20 Apr 2025 15:00:00 GMT?.css-1txiau5-AnswerContainer{color:var(--GlobalColorScheme-Text-secondaryText2);}Lusitania Lourosa won 2–1 over AD Fafe on Sun Predicted lineups are available for the match a few days in advance while the actual lineup will be available about an hour ahead of the match The current head to head record for the teams are Lusitania Lourosa 6 win(s) Have scored 2 goals in their last 5 matches Who won between Lusitania Lourosa and AD Fafe on Sun 20 Apr 2025 15:00:00 GMT?Lusitania Lourosa won 2–1 over AD Fafe on Sun 20 Apr 2025 15:00:00 GMT.InsightsHave scored 6 goals in their last 5 matches Lusitania Lourosa is playing home against AD Fafe on Sun was a strong start to Kris Meeke's Portuguese title defense Words by With the Kris Meeke vs Dani Sordo reunion fight dominating the headlines ahead of the new Portuguese season it wasn’t supposed to be so clear-cut But Meeke dominated Rally Serras de Fafe – and he dominated in some of the worst conditions he’s ever seen while on his first time out in a new car: Toyota’s GR Yaris Rally2 And then came the bombshell: the Portuguese champion was driving just four weeks after surgery on his ACL After what he described in a post-rally social media post as a “small fall” doing some flat track moto Meeke’s leg was 3D scanned and a bespoke brace was made to measure to allow him to compete Meeke came out on top despite competing with a bespoke brace after surgery On a weekend where Esapekka Lappi sent a similar message to his Finnish championship rivals with a strong win first time out in the RS version of Škoda’s Fabia Rally2 Meeke dangled a carrot in front of Sordo and the others “When we saw the weather forecast for the weekend very complicated and honestly it’s some of the trickiest conditions I’ve ever driven in “The second pass on some of the stages was… bwoah Stuart [Loudon] my co-driver did a top job and big thanks to Ze Pedro Fontes for putting everything together “The Portuguese championship now with Dani Sordo here [Ricardo] Teodósio… it’s a really nice place And Mārtiņš Sesks obviously had good speed this weekend too a challenging weekend but I’m happy to come out on top See you with more sunshine in Algarve!” Meeke is already a big fan of the Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 he's switched to this season We’ll see at the end of the month if Meeke’s weather dance is as strong as his driving But the interloping performance of Sesks – out in a Past Racing Ford Fiesta Rally2 as prep for his Rally1 appearance in Portugal later this year – caused Meeke a few headaches in Fafe Back-to-back stage wins on Saturday’s first pair of stages really threatened an upset as the M-Sport driver moved into a scant 0.1s lead But that’s as good as it got for Sesks – the power-steering pump broke aboard his Fiesta and he was out Sesks fought hard but mechanical drama ruled him out of the contest but the Spaniard was already over half a minute down on his good friend Meeke where the ruts formed on the road were filling with water Meeke continued to pull ahead over the final loop but Sordo produced his usual magic over the famed Fafe stretch of road to win the powerstage by an impressive 17.9s Almost the second Sordo clambered out of his Hyundai i20 N Rally2 at the finish control Meeke pounced on him as the two debriefed what they’d just experienced Fierce rivals Meeke and Sordo will always be Sordo and Meeke embrace each other at the end of a tough rally Recognizing the enormity of the moment as they rose each others’ arms aloft Meeke grinned: “It’s just like the photograph from 20 years ago!” Sordo won the battle back in 2005 when they were both driving Citroëns in the Junior WRC Saturday proved that the three-time WRC winner has a big job on his hands to replicate the same feat in Rally2 cars in Portugal it was a really difficult rally to start the season,” Sordo confessed we managed to improve some things on the car which is very important for us and for the team and I’m sure for the next rally we will be more ready “This is also our target here in Portugal: to make the car a little bit faster and to make new things really difficult – all the stages were really muddy and rainy all the time “I hope the weather will be better in Algarve and we can take the big trophy!” Sign up today and be the first to know about special offers This section of the website is exclusively reserved for members of the FIM Family: CONUs members and honorary members of the commissions You are a member of the FIM Family and do not have your access? Do not hesitate to contact us Sign in The FIM is also involved in non-sport activities - tourism or sport-related activities such as women in motorcycling sustainability is linked to both sporting and non-sporting areas as is the educational side we are developing to get the new generation on 2 wheels We inform you about all aspects of the motorcycling world The 2025 Paulo Duarte FIM EnduroGP World Championship kicks off this weekend with the opening round in Fafe Marking the first of seven rounds on this year’s calendar the GP of Portugal will set the tone for the season as the world’s best riders go head-to-head in the fight for the top step of the podium Fafe excited to host EnduroGP season opener once again the opening round of the Paulo Duarte FIM EnduroGP World Championship marks the first major test for 2025 the northern Portuguese city of Fafe will once again play host to round one this weekend.  Junior Women and Open will complete two laps.  Each lap will feature three special tests: ACERBIS Cross Test GMOTO Enduro Test and the POLISPORT Extreme test the ACERBIS Cross Test offers riders a chance to show their pace while the GMOTO Enduro Test requires a balance of technical ability and speed to master Always a spectacular sight in Portugal due to its gigantic boulders the POLISPORT Extreme Test will push the rider’s technical skills to the maximum as they battle to deliver a mistake-free run under intense pressure Garcia set to begin defence of EnduroGP crown Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Josep Garcia arrives to Fafe as the defending champion the Spaniard will look to get his season off to a winning start Garcia is just recently recovered from a collarbone injury and round one will mark his first time in competitive action Honda Racing RedMoto Enduro Team’s Steve Holcombe will look to capitalise on any weakness in Garcia the nine-time world champion will want to open his 2025 account with a victory So too will GASGAS Factory Racing’s Andrea Verona A change in machinery during the offseason sees the Enduro2 World Champion now campaign the GASGAS EC 450F The extra power over his 350 four-stroke could be a key factor on the ACERBIS Cross Test for the Italian.  Beta Factory Enduro Team’s Brad Freeman is another rider coming off the injury list heading into round one The 10-time world champion ended 2024 with an overall win and would love to begin his 2025 season in the same fashion the Enduro3 World Champion will be one to watch in Fafe Looking to challenge for the podium will also be Freeman’s teammate Nathan Watson the Brit is always at his best when he’s most relaxed France’s Zach Pichon was one of the high-profile rider transfers during the offseason Moving from Sherco Factory Team to TM MOTO BOANO Factory Enduro Team the Frenchman has immediately looked happy and fast in his new colours this could be the move Pichon needs to become a regular fixture among the top five or better in EnduroGP.  New Zealand’s Hamish MacDonald leads the charge of Sherco Factory Team into round one MacDonald ended 2024 seventh in EnduroGP Theo Espinasse (Enduro2) and Antoine Magain (Enduro3) Sherco are well-represented across all senior classes Excitement as Triumph set to debut in world enduro New arrivals to the EnduroGP paddock for 2025 are Triumph Racing Factory Team The British manufacturer will run two riders in EnduroGP and Enduro1 with Jamie McCanney and Mikael Persson Both are vastly experienced and will look to give Triumph an EnduroGP debut to remember Some offseason shakeups will see Fantic Factory Racing Team field Jed Etchells in Enduro1 Finally, FIM Junior Enduro World Champion Max Ahlin steps up to EnduroGP and Enduro2 with Team KTM Pro Racing Sport The young Swede will be hungry to mix it with the best this weekend Race is on for first-time Women’s Enduro World Champion In the four-round Expotrade FIM Women’s Enduro World Championship the way is cleared for a first-time champion to emerge from the 2025 season With 2024 champion Mireia Badia calling time on her professional racing career A competitive field of women are entered for the season opener in Fafe it’s the United States’ Rachel Gutish who starts as the early favourite despite it being her rookie season in EnduroGP With a year’s worth of experience under her belt she is aiming for the top step of the podium Chasing her hard will be Rieju Factory Team’s Rosie Rowett and would love to race for the world title Honda Racing RedMoto Enduro Team’s Francesca Nocera returns hungry to fight for the title that slipped from her grasp Finishing on the podium in Fafe 12 months ago she will be determined to start her year strong again Justine Martel (Beta) and Marie Holt (KTM) ensures a place inside the top five will be hotly contested New for 2025 is the addition of the Expotrade FIM Junior Women’s Enduro World Cup Running alongside the four-round senior women’s category it provides a prefect stepping stone for riders under the age of 23 to compete at world championship level enduro Delun Davies (Fantic) and Matilda Ahlstrom (Husqvarna) will all aim to become the first race winner of the category this weekend With almost 30 entries in the FIM Junior Enduro World Championship the stage is set for a fiercely competitive season it will be exciting to see who can emerge from Fafe as an early favourite the Fantic Factory Racing Team pairing of Axel Semb and Kevin Cristino will be both determined to take over from Ahlin Semb was a winner in Fafe last year and will hope to replicate that form once again this weekend the Youth class is brimming with the next generation of enduro talent ready to shine through Rees Jones (GASGAS) and Liam Sanjuan (GASGAS) are just some of the 20 riders from nine nationalities competing in Youth The opening round of the 2025 Paulo Duarte FIM EnduroGP World Championship takes place in Fafe Racing begins on Friday evening with the AKRAPOVIC Super Test 2025 Paulo Duarte FIM EnduroGP World Championship Round 1: GP of Portugal - Fafe - 4-6 April Round 2: GP of Spain - Oliana - 2-4 May Round 3: GP of Sweden - Skövde - 23-25 May Round 4: GP of Wales - Rhayader - 1-3 August Round 5: GP of France - Réquista - 12-14 September Round 6: GP of Italy - Darfo Boario Terme - 26-28 September Round 7: GP of Germany - Zschopau - 17-19 October 2025 Expotrade FIM Women's Enduro World Championship Round 1: GP of Portugal - Fafe - 4-6 April Round 2: GP of Wales - Rhayader - 1-3 August Round 3: GP of France - Réquista - 12-14 September Round 4: GP of Germany - Zschopau - 17-19 October With Triumph and Kawasaki now officially in the mix the World Enduro Championship can boast 11 different manufacturers and 136 riders entered for round one the EnduroGP season this weekend in Fafe the opening round of the Paulo Duarte FIM EnduroGP World Championship again lands in the northern Portuguese city where teams are already setting up and riders have begun the process of walking the tests Triumph Motorcycles will be officially welcomed into the EnduroGP paddock with a full unveiling of their all-new TF 250-E and TF 450-E enduro motorcycles on Friday and with Jonny Walker and five-time World Champion Ivan Cervantes taking to the track for a demo ahead of Friday’s Akrapovic Super Test Fafe and its surrounding mountains offer a true test of enduro terrain to open the championship once again.  After the Akrpovic Super Test on Friday evening riders will take on a 56-kilometre course on both Saturday and Sunday with three laps scheduled for EnduroGP Junior Women and Open will complete two laps the POLISPORT Extreme Test will push the rider’s technical skills to the maximum as they battle to deliver a mistake-free run under intense pressure Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Josep Garcia arrives to Fafe as the defending champion the Spaniard just recently recovered from a collarbone injury and round one will mark his first time in competitive action since winning Bassella Race in February Honda Racing RedMoto Enduro Team’s Steve Holcombe will look to capitalise on any weakness in Garcia Check out what Steve had to tell Enduro21 in an interview: 5 minutes with…Steve Holcombe talks CRF300RX and 2025 EnduroGP season incoming So too will GASGAS Factory Racing’s Andrea Verona who had one of the more notable changes during the offseason as the Enduro2 World Champion moves capacity Beta Factory Enduro Team’s Brad Freeman is another rider coming off the injury list heading into round one and there was some doubt if he would make it following a knee injury The 10-time world champion ended 2024 with an overall win but has had a quiet offseason which hasn’t included contesting the Italian Enduro Championship for the Beta team due to that injury the E3 Champion will always be one to watch in Fafe along with teammate Nathan Watson has an unchanged programme from 2024 Zach Pichon was one of the high-profile rider transfers during the offseason Moving from Sherco Factory Team to TM Moto Boano Factory Enduro Team the Frenchman has immediately looked happy and fast on the TM 300 4T this could be the move Pichon needs to become a title contender in the senior ranks New Zealand’s Hamish MacDonald leads the challenge in E3 class for Sherco Factory Team The French manufacturer has one of the best represented teams in the EGP series with Jeremy Sydow (Enduro1) In the four-round Expotrade FIM Women’s Enduro World Championship the way is cleared for a first-time champion after 2024 winner A competitive field of women are entered including America’s first woman 2024 vice-champion Rachel Gutish who starts as the early favourite Gutish claimed three wins in her rookie season in EnduroGP and starts ’25 in a much stronger place Chasing her hard will be Rieju Factory Team’s Rosie Rowett Honda Racing RedMoto Enduro Team’s Francesca Nocera returns hungry to fight for the title that slipped from her grasp Justine Martel (Beta) and Marie Holt (KTM) and we have a hotly contested top five New for 2025 is the addition of the Expotrade FIM Junior Women’s Enduro World Cup Running alongside the four-round senior women’s category The FIM Junior Enduro World Championship is always a difficult category to predict with Fantic riders the upcoming 2024 youth champ and an Aussie are all title contenders plus on the back of super-competitive ISDE’s the Fantic pairing of Axel Semb and Kevin Cristino will start as hot favourites to take over from last year’s champion alongside Alex Puey (Rieju) are also ones to watch for this opening round podium After a double victory at the GP of Slovakia Australia’s Kyron Bacon joins the championship full-time in 2025 with MGR Kawasaki and is a serious contender with a strong pedigree As to is the FIM Youth Enduro World Champion Manuel Verzeroli joins Junior with TM MOTO BOANO Factory Enduro Team the Youth class sees 20 riders from nine nationalities headed by title favourites Pietro Scardina (Fantic) Romain Dagna (KTM) and Alberto Elgari (TM MOTO) Racing begins on Friday evening with the AKRAPOVIC Super Test.  Official rider pre-entry list for 2025 Paulo Duarte FIM EnduroGP World Championship Rnd1: 2025 EnduroGP World Championship: Official entry list for Rnd 1, Portugal Round 1: GP of Portugal - Fafe - April 4-6 Round 3: GP of Sweden - Skövde - May 23-25 Round 4: GP of Wales - Rhayader - August 1-3 Round 5: GP of France - Réquista - September 12-14 Round 6: GP of Italy - Darfo Boario Terme - September 26-28 Round 7: GP of Germany - Zschopau - October 17-19 Round 1: GP of Portugal - Fafe - 4-6 April Round 2: GP of Wales - Rhayader - 1-3 August Round 3: GP of France - Réquista - 12-14 September Round 4: GP of Germany - Zschopau - 17-19 October Photo Credit: Future7Media + TM Boano Racing + Kawasaki Create a personal Enduro21 account to access our new forum receive exclusive competitions and money saving offers Enduro21 is all about motorcycle enduro and off-road riding. Read more Donations to Enduro21 can make a huge difference to what we do Learn more We're on the lookout for writers, photographers, videographers and enduro enthusiasts, from all around the world. Read more This website uses cookies that are necessary to its functioning and required to achieve the purposes illustrated in the privacy policy By accepting this OR scrolling this page OR continuing to browse This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page Get more from the 2024 WRC season with an all-new Expansion Bundle and Content Packs Experience the thrill of the 2024 rally season with new locations in-game challenges and high-performance vehicles The EA SPORTS™ WRC 24 Season Expansion Bundle* brings players up-to-date with the current year of the FIA World Rally Championship featuring new content across all three classes Get a taste of what’s to come on October 8 with our reveal trailer above and check out the information below for more detail The headline addition is the Locations & Car Content Pack which can either be purchased individually or as part of the EA SPORTS™ WRC 24 Season Expansion Bundle This Content Pack brings players up to date with the latest WRC season drivers and locations from the current season Embark on a thrilling new adventure with Tet Rally Latvia the location that made its WRC debut in 2024 This exciting addition brings fresh challenges and breathtaking landscapes making it a must-run rally for all enthusiasts Prepare to navigate through the dynamic terrains and immerse yourself in the Latvian rally culture as this new location sets the stage for unforgettable racing moments Rally Latvia features several kilometres of real roads and all of the challenging terrain variety and weather conditions one comes to expect from EA SPORTS™ WRC After a five-year hiatus, the iconic Orlen 80th Rally Poland made a triumphant return to the 2024 WRC calendar This historic rally is renowned for its fast-paced gravel stages and passionate fanbase With its rich heritage and thrilling routes Rally Poland offers a unique and exhilarating challenge that both seasoned and new rally fans will eagerly anticipate Rally Poland features multiple routes using over 27 unique kilometres of real roads Including shortened and reversed variants of its two main stages players will race through 12 stages in total road surface changes and seasonal challenges to overcome and all three WRC vehicle manufacturers have made great strides in the hunt for ultimate performance Drive the very latest in Rally1 technology from Ford and aerodynamics strong enough to make you feel like a hero on the road In addition to the three new cars in the top class of competition the all-new Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 makes its WRC2 debut the Ford Fiesta Rally3 Evo is the perfect platform for the stars of the future Here are the five new cars you will get to drive as part of this Content Pack all of which can compete against base game cars in their respective classes In addition to the new cars and locations mentioned above the Locations & Car Content Pack contains over 50 vehicle liveries along with their respective crew members (ie: drivers and co-drivers) These 2024 season liveries are available on all of the new cars alongside several existing WRC2 cars from the base game (like Oliver Solberg’s WRC2 car bringing them up to date with the current season All 52 crews will be selectable as drivable pairings in Championship Mode as well as showing up as AI opponents across relevant game modes The Locations & Car Content Pack can either be purchased individually If you’re coming in to EA SPORTS™ WRC for the very first time EA SPORTS™ WRC 24 contains the base game as well as the three Content Packs giving you everything in a single purchase let’s look at what you’ll get to play with in the coming months will be arriving in Winter 2024/25 giving players more experiences to enjoy in-game which will add two new routes to existing locations from the base game these can also be driven in shortened and reversed variants giving you multiple additional individual stages per location: Embark on the thrilling Briançonnet roads with precision-testing esses and varied widths against Monte Carlo's stunning vistas Take on the iconic Fafe stage with its thrilling jumps and stunning Portuguese vistas This meticulously recreated track features the renowned Fafe jump Le Maestros also features additional content Kicking off the new year at full speed comes Hard Chargers this adds new routes to base game locations all of which can be driven in shortened and reversed variants intense rally spectacle that tests your skills at every turn Harvati is a challenging mountain course with a winding start and river crossing The final third opens up slightly before becoming winding and technical again offering a thrilling and challenging driving experience Hard Chargers also features additional content As there are many ways to get the latest content in EA SPORTS™ WRC we’ve compiled a short FAQ that covers everything you need to know as that covers the two most common scenarios existing EA SPORTS™ WRC players and brand new players who want to get everything in a single purchase We’re just getting started with our run-up to the EA SPORTS™ WRC 24 Season Expansion Bundle launch on October 8 Over the coming weeks we’ll be sharing more news video and gameplay about the upcoming content so be sure to follow us wherever you get your news and see the reveals before anyone else Tomas Contte (Aviludo-Louletano-Loulé Concelho) won stage 8 at the Volta a Portugal beating Andoni López de Abetxuko (Euskaltel-Euskadi) and Rafael Reis (Sabgal-Anicolor) in a sprint in Fafe Contte formed part of a large group on the stage that broke apart on the last climb of the 182.4km stage from Viana do Castelo to Fafe Afonso Eulálio (ABTF Betão-Feirense) has moved into the overall lead with two stages remaining with 21 seconds ahead of Colin Stüssi (Team Vorarlberg) and 55 seconds ahead of Mikel Bizkarra (Euskaltel-Euskadi) Tomas Contte vence na chegada a Fafe! ☝🏻📸 Matias Novo / Podium Events pic.twitter.com/KhJsxDX8mjAugust 2, 2024 Results powered by FirstCycling Kirsten has a background in Kinesiology and Health Science She has been involved in cycling from the community and grassroots level to professional cycling's biggest races She began her sports journalism career with Cyclingnews as a North American Correspondent in 2006 Kirsten became Women's Editor – overseeing the content strategy race coverage and growth of women's professional cycling – before becoming Deputy Editor in 2023 Mārtiņš Sesks will start next week's Rally Serras de Fafe Mārtiņš Sesks will start the opening round of the Portuguese championship next month in a Ford Fiesta Rally2 as he builds towards his next World Rally Championship outing Sesks told DirtFish at the conclusion of the event he would “probably” drive “some national rallies in Portugal” ahead of his next WRC event On Monday it was confirmed he will contest Rally Serras de Fafe next week (March 7-8) with Ralfs Igavenš as his co-driver which ran him on Rally Ciudad de Granada as preparation for Rally Chile last year “Participation in the stages of Rally Serras de Fafe is essential for maintaining and enhancing the necessary competition level.” Among Sesks’ rivals will be WRC winners Kris Meeke and Dani Sordo who will drive a Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 and Hyundai i20 N Rally2 respectively as part of full-season campaigns Triumph Factory Racing made a solid statement in their maiden EnduroGP appearance over the weekend with Mikael Persson landing back-to-back podiums in the Enduro1 class at round one of the 2025 FIM EnduroGP World Championship in Portugal It was a milestone weekend for the British manufacturer proving that their all-new TF 250-E is already competitive at the highest level of enduro racing Despite atrocious weather conditions in Fafe—torrential rain heavy mud and fog—the team adapted quickly Persson powered through to finish third in Enduro1 on both days while also securing ninth and seventh overall respectively putting him eighth in the EnduroGP standings after round one finishing third in class after a really positive weekend,” Persson said “I was pushing hard to finish a bit higher up overall today I’m really happy for the team – we’ve worked so hard this preseason so it’s great to start the season on such a positive note!” Teammate Jamie McCanney also showed solid early-season form He missed the Enduro1 podium by just one position on Saturday coming home fourth in class and tenth overall Sunday proved more challenging as he struggled to find rhythm but still managed fifth in class and twelfth outright “So we’re finished here at round one of EnduroGP and we have definitely been put through our paces this weekend but I’m happy to have posted some good test times across the two days,” McCanney said “It’s been a great start for the team with Miki putting the new bike on the box twice and we have a lot to build on going forward.” The weekend kicked off with Friday night’s Super Test where Triumph’s new enduro models—the TF 250-E and TF 450-E—were unveiled in action with a demo lap by legends Jonny Walker and Ivan Cervantes the real racing began with Persson clocking a solid seventh in the slippery night test Team manager Paul Edmondson was thrilled with how the squad came out swinging on debut “We’ve just completed the first EnduroGP of the season and to say we are a new team with new bikes we have had an incredible weekend,” he said “Mikael coming back from injury to get two podiums is amazing and Jamie managed fourth and fifth in class which was great We’ve gained some valuable race time and I can’t wait to see what the boys can do in Spain next month!” With one round down and the TF 250-E already proving its capability in the mud and mayhem of Fafe Spain (2–4 May) with confidence and momentum Read today's Portuguese stories delivered to your email a source from the National Emergency and Civil Protection Authority (ANEPC) told Lusa.  the flames have been consuming forest populations since 02:17 and are being fought by 50 vehicles around 170 operatives and five aerial resources the National Road 16 (EN16) between Carvoeiro and Poço de Santiago is closed but “there is no knowledge of homes at risk” four aircraft and more than 160 firefighters the fire that broke out in Soutelo on Friday is back on fire two aircraft and more than 150 firefighters there are no reports of houses being threatened or roads being cut off with firefighters on their way to the scene but 170 firefighters and 58 vehicles remain on site to prevent 1,250 firefighters were involved in operations related to fighting fires on the mainland assisted by almost 370 vehicles and 19 aircraft We appreciate that not everyone can afford to pay for our services but if you are able to we ask you to support The Portugal News by making a contribution – no matter how small You can change how much you give or cancel your contributions at any time Send us your comments or opinion on this article Reaching over 400,000 people a week with news about Portugal We test out EA SPORTS WRC’s Le Maestros Content Pack Briançonnet and six French-themed new cars can breathe new life into the game When announced at the back-end of 2024 we assumed the ‘Le Maestros Content Pack’ for EA SPORTS WRC would centre around French superstars Sebastien Ogier and Sebastien Loeb with eight and nine WRC Drivers’ titles respectively are the two most successful rally drivers in history,  Loeb’s name is conspicuous by its absence (and there’s no Francois Delecour But there’s plenty of extra content for Francophiles to be excited about including the addition of five notable French rally cars and another that cemented Ogier’s WRC legacy The DLC also adds 17 liveries for new and existing cars with two new maps split into six stages each: Monte Carlo’s Briançonnet and Rally Portugal’s Fafe which is sure to give bobble-hatters a dangerous case of rally fever Check out my thoughts on EA SPORTS WRC’s Le Maestros Content Pack below the standout feature of the Le Maestros DLC will be the addition of Fafe It’s an 11.18 Km gravel test situated in northern Portugal and features the iconic (in WRC terms) Fafe jump also known as the ‘Salto da Pedra Sentada’ (the ‘seated stone jump’) Fans congregate days before to witness their rally heroes take to the skies, where a bad landing can lead to spectacular embarrassment. Take Quentin Gilbert’s incredible nose-dive in 2017 as an example That was a good day to be a Skoda parts dealer The full 11.18 Km test is a surprisingly realistic re-creation of the modern version of Fafe but it’s a misnomer to suggest it includes six stages it’s one stage divided into smaller and reversed sections it’s great to have more authenticity in WRC EA and Codemasters have brought the dry and dusty back roads of Portugal to life although the landscape does suffer from WRC’s traditionally muddy-looking vegetation textures perhaps a relic of the game’s Unreal Engine origins It’s still a thrill to see the wind turbine-blotted landscape open up ahead of you I can’t help but feel this would have looked crisper in Codies’ Ego engine This is massively disappointing considering the game has been out for over a year Briançonnet is another real-world-inspired WRC stage being part of the Monte Carlo rally that took place over the weekend (23rd-26th January 2025) The 14.55km test is again split into six separate tests featuring typically tight and twisty Col roads The drops are huge and the margin for error small making a drive through Briançonnet a test of skill and bravery but Briançonnet feels very Monte (speaking as someone who’s been glued to the live Rally.TV broadcast of the event all weekend) The sheer cliffs and spectacular views plop you right into the action with the slightly washed-out colour palette mimicking crisp It’s perhaps my favourite of the game’s Monte stages with technical hairpins breaking up a blend of high and low-speed technical sections EA and Codemasters have released an impressive six cars with the Le Maestros Content Pack including a couple of real WRC game-changers The front-wheel-drive F2 Citroën Xsara Kit Car caused a political storm when it competed in the WRC in 1999 as it was able to take on and beat its four-wheel-drive opponents; Philip Bugalski winning both Rallye Catalunya and the Tour de Corse and the F2 class was promptly stymied by weight penalties the following season the Xsara drives much like WRC’s other Kit Car protagonists; you can carry tremendous speed through corners and brake obscenely late but it’s prone to understeer when throttling up too soon The screaming two-litre engine makes up for it though and it soon becomes apparent why the F2 cars were such a thorn in the side of the fire-spitting WRC machines EA/Codemasters used some promotion shots of the Citroën driving on gravel something rarely (if ever) seen in real rallying so stick to asphalt stages for maximum enjoyment The Citroën C3 WRC was only campaigned between 2017-2019 with Sebastien Ogier’s car – part of the new DLC – only driven by the Frenchman for one season netting him three wins and a disappointing third in the championship It’s the third car in the game’s WRC 2017-2021 class which unfortunately still misses models from Hyundai and Toyota and it’s probably the plainest looking of all which won’t get casual players’ rally juices flowing.  with a choice of two liveries allowing you to unleash your inner The French manufacturer’s DS3 WRC was much more successful with its 2011 debut netting a championship for Sebastien Loeb who was run close by his teammate Ogier.  2011 was the year Ogier emerged as rallying’s ‘next big thing’ with Loeb perhaps acknowledging as much by retiring from full-time WRC competition at the end of that year It feels much nimbler than the C3 (it’s much smaller and lighter) but produces around 100 bhp less and has fewer trick aerodynamic and mechanical parts The Volkswagen Polo R WRC was the car that propelled Sebastien Ogier into rally superstardom helping the 10-time Monte Carlo Rally winner claim four back-to-back championships meaning Ogier would more often than not show his teammates the 2016 car would be the last we’d see of VW in top-tier rallying as it pulled out of the WRC despite extensively developing its 2017 challenger (happily included in WRC) The Wolfsburg-based firm did at least go on to produce the Polo GTI R5 contender The Citroën C2 R2 Max and Peugeot 206 S1600 are lightweight front-wheel-drive rally cars designed to teach younger drivers the art of rallying.  The C2 formed the base of the noughties’ rally pyramid With a rev limit soaring past 8,000 and nearly 200 bhp on tap the little R4 class Citroën is the very definition of a ‘pocket rocket’ It’s insanely chuckable in WRC (as you’d expect) and can be thrown into most corners at top speed To underline its abilities, Sebastien Ogier took the car to the Ulster International Rally in 2008 and wiped the floor with his class rivals finishing more than eight minutes ahead of his nearest C2 R2 Max opponent The Peugeot is similarly lithe but possesses slightly more power than the Citroën It drives benignly enough but lacks provenance compared to the other new cars in this DLC (unless you count two outings for Piero Liatti in 2003 and 2004).  It does have a patriotic Total-sponsored red The French-themed DLC also includes 16 exclusive Moments allowing fans to relieve memorable scenarios such as the Citroën Xsara Kit Car’s aforementioned 1-2 finish in Corsica and the Citroën C4’s dramatic 1-2-3 in the 2010 edition of Rally Portugal (which feels slightly odd given the absence of any mention of Loeb) The Le Maestros Content Pack adds two high-quality stages to WRC and several interesting cars your interest in buying the DLC will hinge on how big a WRC fan you are and how much you’ve enjoyed playing the game thus far.  There have been no obvious gameplay improvements no new game modes and EA and Codemasters’ rally title still has many of the same visual foibles as before then it’s perhaps best to (over) steer clear and someone whose heart skips a beat taking the Fafe jump flat-out EA SPORTS WRC Le Maestros Content Pack is out on the 28th of January 2025 at 11 am GMT / 12 pm CET You must be logged in to post a comment Kris Meeke in action during the Rali Serras de Fafe A patched-up Kris Meeke overcame changeable weather and evolving stages to begin the defence of this Portuguese Rally Championship title in convincing fashion with Stuart Loudon Four weeks after undergoing surgery to fix a damaged Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) sustained in a flat track moto accident Meeke was back behind the wheel winning again Boticas e Cabeceiras de Basto was made possible with a leg brace specially constructed for him from carbon and titanium On his competitive debut in Toyota Gazoo Racing’s Yaris Rally2 as part of the Sports & You team the 45-year-old romped to a 32.2-second victory from the Hyundai i20 N Rally2 of Dani Sordo – the man who stepped in to fill the seat he vacated at Team Hyundai Portugal Meeke’s main threat early on came from Martins Sesks with the Latvian briefly moving to the top of the event’s timesheets only to see his victory hopes slip away when his M-Sport Ford Fiesta Rally2 car had to be parked up with power steering failure “The weather was unbelievable and the last two stages I do not think I have ever driven in such muddy and slippery conditions “It was not helped by the fact that the tyre we use it does not have such an open tread pattern in terms of some of the other tyres the guys are using “I am so happy with the car – Toyota Gazoo Racing have really designed a special chassis I am happy to be able to take the wheel of it and the work of Stuart Loudon.” Kris Meeke is pleased with a strong start to his Portuguese Rally Championship title defence Kris Meeke gets to grips on his competitive debut with Toyota Gazoo Racing’s Yaris Rally2 Aaron McLaughlin produced an equally convincing performance to end his long wait for a first win in the Northern Ireland Rally Championship on Saturday took the spoils at Bishopscourt aboard his ageing Volkswagen Polo GTI R5 by nearly 16 seconds from former champions and Ford Fiesta Rally2 exponents Stuart Biggerstaff in second and Derek McGarrity in third crashed on his Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 debut and is a doubt for the West Cork Rally – the First Round of the Irish Tarmac Championship “We have been the bridesmaid for four years at this event so we are delighted to take our first win in the Northern Ireland Rally Championship,” said McLaughlin “The result leaves us in a good position for the next few rounds of the Championship By Vinay Siwach Egypt (March 19) -- Egypt dominated Greco-Roman on day one of the senior African Championships with nine out of 10 gold medals and the team title it could not repeat the golden performance of the Greco team Egypt finished at the top of the podium with 205 points with Algeria finishing second with 170 points The three countries shared eight gold medals amongst themselves and the remaining two went to Guinea Bissau Diamantino IUNA FAFE (GBS) and Bacar NDUM (GBS) became the African champions for the second time after winning the 57kg and 74kg gold medals respectively Iuna Fafe was defending his 57kg gold medal and opened his account with a 5-1 win over KHALIL BARKOUTI (TUN) He followed that up with a fall over Omar FAYE (SEN) and then pinned Roland TAMBI NFORSONG (CMR) in the final after leading 8-0 won the gold medal at 74kg after blanking Saad BOUGUERRA (ALG) But his first bout was a see-saw that he won 13-12 against Mohamed ABDELHADY (EGY) Ndum had built a 7-0 lead in the first period but Abdelhady hit a beautiful reverse trip to score a four-pointer and then rolled Ndum three times to lead 10-7 with 1:04 left Ndum would put Abdelhady on his back for four before a reversal forced him to give up a point Abdelhady led 11-11 on criteria when Ndum challenged and lost to give him a clear 12-11 lead with 31 seconds left That time was enough for Ndum to finish another takedown and lead 13-12 as he played out the final 18 seconds without further drama Iuna Fafe and Ndum will now look to earn a spot for Paris next weekend at the African & Oceania OG Qualifiers Egypt was carried by Shehabeldin MOHAMED (EGY) who won the 65kg gold medal after beating Zohier IFTENE (ALG) Mohamed ABDELAAL (EGY) overcame Oussama ABDELLAOUI (ALG) Youssif HEMIDA (EGY) was far more convincing as he won his final against Ashton MUTUWA (NGR) Mohamed SALAHELDIN (EGY) at 92kg earned the bronze medal in a three-wrestler bracket Tokyo Olympian Abdelhak KHERBACHE (ALG) had moved to 61kg for the championships and won the gold medal in the new weight category Kherbache will move to 57kg for the qualifiers Abderrahmane BENAISSA (ALG) added another gold medal for Algeria after he defeated Ahmed MOHAMED (EGY) in the 70kg final as Algeria won its third gold medal of the night Pape NDIAYE (SEN) stunned everyone as he defeated Abdelrahman ABOUHEIBA (EGY) Ndiaye won all his bouts via technical superiority or via fall Nigeria won all five gold medals on offer as the Asian Championships ended It had won four out of the five on Monday and added five more Mercy GENESIS (NGR) defeated Rosine NTSA ASSOUGA (CMR) to announce her name as the favorite to earn a Paris ticket at the qualifiers from  March 22 to 24 Ebipatei MUGHENBOFA (NGR) and Ebi BIOGOS (NGR) won the gold medals at 55kg Nigeria won the team title with 245 points out of the possible 250 points Egypt finished second with 162 points while Tunisia is third with 140 points United World Wrestling 2025 - All rights reserved The legend of Fafe What makes Fafe an icon of the WRC Photography by Girardo & Co. Archive Words by It’s a name that only requires the quietest whisper to set the imagination of drivers and fans on a journey But what makes these seven miles so special or Salto da Pedra Sentada (the seated stone jump) has become the focal point of the stage in recent years But so many locations on this road tell a story not only those where the cars take to the air in front of the crowds we tell you the story of some of the most important spots on this undulating stretch of gravel We also learn more about the history of Fafe and how this stage of stages came into being As the crews completed their recce on Wednesday the DirtFish team made its own pilgrimage to the hallowed stretch of road One which has made heroes – and villains – of some of the World Rally Championship’s great drivers and it’s not long before you reach the first point of danger A small post marks the spot of the tree stump that ended Meeke’s podium hopes in 2019 and demonstrates that full focus is required from the moment you leave the start line As the road climbs into the hills and tall trees are replaced by large boulders scattered across the landscape reminders of legends of the past soon come into view The Scottish flag looms large on McRae’s rock before a descent into a valley brings you to the asphalt-to-gravel hairpin that has been the scene of so much crowd-pleasing oversteer Miki Biasion flies over the Fafe jump on his way to third place in 1991 The jump itself has an atmosphere all of its own fans are already setting up makeshift homes or carving viewing points into the landscape It’s hard to think of another stage that contains so many significant locations and it’s impossible to prevent the atmosphere from working its way deeper under your skin Join us as we discover why Fafe deserves to call that word its own Tags: , 2024 DirtFish https://dirtfish-editorial.s3-accelerate.amazonaws.com/2024/05/QMBqkRO6-Girardo_Co._Archive_500516-780x520.jpg May 12 Legal The 2025 Paulo Duarte FIM EnduroGP World Championship got underway in Fafe with Josep Garcia making a triumphant return from injury to claim victory on day one of the opening round Despite only getting back on the bike five days ago following collarbone surgery the Spaniard showed his class with a composed and determined ride to top the EnduroGP podium Australia’s Kyron Bacon also made a strong start to his season taking a hard-fought win in the ultra-competitive Junior category I was in the hospital having surgery on my collarbone so I didn’t get on the bike until five days ago My expectations weren’t this high so I’m very pleased… I’m really happy!” Heavy rain on Friday night made for a slippery and unpredictable Super Test which saw SuperEnduro rider Dominik Olszowy pull off a surprise win conditions improved by Saturday as the riders tackled the full course through Fafe’s rugged boulder-strewn terrain—scenery that always makes the Portuguese round a fan favourite winning the opening Extreme Test by over two seconds Steve Holcombe responded with the quickest time in the first Cross Test taking an early overall lead ahead of Andrea Verona and Zach Pichon who quickly threw himself into podium contention The opening lap ended with Garcia closing the gap to Holcombe to just one second Garcia then retook the lead on the second run through the Extreme Test The reigning Enduro2 champ Verona then responded with back-to-back test wins giving him a seven-second lead at the end of lap two Holcombe and Garcia were locked in a tight battle for second while Pichon sat ten seconds adrift in fourth but clearly had more in the tank The Frenchman found his groove late in the day winning two of the final three tests and leapfrogging into second overall Holcombe took a final test win to close out the day but had to settle for third “I had a difficult start to the day with a lot of mistakes,” Pichon said “But I managed to bring it back by the end of the day and beat a lot of the top guys and it’s my first overall EnduroGP podium ever so overall I’m happy and looking forward to tomorrow.” Verona’s two test wins weren’t enough to keep him on the box Sherco Factory Racing’s Hamish Macdonald rounded out the top five leading Sherco’s podium lockout in the Enduro3 class finishing ahead of teammates Antoine Magain and Julien Roussaly it’s a solid start to the championship!” Macdonald said “The tests were relentless and I have no doubt tomorrow will be just as tough.” Garcia also took the Enduro1 class win with a commanding margin of over one minute ahead of Samuele Bernardini and Triumph’s Mikael Persson—an impressive debut for the British brand in EnduroGP Enduro2 proved to be the most tightly contested class with only 13 seconds separating the top three it was a hard-fought affair between Australian Kyron Bacon and Kevin Cristino Bacon came out on top by just over two seconds “It’s great to get a win at round one,” said the Tasmanian I’m looking forward to getting back out there tomorrow!” Leo Joyon completed the Junior podium after winning the opening test of the day taking seven of nine test wins to finish with a comfortable 30-second advantage Alberto Elgari took second with two test wins and Pietro Scardina rounded out the top three The newly formed Expotrade FIM Junior Women’s Enduro World Cup made its debut in Fafe Elizabeth Tett took the inaugural win after trading test victories with Lorna Lafont and Matilda Ahlstrom Tett built a strong two-minute lead by day’s end “It’s nice to be in a class with people more similar to my age and I’m really happy to have taken the win!” Francesca Nocera dominated the Women’s Enduro World Championship class winning five tests and finishing over a minute ahead of Rachel Gutish and Sherco’s Nieve Holmes “I’m super happy to be back on the top of the podium!” Nocera said “It was a great day and I pushed hard the whole time even though the tests were quite tough in the changing weather.” With plenty of tight racing and standout performances across every category day one of the EnduroGP season delivered in a big way All eyes now turn to day two in Portugal as riders look to build momentum early in the championship DirtFish rallies editor Jon Scoltock enjoyed his first taste of Rally Portugal But Villa Pouca doesn’t do a good single malt While I’ve been to plenty of rallies over the years Portugal was the first time in a decade I’ve been to one with a media pass around my neck Fafe was rocking on the Sunday of Rally Portugal but there was time for a trip down memory lane before the rally got underway With Wednesday’s recce interviews wrapped up we headed for the hills for my first taste of an event from the DirtFish Media perspective Passing the tree stump that ended Kris Meeke’s rally in 2019 seeing the landscape change as the eucalyptus trees are gradually replaced by enormous rocks it isn’t long before we’ve passed through Villa Pouca and are approaching the rock Our journey continued until we reached the famous Fafe jump itself Such is the draw of this spot; spectators were already setting up camp as we passed through just the four days before the rally cars arrived We wanted to understand exactly what makes Fafe so special One of the more nerve-wracking moments of the weekend came when DirtFish head of video  Eliot Barnard thrust a microphone into my hand and told me it was time to record my first end of day review video with Colin [Clark] but I love the additional freedom of expression that video brings heading south of Porto to get stuck into what I believe is some of the best content DirtFish produces Watching as the drivers complete their pre-stage rituals as co-drivers check tire pressures and have one last glance at their pacenotes is fascinating for me It helps to build a real sense of anticipation for what’s to come when Elfyn Evans ran into trouble on the second pass of the Góis stage The Toyota driver struggled all weekend but Scott Martin misplacing his pacenotes and a puncture all within a few miles was far from ideal We tracked the Toyota crew and caught them working on the car and generally gathering their thoughts after a tough stage Being back in the thick of the action reminded me how much I love the buzz of this sport and this job Does any other motorsport allow the fans to get closer to the action Saturday and Sunday were based out of the media center for me time with all three team principals was as insightful as it was intriguing Trying to think of a favorite moment from the rally seems impossible but my overriding memory is of the connection between the fans and competitors You just don’t get that level of access in any other motorsport bringing you more of that is very much part of my remit The human stories are part of what make sport so thrilling and I’m sure there’s space to share so much more of that in our sport I’m already looking forward to the next one DirtFish brings you all the key information on round one of the European Rally Championship Words by The 2022 European Rally Championship gets underway this weekend in Portugal with the return of Rally Serras de Fafe Here’s all the key information you need this week That job will be made slightly easier with the withdrawal of Nikolay Gryazin from the event although he will no doubt face stiff competition from top seed Efrén Llarena Llarena finished runner-up in the championship last year racing alongside Norbert Herczig and Simone Campedelli Last year’s Portuguese champion Ricardo Teodósio will also tackle the opening event while two-time PWRC champion Armindo Araujo will look to build on his third place finish on the event last year Nil Solans also lines up in a Volkswagen having spent last year in the Hyundai fold Feofanov spent last year competing with a Suzuki Swift R4 but he will tackle the Portuguese gravel this time round with a Ford Fiesta Rally3 won’t count towards the ERC4 Junior championship In past ERC seasons the Juniors have made up the backbone of the Rally4-based two-wheel-drive category entry lists so numbers are likely to grow later in the season But seven cars have still entered the season-opening round in ERC4 Fotia won the ERC Junior class on the final round in the Canaries in November and he will be looking to build on that as he enters his second season in the ERC SS1 Fafe Super Special Stage (0.88 miles) 2108 SS3 Cabeceiras de Basto 1 (6.73 miles) 1017 SS7 Cabeceiras e Basto 2 (6.73 miles) 1626 SS17 Lameirinha 2 (9.21 miles) 1508 [powerstage] The pair were split by just 2.8 seconds ahead of the final stage Words by Hayden Paddon has snatched the first European Rally Championship victory of 2023 from Mikko Heikkilä after the Škoda driver suffered a front-left puncture on the final stage After the opening day’s inconsistent weather Sunday’s second leg brought relatively straightforward conditions which were littered with some heavy patches of fog Heikkilä began the final day as he meant to go on stretching his overnight lead of 4.2s to over 10 seconds on the first pass of Seixoso Meanwhile the battle for second began to heat up right from the first stage of the day with Paddon gradually reeling in Mads Østberg despite calling his performance on the 13th stage “terrible” But Heikkilä’s work to extend his lead quickly came undone on the first pass of Lameirinha where the gap to Østberg was cut to just 2.9s The 35-year-old kept going as he took a very minor 0.2s out of the lead on the 16th stage It was all to play for on the powerstage with the pair separated by just 2.8s after Paddon chipped away at the lead as the day continued but there was heartbreak for Heikkilä who came so close to victory of course it’s easy to have a puncture on these ruts because there is so many stones out there,” he said That meant after being in the battle for the win all day saying there was little else he could do at the end of the penultimate stage “At the end I can’t be disappointed because I don’t leave any time in there I do my best but of course I feel not perfect when we are losing so much time.” Georg Linnamäe came home in a lonely third place after a consistent drive throughout the weekend A fight between Mārtiņš Sesks and Mikołaj Marczyk had an early conclusion just two stages into the final day after Sesks was forced to make a stop due to a tire issue This meant he lost over two minutes to Marczyk – who went on to finish fourth – and finished 12th in the process a disappointing end to what was a strong drive from last year’s Rally Liepāja winner Efrén Llarena tried his best to catch Yoann Bonato in fifth as the day went on but the reigning ERC champion couldn’t catch the Citroën and was even displaced a further position at the end by a charging Craig Breen who started the day in 20th following a puncture on Saturday put in a valiant drive throughout the final day But the comeback wasn’t without its drama as the Hyundai driver found himself almost rolling just a couple of corners from the finish on the opening stage of the second loop albeit losing a few seconds and gaining some bodywork damage to front-right of his i20 N Rally2 https://twitter.com/ma_ipp/status/1634928831651020800?s=20 Breen did see the funny side of it however laughing both as he crossed the finish and during his post-stage interview the car gripped and it just spurred us up on to two wheels.” Heikkilä crossed the finish to end up eighth overall with Tom Kristensson and Miklós Csomós rounding out the top-10 with 5.9s separating the pair There were a number of retirements on the final day with Alberto Battistolli pulling out before the action began due to a pre-existing shoulder injury Erik Cais and Andrea Mabellini were amongst the retirees with the former dropping out after a tire issue and the latter sustaining steering damage McKlein gallery: The top 10 views from Fafe’s famed jump The iconic crest is a fertile place for a photographer's imagination Words by Rally Portugal’s first forays into the Fafe region were in 1974 when the crest at the end of the stage was first used Forevermore this has simply been known as the ‘Fafe jump’ famed by Reinhard Klein’s photographs of airborne Group B cars with parting crowds in the landing–zone the safety (Rally Portugal’s perennial Achilles heel) has been transformed but so too has the commercialisation of Fafe and the landscape with the addition of a wind farm Suspension technology and travel has also moved on and the jumps just get higher and longer We’ve photographed the Fafe jump in all weathers and all lighting Markku Alén & Ilkka Kivimäki - Lancia Rally 037 Markku Alén & Ilkka Kivimäki - Subaru Legacy RS Didier Auriol & Bernard Occelli - Toyota Celica Turbo 4WD (ST185) Juha Kankkunen & Juha Repo - Ford Escort WRC Tommi Mäkinen & Risto Mannisenmäki - Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VI François Delecour & Denis Giraudet - Ford Focus WRC Hubert Ptaszek & Maciej Szczepaniak - Škoda Fabia R5 Quentin Gilbert & Renaud Jamoul - Škoda Fabia R5 Thierry Neuville & Nicolas Gilsoul - Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC Tags: , , , 2020 DirtFish https://dirtfish-editorial.s3-accelerate.amazonaws.com/2020/05/00_Title_850306P-Rohrl-1-rkT.jpg May 19 The team is trying a revised rear wing and front fenders on its i20 Coupe ahead of the forthcoming Rally Mexico WRC round Hyundai Motorsport director Andrea Adamo has explained the changes made to the i20 Coupe WRC running at this week’s Rallye Serras de Fafe ahead of Rally Mexico next month Defending World Rally Champion Ott Tänak drives the updated car in Fafe while Dani Sordo runs the car in the same specification as used at Rally Sweden earlier this month Adamo told DirtFish: “You know that I’m not the technical person and I don’t usually talk about technical things but I tell you we have changed the rear wing and the front fenders but we will see these changes at the next round in Mexico.” The changes at the front include a pair of extra wings above the extended arch the wing looks to be angled more steeply with bigger and squared-off winglets on either side Adamo said: “If we homologate something then we change it to make it better We work at the front and rear of the car here The aero changes are the only alterations to the i20 ahead of Rally Mexico but Adamo confirmed there will be more engine work coming later in the season “This is good for Tänak to become familiar with the car,” Adamo added “but it’s not just about that or about the test who are working really hard to bring us to their rallies It’s a really nice way to involve them and to bring these cars to a wider audience This is really nice for the fans to see these drivers and cars more than just once a year on the WRC rounds.” The Volkswagen driver cruised home as Araújo stole second from Linnamäe on the powerstage Words by Nil Solans has won the opening round of the European Rally Championship season despite a late scare on the penultimate stage Come Sunday he was simply managing the gap to ensure he bagged a first career ERC win But that proved a harder task than expected as on the second pass of Santa Quitéria in the afternoon he clipped a bank on the inside of a hairpin spinning him around and ripping the front end off his Volkswagen Polo GTI R5 He continued on and lost 24.8s to second-placed Georg Linnamäe but with well over a minute still in hand before entering the stage was able to comfortably wrap up the win – plus scored two bonus points for his position on the powerstage “We didn’t have time to prepare this race so we’re very happy with this result,” said Solans “We are thinking now if we can go to Azores Our entry is on but we need to find support It’s good for the championship but we need to continue working,” he said Lameirinha was used as the powerstage and proved to be treacherous bringing back the slippery conditions that featured throughout Saturday’s action Armindo Araújo was foremost of those pushing coming very close to chucking his Škoda into a ditch repeatedly as he went second fastest to pass Linnamäe for second place on the last stage of the rally I slid a lot towards the ditches so a big risk to arrive here Javier Pardo succeeded in the battle for fourth place putting in a string of stage-winning times despite suffering from an intermittent intercom issue to fend off Simone Tempestini’s attack from the Sunday morning loop Tempestini’s attempts to gain the 17s needed to gain fourth place ended in disaster as he spun out and crashed into a bank on the powerstage Fourth place marked Pardo’s best result in the ERC having won the ERC2 title last year aboard a Rally2 Kit-spec Suzuki Swift Alberto Battistolli had a quiet run to fifth place but put in a strong time on the final stage picking up three bonus points for his championship account Bruno Magalhāes inherited sixth place right at the end as Norbert Herczig retired on the road section before the powerstage Mārtiņš Sesks won the ERC Open class aboard his Škoda Fabia Rally2 Kit car and also secured seventh overall coming out on top in a day-long battle with José Pedro Fontes Citroën C3 Rally2 driver Fontes had a 35bhp power advantage over Sesks but still couldn’t overhaul the 2018 ERC3 champion There had been under 10s between them heading into the powerstage but Fontes acutely aware his C3 needed to be rally-ready in less than a week before it was loaded onto a container for Rally Azores That allowed Sesks was able to add 16.6s to his overall margin over Fontes at the finish Out of top 10 contention after retiring early in the rally but flying through the powerstage was Ken Torn who smashed the field to take a maximum of five bonus points going 14.3s faster than the next-fastest driver Araújo Efrén Llarena would have hoped to score powerstage points to help his championship challenge but fell short Erik Cais ended his miserable Fafe outing parked on the side of the road clattering into a bank early on the powerstage hitting another bank and then retiring after stopping again 1 Solans 32   2 Araújo 28   3 Linnamäe 22   4 Battistoli 20   5 Pardo 19   6 Magalhaes 15   7 Sesks 13   8 Fontes 11 1 Rallye Team Spain 30   2 Armindo Araújo 24   3 Hyundai Portugal 24   4 ALM Motorsport 21   5 Javier Pardo 19   6 Alberto Battistolli 17   7 Proracing Rally Team 13   8 Citroën Vodafone Team 11 Words by David Evans & Alasdair Lindsay Team MRF pairing Emil Lindholm and Craig Breen dominated the shakedown stage for Rally Fafe Montelongo but fellow European Rally Championship title contender Oliver Solberg suffered a big accident on his second practice run Both Solberg and co-driver Aaron Johnston were unhurt from their shakedown incident which had led to a half-hour red flag period there was some gravel in the cut which I wasn’t expecting the car got away from me and we went off,” Solberg told DirtFish Solberg’s team has been granted permission to fix the car meaning there is no damage to the rollcage or other safety aspects of the Volkswagen “This is definitely not the start we wanted today,” he said “I didn’t want to give my team this much work overnight but I know they’ll be flat out to try to get us repaired to start tomorrow we have the best boys in the world working with us.” A Solberg crashing on shakedown for an asphalt rally is nothing new Solberg Jr wasn’t the only driver caught out by Fafe Montelongo’s shakedown stage either as local Peugeot 208 T16 driver José Paula went off during his first run and caused another red flag Team MRF’s duo of Lindholm and Breen were quickest off the mark as Lindholm set the early pace on the first set of runs Breen responded with the fastest time but was ultimately pipped by Lindholm again who went 0.277s faster than his more experienced team-mate with a 1m57.250s Heavy rain had battered Fafe on Friday morning but the stages had mostly dried out by the time shakedown began and Lindholm was surprised at the pace advantage MRF’s cars had over the rest of the field This was a positive surprise for me in the test we did earlier this week and it seems that the soft one is working quite well in damp conditions,” Lindholm told DirtFish it’s a short stage so you can really push also on the dry sections with the soft tire who is facing the prospect of missing the rest of the season after Fafe Montelongo due to budget problems went third quickest and was 1.965s off the pace Miko Marczyk and Iván Ares completed the top five times on shakedown 2.446s and 3.207s respectively off Lindholm’s benchmark time Despite his crash Solberg still recorded the seventh-fastest time on his only completed run and was only just slower than Dominik Dinkel in sixth The DirtFish team heads to Fafe a day early to provide a flying history and meet the fans Words by you might have heard Colin Clark and I banging on about a very famous stage in Portugal Today is all about a piece of road further north the Fafe jump is arguably even more famous certainly it’s a leap which has lived longer in the memory than almost any other But there is so much more to Fafe than flying to the finish with the cars firing off the line on asphalt before going on to the gravel the road pulls you in and encourages commitment and attack A couple of miles in and the trees are interspersed by some enormous boulders which have certainly been in the Fafe stage long enough to remember José Carpinteiro Albino’s blue-and-white Renault 8 Gordini winning the inaugural Rally Internacional TAP in 1967 you’re up and above the line of the forest and the rock formations are starker across the landscape A lovely group of people known as Flat Out Rally Fans paint the rocks and the road every year in deference to their absolute hero Colin McRae they haven’t been able to make it this season and two winters down the road since the last time the WRC was in town the Scottish flag’s not quite as defined as usual this section of the N311 between Várzea Cova and Vilela is defined by another enormous saltire painted across the road Clark and I have visited this place a number of times down the years but stopping for pictures wouldn’t be a good idea with the infrastructure for the stage being put into place Colin has some shots we created earlier when we drove the stage during the recce three years ago But the recognition on this road comes thanks to a BMW-driving Belgian who once finished fourth in Corsica Hello 1989 and hello Marc Duez backing a Fina-flashed M3 into the left-hander and half-spinning as he tried to make the hairpin right back onto the dirt 100 yards up the road I wore this section of the 1989 WRC review VHS tape out back in the day the slide and the absolutely rapturous welcome from thousands of Portuguese fans who stood slack-jawed and watched in wonder as this completely crossed-up rear-wheel drive missile fired itself in all directions the fans might – briefly – have forgotten it was raining Up out of the hairpin and away up the hill Pictures and footage of Group B cars flying over the Fafe jump came to define one of the most controversial eras in the sport Regularly the cars would land with fans still in the road apparently playing chicken with the likes of Ari Vatanen and Michèle Mouton the wind turbines are a new addition from the sight of a low flying Lancia 037s it’s just sky you’re staring at and then the world goes quiet The clatter of Portuguese stones has ceased beneath you All you can hear is the noise of the crowd doing its darnedest to drown out the engine ahead of you It’s a spectacular and stunning place to watch rally cars A different kind of fever touched this part of the world in the same way it made its mark on the rest of planet Earth and COVID-19 protocols will only allow for around half the number of fans as usual they’re still as committed as ever with plenty lining the route and preparing camp a day ahead of the arrival of their heroes the fires are being lit ahead of what’s likely to be a beer-fueled night of memories As the apprehension builds of what’s to come on Sunday stories will be told about why it’s so important – if in doubt Russian has withdrawn from Rally Serras do Fafe due to “personal reasons” Nikolay Gryazin has withdrawn from next week’s Rally Serras do Fafe the opening round of the European Rally Championship The 2018 ERC Junior Under 28 champion has now withdrawn his entry from the Fafe event with “personal reasons” the official reason for his entry being dropped as confirmed to DirtFish by WRC Promoter Russian and Belarusian drivers remain eligible to compete in FIA-sanctioned events where individual national motorsport federations permit them to do so Multiple national federations have blocked drivers with Russian and Belarusian-issued licenses from competing on their soil though the Portuguese federation FPAK is not one of them One Russian driver remains on the Fafe entry list for now ERC3 driver Dmitry Feofanov in a Ford Fiesta Rally3 Škoda Fabia Rally2 evo pairing Alexander Rzhevkin and Yuriy Kulikov have also withdrawn from Rally Serras do Fafe though said crew was not registered to score championship points Pirelli got this year’s European Rally Championship off to the best possible start with victory for the Spanish duo of Nil Solans and Marc Marti in their Volkswagen Polo GTI R5 The similar car of Georg Linnamae and James Morgan was third making it two Pirelli-equipped cars on the podium.  Solans claimed a commanding lead right from the early stages on Saturday He was able to rely on the Pirelli Scorpion KM6 tyres which benefit from a special tread pattern to optimise expulsion of mud and water This meant that the car felt stable and easy to control even in the quite extreme conditions of the opening day.  The Spanish crew managed to hold onto their lead during Sunday’s eight stages as well which took place on gravel roads that are normally sandy but were damp and compact this time on account of the rain The Pirelli-equipped drivers used the Scorpion KM6 for the first stage before moving onto the Scorpion K8 which was specifically developed to deal with these types of conditions.  said: “We’re very pleased with the performance of the two versions of our Scorpion on these gravel roads in Portugal in which the KM6 tyres allowed the two Volkswagens driven by Solans and Linnamae to open up a notable advantage over their pursuers while the KM8 equally helped them to manage their advantage throughout the following day From the start we were sure of the reliability of these tyres here in Portugal to the extent that these were the only two compounds we brought.”  the Italian firm also dominated the RC3 category won by Estonia’s Kaspar Kasari in a Ford Fiesta which was topped by Spain’s Oscar Ortiz Palomo in a Peugeot 208.   Because plenty has changed this year with defending champion Steve Holcombe leading the headlines having switched to the Honda Racing Redmoto Enduro Team and E1 class That means a hot contest with Josep Garcia in the rocketship bike class the opening up of E2 for a new champion and definitely not forgetting what looks to be one of the best contested big E3 class line-ups for some years in prospect Both the GALFER FIM Junior Enduro World Championship and FIM Women’s Enduro World Championship are wide open with defending champions moving up to the seniors and off having a baby which opens things up dramatically for a new champ Check out the entry list for round one in Fafe here: 2024 EnduroGP World Championship: round 1 entry list – Rachel Gutish debuts, no Jane Daniels? The quiet town of Fafe in the north of Portugal is set to become the focal point of attention for enduro this weekend as the Paulo Duarte FIM EnduroGP World Championship calls it home for round one of the 2024 season A country that always delivers a true test of enduro the ACERBIS GP of Portugal has a demanding three days of racing in store with mixed weather conditions forecast adding some spice racing begins on Friday evening with the Akrapovic Super Test in the heart of Fafe town Akrapovic has awards for the fastest rider on the night plus the overall winner at the end of the year will also walk away with a prize of €1,500 Beta Factory Racing’s Brad Freeman claimed the overall win in 2023 and will no doubt be a hotly tipped favourite for victory on Friday evening Saturday and Sunday will see the riders get down to business Event organisers have prepared a 60-kilometre loop that will be ridden three times beginning with the Acerbis Cross Test A liaison will then take them to the Maxxis Enduro Test which will no doubt prove itself as one of the most decisive tests of the event riders return to the paddock service to mark the end of each loop A post shared by EnduroGP (@enduro_gp) Following a busy offseason for all riders and teams the time has now come for everyone to show their hand Creating the most exciting headlines this winter was the high-profile news of defending EnduroGP and Enduro2 champion Steve Holcombe moving teams The nine-time world champion departed Beta Factory Racing following a long and successful relationship to join Honda Racing Redmoto Enduro Team The move also sees the Brit step into the Enduro1 category for the first time in his professional career Could 2024 become the year Holcombe wins in Enduro1 and in doing so puts the finishing touches to a full set of senior world titles As the current Enduro1 World Champion and EnduroGP vice-champion Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Josep Garcia is one rider with a clear plan to stop that happening The Spaniard boasts explosive speed in the quarter-litre category and will be sure to have the top step of the Enduro1 podium closely guarded in Fafe this is a battle everyone will be closely watching in Portugal and throughout 2024 Finishing third overall in EnduroGP last year was GASGAS Factory Racing’s Andrea Verona The Italian had a mixed season in his switch from a 250F to 350F But having bounced back to his best during the closing stages of the year the 2022 EnduroGP champion will look to come out on top form this weekend Beta Factory Racing’s Brad Freeman arrives at round one eager to put a troublesome 2023 behind him Despite winning the Enduro3 world title and topping the first five days of racing in EnduroGP Freeman was hit with injury and ultimately dropped out of EnduroGP title contention The Brit carries a hand injury into round one but is a rider who can never be ruled out of a surprise performance CH Racing Sherco’s Hamish MacDonald completed the EnduroGP top-five in 2023 The New Zealander remains with the same team for 2024 but moves into the Enduro3 category and onto two-stroke machinery As a rider on the verge of breaking consistently into the top-three this move could be the motivation the likeable Kiwi needs to become a regular EnduroGP podium contender the FIM Women’s Enduro World Championship is wide open After claiming her fourth world crown in 2023 Jane Daniels (Fantic) made a high-profile switch to the Dakar Rally for 2024 and won’t be in Fafe to defend her title we will see a new winner emerge this weekend Francesca Nocera (Honda) and Rosie Rowett (RIEJU) will likely feature strongly along with Spain’s Mireia Badia (RIEJU) and Britain’s Nieve Holmes (Sherco) USA’s Rachel Gutish (Sherco) joins the EnduroGP paddock for the first time Gutish could make history in Portugal as the first American to stand on top of the FIM Women’s Enduro World Championship podium While Holcombe and Garcia are the major Enduro1 talking points heading into round one there are plenty of other riders eyeing up a strong start to the season Zach Pichon (Sherco) can never be counted out either Adding in Fast Eddy Racing’s Jamie McCanney and Team Beta Oxmoto’s Theo Espinasse ensures a place inside the top-five will be hotly contested With defending Enduro2 champ Holcombe moving to Enduro1 many will see Verona with a clear path to victory But racing always throws up surprises and Enduro2 is sure to be no different With some tough competition in the category Nathan Watson will look to impress in his debut with Beta Factory Racing Also expect 2022 Enduro2 champion Wil Ruprecht to come out swinging Junior World Champion Jed Etchells moves up to the senior ranks for 2024 with Fantic Racing Team too it’s Brad Freeman who starts as the defending champion with Beta Factory Racing The Brit has made the class his own in recent years and despite numerous injuries and RIEJU Factory Team’s Loic Larrieu to the category In the GALFER FIM Junior Enduro World Championship a new champion will emerge as Etchells moves up to the senior ranks and Thibault Giraudon (Sherco) all have the potential to reach the top step in Portugal Following a dominant season in Enduro Youth Italy’s Kevin Cristino (Fantic) moves into the Junior class and will look to make his presence felt immediately expect fireworks between Luca Colorio (Husqvarna) as they look to establish themselves as the rider to beat results and videos across the weekend beginning with the Friday night Super Test Round 6 – ForSiteServices GP of Wales Alexey Lukyanuk's uncertain end of season is nothing new European Rally Championship leader Alexey Lukyanuk believes his win on Rally Fafe Montelongo has boosted his chances of seeing out the season to compete for his second title, despite announcing pre-event that he’d run out of budget That combined with a disastrous event for main rival Oliver Solberg, who crashed heavily on Friday shakedown and then suffered a broken exhaust on Saturday that cost him all hope of points has given Lukyanuk a 42-point advantage in the title race Having also won in Rome and made the podium in Latvia this is now Lukyanuk’s most successful start to an ERC season ever and he expects his strong 2020 form to help him find money for the rest of the season “It’s not really a new situation because only one year did we have the confirmed budget for the whole year,” Lukyanuk told DirtFish we are always searching for money during the season so I believe our position and our performance this year should help me to be more successful with my [commercial] activities.” On Rally Liepaja he was beaten to victory by Solberg with Lukyanuk remarking during one regroup during the rally that his rival had done more testing ahead of the event Despite Kajetanowicz’s move to the World Rally Championship’s support category for privateer Rally2 machines “We see that the number of guys who have enormous test programs is growing up the level of competition is growing,” he said “If you look back five years it was way different we definitely need strong preparations on all sides “And not like really waiting to step up and play in WRC2 because I know our abilities according to the budget with that situation because for me it’s still a pretty good challenge “I really enjoy that last year of ERC and for the money we pay we get many more opportunities to fight and to have a good experience and good emotions.” FIA regional rally category manager Jérôme Roussel has previously suggested he hopes to see the incoming Rally3 category become part of the WRC’s support category structure and at €100,000 purchase cost it offers a more affordable four-wheel-drive alternative to Rally2 But Lukyanuk made clear he has no interest in stepping down a car level to compete at world championship level “For me it’s definitely not interesting to drive a really underpowered four-wheel-drive car,” he said Normally you want to control the car with throttle and the more you have under your right foot “But when you have 200hp on four-wheel-drive car but I have some suspicions it will not be so exciting to drive when you have similar cars in the competition it always makes a sort of excitement but when you are driving a rally car you want to be excited everywhere in each corner I was thinking to myself at each start of the stage ‘Oh God “But when you are crawling through the stages I don’t know how fun it is I appreciate the work people do to develop new classes find new opportunities and maybe market solutions Rally Azores is set to be the latest European round to go while Rally Fafe Montelongo seeks to join the schedule The European Rally Championship is set to lose a third event from its 2020 calendar But according to regional state broadcaster RTP Açores the event now is not going to go ahead at all The channel stated that rally organizer Grupo Deportivo Comercial has “already ordered the cancellation of services contracted to some suppliers” Two of the ERC’s original 2020 rounds had already been lost to the COVID-19 pandemic; Rally Poland and Barum Rally Zlin taking its total number of events for the year down to six ERC promoter Eurosport Events had already been in discussions to add another Portuguese rally to its schedule which would potentially alleviate for the loss of Azores The ERC had already been edging closer to adding Rally Fafe Montelongo to the calendar which would have slotted in just behind Azores in the calendar two weeks afterwards which has been running for over two decades as a regional rally in the same region of Portugal that hosts the World Rally Championship remains in pole position to join the ERC schedule with a provisional date of October 3-4 in place But despite being based in the same region as Portugal’s WRC round – which is held on gravel roads – Rally Fafe Montelongo is traditionally an asphalt event leaving the championship short on loose-surface rallies compared to sealed-surface rounds Portuguese motorsport federation FPAK had declared its intention to make Rally Fafe Montelongo a round of the ERC last month announcing it was working on the rally’s inclusion in the European calendar an agreement between the FPAK and Eurosport Events is yet to be concluded and should a commercial agreement be reached the rally will still require sign-off from the FIA “Eurosport Events is in discussion with the organizers of Rally Fafe Montelongo regarding the inclusion of the event on the 2020 FIA European Rally Championship calendar,” said Jean-Baptiste Ley “Discussions remain ongoing and there will be no further comment until those discussions have reached their conclusion any change to the ERC calendar for 2020 would require the approval of the FIA.” Photo Credit: Future7Media | Andrea Belluschi How Michelin plans to rebound from its WRC exit The French brand is eyeing a future in ERC after its World Championship departure Photography by  Jorge Cunha/DPPI/FIA ERC Michelin has had a tough old time of it lately It’s already on its way out as the sole World Rally Championship tire supplier That fact is hard to miss; the tires in use may be Michelins but since Rally Monte Carlo in January there’s been Pirelli logos plastered on partner hoardings everywhere on-event Fast-forward to Rally Turkey and driver after driver had puncture issues so attentions naturally turned to the tire supplier But it wasn’t the tire at all, as Michelin highlighted The rims were cracking under the immense forces going through the suspension creating gaps between the wheel and tire from which air escaped and caused deflations But fingers had been pointed before the truth came out regardless Rally2 has been a fairly mixed back for Michelin this year too There’s been positives like Mads Østberg taking three WRC2 wins from three but for the most part winning Rally2 cars have been sporting yellow and red stickers And in the European Rally Championship it’s been fairly slim pickings too; Yoann Bonato emerged on top of an epic fight against Iván Ares for second place on last weekend’s Rally Fafe Montelongo added to Østberg’s podium on Rally Liepaja Neither counted as ERC podiums as said crews weren’t registered but they’d done the job on the road at least Michelin has zero podiums in ERC this year was on Michelins as he just missed out on a second title last year (the eventual champion leaving them with no top drivers on their roster Bibendum hasn’t had much waving to do lately “I wanted to drive on Pirellis [last year] but at that moment it was not possible because you know how French teams normally work with French tires,” Lukyanuk told DirtFish “It was a kind of battle between me and the team and finally they insisted to use Michelin But for this year I was strongly motivated to restore our co-operation with Pirelli and it worked You see that performance is quite good from both of top manufacturers but I know Pirelli tires better.” Certain people I talked to around the time of Rally di Roma, where the best-placed Michelin runner finished eighth, wondered whether a performance deficit had emerged. A test in the heart of Sanremo territory, where Kris Meeke piloted a works Škoda with Michelin boots on was looked at as a sign there was a gap to bridge An update to their range of Rally2 tires introduced at Fate Montelongo – something Pirelli had also done at the same event – still has question marks over its effectiveness due to the hugely variable weather conditions though Bonato’s podium at least inspires some confidence Michelin believes it’s a simple numbers game rather than a tire deficit to blame for their lack of silverware in ERC this year of course this year there are a lot of drivers [on Pirelli] we probably had more drivers on Rally2 cars than Pirelli had” Arnaud Rémy depending on the commitment of some drivers since we are going to leave WRC at the end of the year While ERC looked to have the makings of a close title race again this year Lukyanuk is already 42 points up on Oliver Solberg but also doesn’t currently have the money to do any more rounds But Rémy has suggested there could be more works involvement in the championship come 2021 along with more privateers using Michelin rubber after a year where they’d not given the series much attention “A lot of car manufacturers and drivers are phoning us to try to find a good way to enter the ERC next year because of the COVID-19 situation and the schedule changes and uncertainty we maybe don’t push enough on ERC to have drivers “We don’t have drivers doing a full season it will probably be our main championship on the rally side so we will probably have more big teams and big drivers involved in ERC Images: Jorge Cunha/DPPI/FIA ERC, Julien Pixelrallye Tags: , , , , 2020 DirtFish https://dirtfish-editorial.s3-accelerate.amazonaws.com/2020/10/90ca4e6fb85a8164390dbe2e76a6737f-1.jpg October 6 Copyright © 2025 DirtFish, LLC. All rights reserved. The current head to head record for the teams are Varzim 4 win(s) Have scored 7 goals in their last 5 matches Have kept the most clean sheets in the competition (13) Have scored 6 goals in their last 5 matches AD Fafe haven't lost to Varzim in their last 5 meetings (4W Varzim is playing home against AD Fafe on Sat 2019 Spanish WRC crew joins customers at Portuguese rallyOur Spanish crew Dani and Carlos will return to the wheel of an i20 R5 rally car at the forthcoming Rali Serras de Fafe in Portugal (February 22-23) as they prepare for their opening round of the 2019 WRC season the first round of the Portuguese national championship will be the crew’s second appearance in an i20 R5 following on from a podium finish in last year’s Rally Barum “It is important to compete before Rally México,” commented Dani “The Rali Serras de Fafe will help me and Carlos get back into the feel and the pace of competition after a winter out of the car I’m looking forward to driving the Hyundai i20 R5 again and it should be fun on the gravel stages as well.” Dani and Carlos will be joining two other i20 R5 entrants who will be starting their domestic campaigns in the popular event Armindo Araújo will begin his title defence while European Rally Championship front-runner Bruno Magalhães Engineers from our Customer Racing department will be able to assist their Portuguese counterparts in preparing and setting up the cars for the rally The additional support on site reaffirms the commitment to our customers “Having Dani and Carlos in an i20 R5 will provide the perfect foundation – alongside pre-event testing in the WRC car – for Rally México,” said our Team Director Andrea “We will work closely with Hyundai Portugal to support them and ensure we make a very strong start to the year alongside our customers in harnessing the potential of the i20 R5.” Our Rally2 crew are competing in selected rounds of the WRC2 class with the latest specification of our i20 N Rally2 Welcome to a behind-the-scenes tour of Hyundai Motorsport GmbH Here you will find a short overview of our main departments Hyundai Motorsport GmbH (HMSG) is responsible for Hyundai’s global motorsport activities The EnduroGP had the first round of the season in Portugal with the city of Fafe to welcome the world championship The best overall on the second day of work was Steve Holcombe As usual there were plenty of intense and exciting moments with the rider from Honda Racing RedMoto Enduro Team to make his debut on the wins with the team beating Josep García (KTM) and Nathan Watson (Beta) Stay with the best moments of the action in Portugal: Day two of the EnduroGP of Spain saw a total shift in weather: heavy overnight rain created a muddy battlefield in Oliana CFMoto has announced its entry into the EnduroGP World Championship signing on as an official partner of the series – whose season kicked off in Portugal in early.. It would be hard for Triumph to have had a better debut in the EnduroGP World Championship which kicked off this past weekend in Fafe – with the.. and the Mattighofen manufacturer is offering a unique opportunity for access to this year's Red Bull Erzbergrodeo – one of.. After Josep García was the strongest on Saturday Zachary Pichon claimed victory on the second day of the EnduroGP of Portugal in Fafe – the opening round of.. © 2025 M Sports - Premium news & magazine M Sports Please enter your username or email address to reset your password © 2025 M Sports - Premium news & magazine M Sports Portugal has been one of the hottest destinations in Europe this year for American travelers They are being lured by the country’s affordable prices But if you’re planning to visit Portugal on a budget, a new study conducted by Porto Travel Guide might come in handy before you make your travel arrangements Their experts have rated the most affordable cities to visit in Portugal for a short break based on travels factors MORE: United to offer first-ever direct flights from the U.S. to Algarve. Here’s all the details “Portugal has proven to be a popular tourist destination over the past year with 348,000 Google searches for ‘portugal holidays’ worldwide over the past 12 months on average,” said Flavio Bastos was found to be the most budget-friendly city  Oliveira de Azeméis in the district of Aveiro and Vila Nova de Famalicão in the Braga district came in second and third place while Amarante in the Minho region took fifth place To reach this conclusion, experts at Porto Travel Guide analyzed online data for 104 Portuguese cities then creating an ‘affordability’ score out of 100 for each city MORE: Local Madeirans welcome Azores Airlines’ decision to offer direct flights from Boston to Funchal “Affordable travel and accommodation costs for many of these hidden gems mean that tourists can experience the vibrant culture that the country has to offer all without breaking the bank,” Bastos said “Shorter breaks are also becoming more appealing among holidaymakers and many of these Portuguese cities make for an affordable weekend getaway for those on a budget.” Flights, hotel, and car rental prices used in the study were obtained from Skyscanner.com Flight dates were arbitrarily chosen from Nov Fafe ranked as the most affordable city to visit in Portugal with an affordability score of 87.91 out of 100 It scored highly for the cost of eating out at an inexpensive restaurant with the lowest price being $4.35 per person and offering hotel prices for as little as $13 a night in some locations Fafe is located only nine miles away from Guimarães which has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site One of the area’s main attractions is Casa do Penedo which was built from four large boulders that serve as the foundation where visitors can enjoy a swim at the small beach navigate the woodland trails around the shore or take it easy on the grassy banks Nearby excavations at the Castro de Santo Ovídio archaeological site have revealed houses roads and other architectural elements giving an insight into the urban development of the Santo Ovídio hill fort which was presumably inhabited between the 1st century BC and the 1st century AC making this settlement a great place for studying the Megalithic period in Northwest Iberian Peninsula Oliveira de Azeméis came in second place with an affordability score of 87.85 out of 100 It shares the lowest hotel price of $13 a night with Fafe but offers cheaper one-way local transport tickets at $1.31 its lowest prices for taxi tariffs and restaurant meals are a little more expensive One of the places worth visiting is the molinological theme park a space that takes advantage of the existing water mills in the region The space offers a ‘living’ museum of the structures of bread making and cereal milling an activity in the region for more than 200 years Other nearby attractions are the Oliveira de Azeméis Church which has a late-Mannerist design from the beginning of the 18th century former home of the writer José Maria Ferreira de Castro Vila Nova de Famalicão came in third place with an affordability score of 87.6 out of 100 Whilst it is slightly more expensive to eat out here it has the lowest price hotel rooms in the top ten at just $9 a night The city also has the cheapest one-way local transport tickets so far Home to internationally renowned companies in the textile Vila Nova de Famalicão benefits from the beauty of a green landscape as well as traditional dishes and a rich historical heritage reflected in the numerous museums and cultural spaces spread throughout the city Bacia do Ave Textile Industry Museum and Portuguese Colonial War Museum Ovar ranks fourth on the list with an affordability score of 87.55 out of 100 The lowest price hotel rooms start at $14 a night and it shares the same one-way transport ticket price as Oliveira de Azeméis at $1.31 Options for eating out or buying local food are both relatively inexpensive Home to one of the most famous Carnaval (Mardi Gras) celebrations in Portugal Ovar offers some unique things to do and nice places to explore Visitors can stroll along pristine beaches with stunning Atlantic views or explore the downtown area in search of museums and boutiques It’s easy to lose oneself in the city’s remarkable architecture blending traditional Portuguese designs and modern influences or indulge in mouthwatering gastronomic delights a picturesque gatewayAmarante ranks in fifth place with an affordability score of 87.33 out of 100 Whilst its lowest hotel room price comes in at $18 a night it has extremely cheap starting taxi tariffs at $0.95 and all the local food and drink is notably low priced Given its location between the Vinho Verde wine region and the Douro Valley Amarante is a popular stop-off for wine tasting tours and colorful historical buildings in its medieval neighborhood Amarante has been part of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network under the category of City of Music since 2017 What other cities made the top 25?Also ranked among the top 25 most affordable cities to visit in Portugal are: For more information about the Porto Travel Guide’s study, visit https://porto.travel  AdvertisementHow was your experience today with a five-match ban and troubles with the Spanish tax authorities the Real Madrid star is under a "terrible curse Fafe believes that Ronaldo is being punished for missing the funeral of his late father Jose Dinis Aveiro: "Ronaldo has been weakened spiritually and psychologically," said Fafe when asked about the player's recent troubles Speaking to Flash Fafe said Ronaldo's misfortune all descends from failing to fix the relationship with his father Ronaldo's father struggled with alcoholism throughout his life passing away due to a related illness in 2005 Fafe continued: "He did not say goodbye to his father when he was alive There are things that weigh on our consciences missing his funeral unleashed very powerful negative energies." Missing his father's funeral during his time at Manchester United Ronaldo opted to play in a match instead of attending the proceedings the misfortune will continue unless he is cured the witchdoctor is offering to relieve him - for free Saying "I am happy to treat him for free Ronaldo is the best player in the world and for him I would do it free of charge."  90 MIN The content on this site is for entertainment and educational purposes only Betting and gambling content is intended for individuals 21+ and is based on individual commentators' opinions and not that of Sports Illustrated or its affiliates All picks and predictions are suggestions only and not a guarantee of success or profit If you or someone you know has a gambling problem crisis counseling and referral services can be accessed by calling 1-800-GAMBLER WHILE Portugal is a popular holiday destination among Brits finding somewhere cheap can be a little bit tricky a little-known city in Portugal has just been crowned the most affordable to visit Recent research from Porto Travel Guide revealed the most affordable city breaks in Portugal The experts analysed the data from 104 Portuguese cities to find the most affordable They based their findings on factors like flight and hotel costs and the price of meals - with each city given an affordability score out of 100 Fafe in northern Portugal took the crown with a score 87.91 out of 100 According to the research, holidaymakers can book hotel rooms from just £10.61 per night Food and drink is cheap too with a meal at an inexpensive restaurant costing as little as £3.55 per person There are plenty of things to do in Fafe too the "Castle of Stone" blends into the natural landscape effortlessly The stone building is now a museum full of memorabilia and photographs of the history of the building and the beautiful surrounding landscapes Even though the two-storey house is fairly tiny, it does have an outdoor swimming pool attached to the building Entry tickets into Casa de Penedo cost £1.74 per person with it still receiving positive reviews on TripAdvisor One person wrote: "This is the famous 'Flintstones House' of Fafe It's located in the hills around Fafe where you can have an amazing view of the City." Other tourist attractions in Fafe include Igreja de São Romão de Arões - a Romanesque-style church dating back to the 1200s There's also Casa do Santo Velho, a striking mansion that was constructed in the 1600s The Portuguese city is roughly an hour's drive away from the coast with locals preferring to cool off at the local reservoir called Barragem da Queimadela Swimming is allowed in the reservoir, with lifeguards on duty in the summer months while refreshments can also be purchased from a local cafe Other places to cool off include Parque Aquático de Fafe - a huge outdoor water park The water park sits on a hill and it's home to multiple slides Ryanair and easyJet both operate direct flights from London to Porto with prices starting at £15 for a one-way ticket Fafe is a 50-minute drive away from Porto Airport, with the journey taking much longer on public transport Other affordable destinations in Portugal included Oliveira de Azeméis in the Porto Metropolitan Area While hotels can also be snapped up for as little as £10.61 a night, the cost of meals out and taxis was a little higher Other cheap city breaks included Vila Nova de Famalicão and Amarante - all of which were only narrowly more expensive then Fafe Flavio Bastos, Editor at Porto Travel Guide, said: " Portugal has proven to be a popular tourist destination over the past year, with 348,000 Google searches for 'Portugal holidays' worldwide over the past 12 months on average "Affordable travel and accommodation costs for many of these hidden gems mean that tourists can experience the vibrant culture that the country has to offer Earlier this year, luggage storage company, Bounce also revealed the most affordable city breaks around the world While Timișoara in Romania took the crown largely thanks to its cheap food and drink Cadiz, a port city on the southern tip of Andalusia, was ranked in ninth place - making it the cheapest spot in Spain Our journalists strive for accuracy but on occasion we make mistakes. For further details of our complaints policy and to make a complaint please click this link: thesun.co.uk/editorial-complaints/