More than 40 crews will contest the 2011 SATA Rallye Azores scheduled for July 14-16, in São Miguel, Azores.
The 45 year old international Azorean car driving competition is one of the most important legs in the ground stage at the national rally championship.
SATA Rallye Azores rankings count for the European Rally Cup, organized by FIA (Fédération Internationale de l´Automobile) consisting of 213 national member organizations in 125 countries worldwide.
SATA Rally Azores is set to start at Ponta Delgada’s Portas da Cidade (Gates of the City) covering approximately 180 miles.
- Bruno Magalhães at the
Rally Ribeira Grande 2010
Bruno Magalhães, the 2010 SATA Rallye Azores champion, is a regular competitor at the Intercontinental Rallye Challenge, driving a Peugeot 207 S2000 for Peugeot Sport Portugal. He has won the Rali Vinho da Madeira twice, finishing third in 2007 and second in 2009.
He will be competing for the Azorean title against Bernardo Sousa, a rising rally driver star who has said that he won’t be satisfied until he is the SATA Rally Azores champion.
He said recently, “I really like this event, but I always seem to have problems when I go there,” he added, “I will do the rally this year and will push very hard to win. I’ve got the experience and the car to do it. I really hope it will be possible.”
The SATA Rallye Azores, officially known as the “SATA Rallye Açores,” is a round of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge (IRC) season. The event is in its second year on the IRC Calendar.
The rally has 19 stages (around 135 miles of competitive racing) — one of the most challenging rallies on the international rally calendar.
paj.com
