Last weekend took place the XX Slalom Sprint of Castelo Rodrigo. There was no lack of interest in the two-decade commemorative edition of the race, with the participation of more than 80 riders, culminating in the presence of Markku Alen , five-time champion of the Rally de Portugal and former WRC driver. It was also the third consecutive year that the two sports took place — Sprint and Slalom.
Consisting of three timed sleeves, the sprint test took place on Saturday, with Jorge Almeida, in Opel Corsa GSI, surpassing Tiago Prata, in Westfield Aero Race, and Tiago Mateus, in Toyota AE86. Another highlight was the performance of Fernando Morgado and Marcelo Oliveira, in the front-wheel drive and rear-wheel drive categories, respectively.
Also with three timed heats, took place on Sunday the slalom test , who saw Carlos Rosendo, in Mini, supplant Jorge Araújo, at the controls of a prototype, and António Borges, in Caterham.
Finally, the XX Slalom Sprint of Castelo Rodrigo was also included in the calendar of Rayan Skill Trophy , which had 16 pilots in competition. António Borges won the race, beating Dino Almeida and Luís Silva.
Markku Alen, the star
Joining the well-known WRC driver with the Fiat 131 Abarth, one of the machines where he met countless victories, was one of the main points of attraction of the XX Slalom Sprint of Castelo Rodrigo. Always with great spectacle, Alen, the “flying Finn”, performed several demonstrations with various guests as “hangs”, among which Pedro Machado, president of Tourism in central Portugal and Paulo Langrouva, mayor of Figueira.
It was not only behind the wheel that Markku Alen stood out, but also… at the table, with Portuguese pilots and navigators contemporary to Alen as guests — Jorge Ortigão, Pina de Morais, Miguel Vilar, Ramiro Fernandes and Antonio Onofre — an opportunity to share the stories of the "good old times".
A helmet autographed by Markku Alen was also drawn from among the spectators who bought a ticket, which was eventually handed over to a security guard who was working in the race.
Homage
The Municipality of Figueira and the Clube Escape Livre, event organizers, took the opportunity to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the race to honor the most assiduous riders over the last two decades, who received a Spal trophy: Jorge Almeida, António Alexandre, Tiago Mateus and Jorge Araújo. Likewise, Pedro Figueiredo and Paulo Silveira were honored for traveling, for three consecutive years, on purpose from Switzerland, with their BMWs, to participate in the Figueira de Castelo Rodrigo race.
Paulo Langrouva, Mayor of Figueira de Castelo RodrigoIt was a successful bet, with more riders, more public and greater visibility for our county, also translated into countless visits and with a clear reflection in the sold out accommodation and satisfaction with the restaurants.
