in the mountains between the Douro and Paiva rivers, the second round of the Portuguese Trial 4×4 Championship took place in Moimenta, Cinfães. Two three-hour sessions over a 12-kilometer course tested drivers and navigators with technical challenges, including several rollovers, providing a true trial spectacle.
In the Unlimited Petrol class, the EC Racing Team, with Emanuel Costa and Ricardo Silva, dominated, securing two victories. In Unlimited Diesel, Ziggaworks stood out in a tight battle, taking first place and maintaining their championship lead. The TUFF 4×4 team, with Diogo Mendes and Tiago Alves, also achieved a double win in the Extreme class. In the Promoção class, the NJ Team, with Nuno Silva and Jorge Gonçalves, won the first trial, while the Inferninho Team 323, with João Teixeira and Nuno Gomes, returned to winning ways on the second day. In SSV Stock, Pedro Costa and Pedro Campas made their championship debut and climbed to the top of the podium twice.
The Portuguese Trial 4×4 Championship now heads to Mação on the first weekend of May.
Meanwhile, on Saturday, the Belgian duo Christopher Jacob and Isabelle Regnier, in a Ford Escort RS 1800, achieved their first win in the European Historic Rally Championship (EHRC) on gravel, taking victory at the Historic Rally Fafe by 19.2 seconds over the Spanish pair Jesus Ferreiro Perez and Javier Anido Vasquez, also driving a Ford Escort RS 1800 and reigning champions in category 3.
In the North Rally Championship, Pedro Meireles (Skoda Fabia RS Rally2) claimed the top spot on the podium with a 1.8-second margin over Rúben Rodrigues (Toyota GR Yaris Rally2). The two engaged in an exciting duel, sharing the stage wins across the six special stages. Guilherme Meireles (Skoda Fabia Evo Rally2) beat Diogo Martins (Marujo) (Skoda Fabia R5 Evo) by 2.4 seconds in the battle for third place. Filipe Madureira and Luís Boiça, in a Nissan Micra 1.3, were victorious.
