Jari-Matti Latvala, at the wheel of his Toyota Celica ST185, ended Friday’s first leg of the Historic Rally Fafe with a commanding lead of more than three minutes (3:16.6), making it clear that only a mechanical issue could prevent him from winning and clinching the FIA European Historic Rally Championship (EHRC) title. The Toyota WRC team principal, who took a few days off and skipped Rally Japan to come to Fafe and fight for the EHRC crown, has once again shown—unsurprisingly—a pace far superior to that of his rivals.
Valter Pierangioli (Ford Sierra RS Cosworth 4×4), the Italian driver not involved in any of the remaining title battles, engaged in an exciting duel with Poland’s Maciej Lubiak (Porsche 911 2.7 RS), one of Latvala’s rivals in the fight for the overall crown, ultimately ending the day in second place—just 2.5 seconds ahead. Will Graham (BMW E30 M3), the third contender for the overall title, initially tried to stay as close as possible to Latvala, but issues on the third stage cost him significant time, dropping him to seventh. Overall, it seems that only a mechanical setback could prevent the Finnish Toyota driver from not only taking victory in Fafe but also celebrating the EHRC title, given the clear dominance he has shown.
With Richard Genesca (Subaru Legacy RS) holding fourth place and staying close to Lubiak in third, Rui Madeira (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo III)—who spent much of the day running fifth—eventually lost that position on the final stage to Spain’s Jesús Ferreiro (Ford Escort RS 1800), the newly crowned Category 3 champion.
In the Portuguese Classics Cup, Rui Ribeiro (Ford Escort MK2) continues to lead comfortably, holding a 3m20.3s advantage over César Freitas (Ford Escort MK1), while the gap between Freitas and third-placed Armando Marques (Toyota Starlet) is just 4.6 seconds.
The second and final leg of the Historic Rally Fafe takes place this Saturday, with no rain forecast. Slightly shorter than the first, it includes six special stages totaling 54.76 km. On this final day, the drivers from the Northern Rally Championship will also join the action.
Classificação após a 1ª etapa
1º, Jari-Matti Latvala/Topi Luhtinen (Toyota Celica ST 185), 44m55,7s
2º, Valter Pierangioli/Michela Baldini (Ford Sierra RS Cosworth 4×4), a 3m16.6s
3º, Maciej Lubiak/Grzegorz Dachowski (Porsche 911 2.7 RS), a 3.19.1
4º, Richard Genesca/Florent Sompayrac (Subaru Legacy RS), a 3.26.3
5º, Jesus Ferreiro Pérez/Javier Anido (Ford Escort RS 1800), a 4.06.4
6º, Rui Madeira/Nuno Rodrigues da Silva (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo III), a 4.18.4
7º, Will Graham/Karen Graham (BMW E30 M3), a 4.49.6
8º, Hervé Guignard/Jean-Jacques Collinet (Alpine A 310), a 5.57.7
9º, Gregory McCormack/Rhodri Evans (Ford Escort RS 1800), a 6.08.3
10º, Ernie Graham/Anna Graham (Ford Escort Escort RS 1800), a 6.11.8
11º, Eric Guignard/Didier Mefre (Renault 5 Turbo Cevennes), a 7.46.5
12º, Fintan McGrady/Dean Beckett (Ford Escort RS 1800), a 9.15.2
13º, Siegfried Mayr/Renate Mayr (Volvo 240), a 12.43.8
14º, Antonio Parisi/Giuseppe Dangelo (Porsche 911S), a 15.09.0
15º, Carlo Fiorito/Nicolo Ventoso (BMW 2002 Ti), a 20.03.9
SCHEDULE
SATURDAY (8 novembro)
Partida (Praça da Feira Velha) 09h30
Assistência (Praça da Comunidades) 09h37/09h52
PEC 7 – Várzea Cova 1 (10,74 km) 10h22
PEC 8 – Queimadela/Travassós 1 (8,98 km) 11h06
PEC 9 – Vilacova 1 (7,66 km) 11h50
Reagrupamento (Praça da Feira Velha) 12h32/12h42
Assistência (Praça das Comunidades) 12h49/13h19
PEC 10 – Várzea Cova 1 13h49
PEC 11 – Queimadela/Travassós 2 14h33
PEC 12 – Vila Cova 2 15h17
Parque Fechado (Praça da Feira Velha) 15h59
Fafe/07/novembro/2025
PARA MAIS INFORMAÇÕES:
