Desidério Silva, president of the Algarve Tourism Board, expressed today, in a statement, his "disagreement" with the "possibility" of Rally de Portugal moving, "next year, its base to the North of Portugal", stressing that will do everything to avoid this situation.
Stressing that he only learned of the news "through the media", the official added that "the availability of Turismo do Algarve and Turismo de Portugal to maintain the rally in the region is unanimous, given the contacts already made today with the president of the Tourism of Portugal».
Three days before the start of the 2013 edition of the race, Desidério Silva also reiterated «the availability of the Algarve Tourism in concert with local agents, in particular with the municipalities of the region, to create the conditions for the continuation of the rally in the Algarve» .
The president of the Algarve Regional Tourism Authority also stresses that «the Rally of Portugal it is one of the most important sporting events in the country and with a very important economic return for the Algarve in the last five years».
In addition, he stresses in his statement, “the safety factor, accessibility and logistics of the race [in the Algarve] have always been considered the most important part of the international success of the rally”.
The race, before coming to the Algarve and Baixo Alentejo, in 2006, was held in the North of the country, until it left the world calendar due to safety problems. Only its organization in the south of the country, which guaranteed better conditions and more safety, managed to make the Portuguese race return to the World Rally Championship (WRC), in 2007, the most important competition in the category.
Desidério Silva adds that «the holding of the Rally de Portugal in the Algarve is a growth factor for the regional economy and job creation, especially at this time of year when we all have to make an effort to combat the seasonality of tourist demand for the destination».
«In this context, as president of the Algarve Tourism Board, I will do everything with the organization of Rally de Portugal and other public and private entities so that it does not leave the region and is clearly a project for several years», he concludes.
According to what was reported this weekend, the return to the Center/North of the race will have to do with a requirement of the International Automobile Federation (FIA), which wants to move the rally to where there are spectators.
On Saturday, Jean Todt, president of the FIA, was in Portugal to watch the Fafe Rally Sprint, an event held within the scope of the Rally de Portugal programme.
The scarcity of public in the Baixo Alentejo and Algarve region since the event returned, in 2007, to the World Cup calendar, has been pointed out as a negative point. A parameter that gained more importance when, last year, former driver Michèle Mouton, as manager of the World Rally Championship, was in Fafe to watch the Rally Sprint and was impressed by the human frame.
Therefore, in 2014, the nerve center of the race will be in the Greater Porto area (perhaps even in the city of Porto), with the qualifying events taking place in the region of Arganil and Minho.
The 2013 edition of Rally of Portugal this week, from 11 to 14 April, in the Algarve and Baixo Alentejo qualifiers.
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