Inaugurated in 1999 – making this year its 25th
anniversary – the Circuito Internacional de Montalegre’s undulating layout and
unpredictable weather have generated countless crowd-pleasing moments.
Located high up in the Vila Real mountains – some
1,000m above sea level – its power-sapping altitude is a key consideration. Factor
in the longest main straight on the calendar, and conventional wisdom says the
pendulum could swing in favour of the electric brigade in Portugal, following
four triumphs out of six for sustainably-fuelled combustion cars so far in 2024.
All of those ICE successes have been claimed
by Johan Kristoffersson, who will travel to Montalegre – where he is four times
a previous winner – with a commanding 39-point advantage at the summit of the
standings in his quest to clinch an extraordinary seventh career crown at the highest
level. The Swede, of course, has never held much regard for conventional
wisdom, and he will be bidding to overturn the odds once again this weekend.
Kristoffersson’s closest challenger is his
KMS - HORSE Powertrain team-mate Ole Christian Veiby, who arrives off the back
of five consecutive podium finishes at the international pinnacle of the sport –
but still in search of his breakthrough victory.
Hansen brothers Kevin and Timmy are in hot
pursuit, separated by just one point in third and fourth positions
respectively. Buoyed by the latter’s first win in almost two years last time
out at Mettet, Hansen World RX Team believes the forthcoming event represents
its best chance of the season to-date, with its pair of electric Peugeot 208
RX1e cars expected to be among the pace-setters in Portugal.
Much the same applies to fellow electric protagonist
CE Dealer Team by Volvo Construction Equipment. Kristoffersson aside, Niclas
Grönholm is the only current driver to have won at the track – in both 2021 and
2022 – while it was at Montalegre that Klara Andersson made history two years
ago as the first female ever to reach the rostrum in top-flight international
rallycross.
ALL-INKL.COM Muennich Motorsport’s René
Münnich and JDM Raptor Racing ace Anthony Pelfrene – who spends much of his
time in Portugal – complete the World RX entry list in sustainably-fuelled
combustion machinery, with more than 50 competitors in the field in total
including support categories RX2e, Euro RX1 and Euro RX3, all of which will
crown their champions this weekend.
Swedes Nils Andersson and Isak Sjökvist will duel
it out for glory in RX2e, as Patrick O’Donovan aims to fend off Yury Belevskiy
in Euro RX1. The lion’s share of local interest, however, will be reserved for
Euro RX3, after João Ribeiro cut the gap to fellow Audi driver Nils Volland at
the top of the table to a single point when he prevailed in Belgium last month.
The Baltar native is one of a record-breaking 13 home heroes set to take to the
track during World RX of Portugal.
All of the non-stop thrills will be broadcast
live on the pioneering Rally.TV platform.
For more information about the event,
including the weekend timetable and entry lists for all four categories,
see here. Tickets can be
purchased either in advance
or on the gate.
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