Champions to assemble in Rally Portugal to mark WRC’s 50th season

The championship has today announced a host of activities will take place at the first gravel event of the season (19-22 May) to mark its half century, following its inaugural event at Monte Carlo in 1973.

Organisers have confirmed former champions Walter Rohrl (1980,1982), Ari Vatanen (1981), Miki Biasion (1988, 1989), Carlos Sainz (1990, 1992), Marcus Gronholm (2000, 2002) and Petter Solberg (2003) will be in attendance.

They will join nine-time champion Sebastien Loeb, eight-time winner Sebastien Ogier and 2019 champion Ott Tanak, who will be contesting the event for M-Sport Ford, Toyota and Hyundai respectively.

FIA deputy president Robert Reid, and former co-driver to the late 2001 champion Richard Burns, will head a list of the championship’s most iconic co-drivers, including Sainz’s longtime navigator Luis Moya and Derek Ringer, who partnered the late Colin McRae to the 1995 title. Christian Geistdorfer, Tiziano Siviero, Timo Rautiainen, and David Richards will also be present.

Michele Mouton, the only women to win a WRC event, will headline a group of the championship’s most famous female competitors, including WRC Ladies’ Cup winners Louise Aitken-Walker and Isolde Holderied.

A host of historic cars will be displayed at Rally Portugal’s Exponor service park and fans will have a rare chance to see many complete demonstration runs through special stages across the weekend.

These include the Alpine A110, which won the first WRC round at Monte Carlo in the hands of Jean-Claude Andruet, a host of Group B monsters from Audi and Lancia, right up to Group A machinery of the 1990s such as the Toyota Corolla.

The celebrations, at what will be the WRC’s 619th round, will begin with a gala dinner attended by newly installed FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem on Wednesday night.

Historic vehicles will then complete demonstration runs through Thursday evening’s opening stage in…