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Full entry for Portugal
Vodafone Rally de Portugal (21 - 24 May), round five of the FIA World Rally Championship, has announced a full entry of 90 cars.
Such is the demand for places in the season’s opening European gravel encounter, which moves to its traditional home in the north after several years in the south coast Algarve region, that a reserve list has been issued.
There are 15 World Rally Cars entered, including a second appearance of the year for Khalid Al Qassimi (above) in Citroën Total Abu Dhabi World Rally Team’s third DS 3 to supplement the regular entries of Kris Meeke and Mads Østberg.
Henning Solberg will return in a Ford Fiesta RS after missing Mexico and Argentina, while Robert Kubica should be back after withdrawing from XION Rally Argentina to restructure his team.
One name missing is Benito Guerra. After his annual outing at March’s Rally Guanajuato Mexico, Guerra was hoping to raise funds to tackle Portugal as the first of a two-rally European programme.
The entry includes a whopping 27 cars in WRC 2. The top four in the standings, headed by Jari Ketomaa, are listed and Skoda Motorsport has entered two of its new Fabia R5s for Esapekka Lappi and Pontus Tidemand.
Karl Kruuda will make his first appearance of the year as will 2014’s Drive DMACK Trophy winner Sander Pärn and former Junior WRC contender Keith Cronin. Martin Koci switches from a Fiesta R5 to a Peugeot 208 T16.
There are 15 Junior WRC entrants, including former British championship frontrunner Osian Pryce.
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