The Rallye Açores, known originally as the Volta à Ilha de São Miguel is an international rallying event based on the Portuguese island of São Miguel Island in the Azores.
The rally was first run in 1965 as locals gathered for a race called Volta à Ilha de São Miguel, which translated means Round the Island of São Miguel. This was six years after the establishment of the Rali Vinho da Madeira on the Portuguese island of Madeira, much closer to Africa.
The event has been a long running round of the European Rally Championship and the Portuguese Rally Championship as well as spawning its own championship in the Azores. Unlike other international events held on Atlantic Ocean islands that it is frequently paired with, the Rali Vinho da Madeira and the Rally Islas Canarias it is a gravel event.
Despite its isolated location, over 1500 kilometres from the coast of Portugal, it has since the early 1970s been a part of Portugal's national championship. It became an international event since 1992 when it was first included in the European Rally Championship. The rally was demoted to the European Rally Cup West in 2004 and dropped entirely in 2006. In 2008 the rally regained international standing with the European Rally Cup South series and the Intercontinental Rally Challenge the following year. After the death of the IRC in 2012 the European Championship returned in 2013.
Portuguese drivers have dominated the event. A non-Portuguese driver did not win the event until the first international event was won in 1992 by Yves Loubet. Portuguese drivers continued to dominate, though, with Fernando Peres winning the rally seven times in the international era. Carlos Bica has won the event four times.
List of winners Sourced in part from: SeasonWinnerCarReport 1965 Luís Toste Fiat 1500 1966 Luís Cordeiro Ford Cortina GT 1967 Luís Cordeiro Ford Cortina GT 1968 José Lampreia Renault 8 Gordini 1969 Américo Nunes Porsche 911 S 1970 Jorge Nascimento BMW 2002 1971 Raúl Mendonça BMW 2002 1972 António Borges Porsche 911 S 1973 Giovanni Salvi Porsche 911 S 1974 not held 1975 Manuel Inácio Opel 1904 SR 1976 Giovanni Salvi Ford Escort RS2000 1977 "Larama" Ford Escort RS1600 1978 "Larama" Ford Escort RS1600 1979 José Pedro Borges Opel Kadett GT/E 1980 Mário Silva Ford Escort RS 1981 António Santinho Mendes Datsun Violet 160J 1982 Joaquim Santos Ford Escort RS 1983 Joaquim Santos Ford Escort RS 1984 Joaquim Santos Ford Escort RS 1985 Joaquim Moutinho Renault 5 Turbo 1986 Jorge Ortigão Toyota Corolla GT 1987 Inverno Amaral Renault 11 Turbo 1988 Carlos Bica Lancia Delta HF 1989 Carlos Bica Lancia Delta HF 1990 Carlos Bica Lancia Delta HF 1991 Carlos Bica Lancia Delta Integrale 16V 1992 Yves Loubet Toyota Celica GT-Four 1993 José Miguel Ford Sierra RS Cosworth 1994 Fernando Peres Ford Escort RS Cosworth 1995 José Miguel Ford Escort RS Cosworth 1996 Fernando Peres Ford Escort RS Cosworth 1997 Bruno Thiry Ford Escort RS Cosworth 1998 Fernando Peres Ford Escort WRC 1999 Grégoire De Mévius Subaru Impreza 555 2000 Markko Märtin Subaru Impreza WRC 2001 Juha Kankkunen Subaru Impreza WRC 2002 Rui Madeira Ford Focus WRC 2003 Fernando Peres Ford Escort RS Cosworth 2004 Fernando Peres Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VII 2005 Fernando Peres Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VIII 2006 Armindo Araújo Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VIII 2007 Fernando Peres Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX 2008 Bruno Magalhães Peugeot 207 S2000 2009 Kris Meeke Peugeot 207 S2000 Report 2010 Bruno Magalhães Peugeot 207 S2000 Report 2011 Juho Hänninen Škoda Fabia S2000 Report 2012 Andreas Mikkelsen Škoda Fabia S2000 Report 2013 Jan Kopecký Škoda Fabia S2000 Report 2014 Bernardo Sousa Ford Fiesta RRC Report 2015 Craig Breen Peugeot 208 T16 R5 Report 2016 Ricardo Moura Ford Fiesta R5 Report 2017 Bruno Magalhães Škoda Fabia R5 Report 2018 Alexey Lukyanuk Ford Fiesta R5 Report 2019 Łukasz Habaj Škoda Fabia R5 Report 2020 Rally cancelled due to COVID-19 2021 Andreas Mikkelsen Škoda Fabia R5 Evo Report 2022 Efrén Llarena Škoda Fabia R5 Evo Report 2023 Sébastien Loeb Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 Report
References
External links Official website European Rally Championship