The Rally de Portugal will once again be held in the south of the country in 2014, based in the Algarve, announced this Tuesday the Automóvel Clube de Portugal (ACP), responsible for organizing the race.
The ACP revealed that the race that counts for the World Rally was very close to moving to the North of Portugal as of next year and only the alleged lack of interest by the Porto Chamber in making a commitment to three years in a year elections, prevented that from happening.
The organization had already been warning of the possibility of the rally moving to the North, warning that it was reinforced during the presentation of this year's edition of the event. According to a statement released today on the official website of Rally de Portugal, more than a possibility, this change was close to becoming a accomplished act.
“For about two years the Automóvel Club de Portugal has been studying a route for the return of the Rally of Portugal to the north of the country, in accordance with the will of the FIA and the local populations,” said the ACP.
«Thus, in July 2012, the Automóvel Club de Portugal sent a letter to the Municipal Councils of Viana do Castelo, Ponte de Lima, Arcos de Valdevez, Paredes de Coura, Vieira do Minho, Montalegre, Fafe, Lousada, Porto, Arganil, Góis e Oliveira do Hospital, which listed the conditions for the holding of the Vodafone Rally de Portugal in those parts of the country», he revealed.
All the municipalities contacted will have accepted the conditions imposed, namely the commitment to keep the race in the North for at least three years, except for Porto, which «did not respond to the letter from the ACP». Bearing in mind that this city was going to be "the nerve center" of an eventual race in the North, the positive response from this municipality was fundamental.
«About a week ago, the mayor of Porto stated, during the Boavista Circuit, that he did not want to condition his successor with a commitment for 3 years, even if it is an event that will cost a maximum of 300 euros / year to the city council and bring a direct return in hotels and restaurants in the order of 50 million euros…», illustrated the ACP.
Of the candidates «with a chance of victory» for the Porto Chamber, only one «accepted all the conditions and formalized in writing the desire to honor the commitment to have the rally in the north».
«Organizing a competition of this magnitude and the international commitments inherent to it requires responsibility, seriousness and willingness. None of these requirements correspond to the behavior of the Porto City Council and its candidates», illustrated the ACP.
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