“It is with great pleasure that I announce that Viseu will be the heart of the Rally of Portugal, one of the biggest sporting events we have in the country, and the people of Viseu feel this with their hearts, because of the tradition and the economic impact. We are talking about thousands and thousands of people who will come to the region,” announced João Azevedo.

The mayor of Viseu said that the event “will host a stage and, in addition, will be the base for the entire Rally of Portugal operation, which will be carried out in the city” in the Beira region.

“We are talking about an operation lasting around two weeks. In addition to the space and stages in the region, in Viseu, and across the country, we will have everything here for maintenance, certification, emergency services, operations, mechanics, brands, and cars. We will have the entire functional structure of the Rally of Portugal, which translates into around four thousand people,” he said.

Transforming Viseu

The mayor added that what will remain in Viseu will be “the entire structure that exists at Exponor [Porto], that is, the logistics, the cars, everything.”

“We will transform Viseu into the heart of the Rally of Portugal in the coming years,” reinforced the president, who said that the “first two years, 2027 and 2028, in the normal calendar” of the race are already assured.

João Azevedo also argued that Viseu “will respond with great quality and efficiency to the expectations created by the organisers” of the Rally of Portugal.

The financial support from the Viseu City Council is “€400,000 directly and then up to €150,000 in logistical support,” and “the races will be planned by race technicians who will go to the field to define the routes” in the municipality.

Given up cycling

With the return of the Rally to Viseu, the City Council has given up cycling, as the city has hosted one of the stages of the Tour of Portugal by Bicycle, either the start or the finish.

“The contract ended last year, so we won't have it this year. We weren't even contacted, but these are options. We gave up cycling, which had direct financial support of €260,000, plus all the logistical support, to bring the rally here. I was clear about this in the campaign, and I am fulfilling my promise,” he said.

For João Azevedo, cycling, for which he has “an enormous passion,” has been a focus in recent years, but “now it's time to change,” not least because, in his view, the rally “is one of the biggest sporting events in the world” and could have an “economic impact of around €150 million” on the region.

Approved agreement

The agreement with Automóvel Clube de Portugal (ACP), which organises the Rally of Portugal, was approved at the executive meeting, with the three PSD councillors abstaining, “solely due to the lack of transparency in the accounts.”

“We are delighted to have the Rally of Portugal here, but it cannot be at any cost, and this figure could be doubled. The figures we have point to around one million euros, and our abstention is precisely due to the lack of transparency in the figures,” argued PSD member João Paulo Gouveia.