Miguel Oliveira, Moto3 World runner-up in 2015, winner of the last three races of the Moto2 World Championship, and the greatest hope of national motorcycling of all times, seems to have a soft spot for four wheels.
After having lined up for the first time in the 24 Horas TT Vila de Fronteira, behind the wheel of an SSV, Miguel Oliveira had today the opportunity to feel the emotions of a real rally car, aboard a Hyundai i20 WRC in the Monte Carlo Rally .
Its debut came as part of an event organized by the Korean brand, which marks the start of the 2018 WRC season this week. Alongside Miguel Oliveira came Carlos Barbosa, president of the ACP, and a well-known enthusiast of the Portuguese pilot's career.
Towards MotoGP
Miguel Oliveira is one of the most coveted pilots today. His rise to MotoGP is taken for granted in 2019, lining up with the official RedBull KTM team. If this materializes, Miguel Oliveira will be the first Portuguese to reach the top of motorcycling in the world with ambitions to win. The first national rider to debut in the premier class (ex-500cc) was Felisberto Teixeira, as a «wild-card» in an NSR 500 V2.
Future on four wheels?
Miguel Oliveira is not the only World Motorcycling rider with a special attraction to four wheels.
Valentino Rossi, a seven-time MotoGP/500cc world champion, was even appointed as a Scuderia Ferrari driver in Formula 1 between 2006 and 2007. The Italian driver has also been the main star of the Monza Rally Show, an annual event where they score presence of riders from all disciplines of motor sport, from two to four wheels.
In the last edition of the Monza Rally Show, riders such as Thierry Neuville (WRC), Valentino Rossi (MotoGP), Mattia Pasini (Moto2) and Luca Marini (Moto2) were present, but names like Ken Block have already passed through there… Sebastien Loeb and Colin McRae !
Will we see Miguel Oliveira at the Monza Rally Show next year at the wheel of a Hyundai i20 WRC? After all, he would be just another Portuguese in the «greenest and redest» team of the WRC…