Completing the overnight podium positions, as well as being the leading Grande Punto Abarth S2000 pilot, is former European Champion Renato Travaglia. One of the sport’s top stars is not driving competitively though, as rally legend Markku Alen is leading the field in the 500 Abarth zero car.

Giandomenico Basso's bid to retain his Madeira Rally crown suffered a setback on the opening leg when a wrong tyre choice cost the Abarth factory driver the rally lead and sends him into today's final leg lying in fourth place. Meanwhile Peugeot Belgium driver Nicolas Vouilloz, who is leading the IRC standings on 26 points jointly with Peugeot Italy’s Luca Rossetti, is in front after the first 13 stages of the all-asphalt rally: round five of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge.

Vouilloz – who won the opening spectator superspecial through the streets of Funchal on Thursday night – took over the lead of the rally again on SS12 yesterday after local hero Bruno Magalhaes picked up a puncture that cost him three minutes. The Peugeot Portugal driver had earlier taken the lead on the opening stage of the day and only lost it briefly to Abarth’s Giandomenico Basso before the puncture on SS12. Magalhaes ended the opening leg of the rally in a disappointed 10th, but he is determined to fight back today.

Basso’s bid to hang onto the lead, which he claimed on SS5, was defeated by a poor tyre choice during the afternoon. Believing that there was a risk of rain, Basso headed out on soft cut slicks. Instead, conditions actually became warmer and so the Italian tumbled down the order – ending up fourth at the end of the day.
Consequently local driver Alexandre Camacho ended up second to uphold Portuguese honours at the end of day one, just 3.7 seconds behind Vouilloz at the wheel of another Peugeot 207 S2000. Completing the podium was former European Champion Renato Travaglia in an Grande Punto Abarth.

Despite some fears of rain in the afternoon over the varied Madeiran asphalt stages, conditions remained dry and hot all day. The warm conditions and demanding mountain roads frequently caused tyres and brakes to overheat; a problem that particularly affected joint IRC series leader Luca Rossetti (Peugeot Italy) throughout the opening loop of stages. Nonetheless, the only major retirement was Brice Tirabassi, whose Peugeot stopped with an electrical problem on SS5. The top driver in the IRC 2WD Cup is local man Miguel Nunes, at the wheel of a Peugeot 206 Super 1600. The similar car of Antonio Nunes is not far behind.

“It’s a bit of a surprise for me to be leading; I expected to be second or third tonight,” said Vouilloz at final service. “Magalhaes was very quick all day today and I found it quite hard to follow his pace. We still have Camacho close behind, who knows the roads too, so I think that tomorrow will be another big fight.”

Today the crews will tackle another full day of rallying, comprising eight stages and 114 competitive kilometres. One of the sport’s top stars is not driving competitively though, as rally legend Markku Alen is leading the field in the 500 Abarth zero car.