Hyundai Shell Mobis WRT’s Thierry Neuville and Martijn Wydaeghe were fastest on the 5.72km Shakedown stage of the 59th Vodafone Rally of Portugal at Baltar on Wednesday afternoon.
The Belgian crew carded a second pass of 3min 51.2sec to top the times by just three-tenths of a second from Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT’s Sami Pajari and Markko Salminen in front of a massive crowd in dry and dusty conditions and warm sunshine. Hyundai’s Adrien Fourmaux and Alexandre Coria were third.
Championship leader Elfyn Evans acted as the early road sweeper on a track that used part of the local karting track and the Paredes stage and posted a run of 3min 54.7sec, but this was soon surpassed by Toyota team-mates Sami Pajari and Takamoto Katsuta.
Adrien Fourmaux was fastest on the first pass with a time of 3min 53.6sec, although three-tenths of a second separated the top three. The Frenchman said: “It’s always a good start to have a good shakedown but you never know the mindset of the competitors. It is very tight. I really enjoy the Portugal Rally. The stages are some of the best in the world and the spectators are fantastic. It is a difficult one, I would say.”
After six of the leading WRC2 crews had completed their first pass, Solberg returned to the stage but was not able to match his opening time. Pajari hit the front with a 3min 51.5sec run and Evans improved to take third behind Fourmaux.
Pajari said: “Four podiums in a row and it is nice for the confidence to know that we can do that. But we are having a different rally than the last ones. We will do the absolute best we can. It is nice to be back on gravel. I prefer the gravel over the tarmac. Small rain will be fine but heavy rain and pouring will be difficult.”
Neuville hit the front on his third pass. The Belgian said: “First real gravel rally. It is good to be back here. We have always been quite competitive and fast. Hopefully we may even be a bit better. We are struggling a bit on tarmac with this car at the moment. It depends how much rain we have and when it comes. The event is difficult enough already and rain makes it even more difficult.”
Nine-time WRC champion Sebastien Ogier was 11th quickest. He said: “This rally has a special place in my heart and a lot of good memories. I have been a little bit adopted by the Portuguese fans. We are coming back to try and improve our record here and fight for the win. It is never guaranteed to be successful. We will try our best. We had a good test last week and the car feels good. The weather will also be changing and unstable. Anything will happen. We must enjoy the sunshine a bit while we have it…”
Oliver Solberg was sixth. He added: “I love Portugal, the food, the people, the atmosphere. I think it’s the best in the world. It’s a long weekend. We will try to be in the fight. I will try to do the best I can.”
Competitive action gets underway at 15.05hrs on Thursday afternoon with the opening 15.08km stage between Águeda and Sever, located midway between the ceremonial start in the university city of Coimbra and Porto to the north.
The action will be broadcast live on local, international and WRC television networks.
2026 Vodafone Rally of Portugal – Shakedown times (Rally1 only unofficial @16.48hrs):
1. Thierry Neuville (BEL)/Martijn Wydaeghe (BEL) Hyundai i20 N Rally1 3min 51.2sec
2. Sami Pajari (FIN)/Marko Salminen (FIN) Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 3min 51.5sec
3. Adrien Fourmaux (FRA)/Alexandre Coria (FRA) Hyundai i20 N Rally1 3min 51.7sec
4. Martins Sesks (LAT)/Renārs Francis (LAT) Ford Puma Rally1 3min 51.8sec
5. Elfyn Evans (GBR)/Scott Martin (GBR) Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 3min 51.8sec
6. Oliver Solberg (SWE)/Elliott Edmondson (GBR) Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 3min 51.9sec
7. Takamoto Katsuta (JPN)/Aaron Johnston (IRL) Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 3min 52.4sec
8. Dani Sordo (ESP)/Candido Carrera (ESP) Hyundai i20 N Rally1 3min 52.6sec
9. Jon Armstrong (GBR)/Shane Byrne (IRL) Ford Puma Rally1 3min 52.9sec
10. Joshua McErlean (IRL)/Eoin Treacy (IRL) Ford Puma Rally1 3min 53.1sec
11. Sebastien Ogier (FRA)/Vincent Landais (FRA) Toyota GR Yaris Rally1 3min 54.4sec
