British driver wins again in the Algarve
The British duo of Kris Meeke and Stuart Loudon continued their winning streak in the 2025 Portuguese Rally Championship with a victory at the 2025 edition of Rallye Casinos do Algarve.
It was the second win in two years in the Algarve for Meeke, who had already won the 2024 edition.
Meeke and Loudon, representing Toyota Gazoo Racing Caetano Portugal, dominated the event, leading from start to finish. Their main competitors, the Spanish team of Dani Sordo and Cândido Carreira representing Hyundai Portugal, faced technical difficulties on the first day, which forced them to fight back from behind, but Sordo managed to finish the rally strongly, securing the fastest times in the Silves stages and climbing up to second place by the end of the event. He also recorded the quickest time in the power stage.
The surprise performance of the rally came from young drivers Gonçalo Henriques and Inês Veiga, who made an impressive debut in the national rally scene. Competing in the second Hyundai Portugal car, Henriques quickly made a name for himself, securing the final spot on the podium.
In fourth place, Armindo Araújo and Luís Ramalho (Skoda) managed to edge out Ricardo Teodósio and José Teixeira in the power stage. Meanwhile, Pedro Meireles and Mário Castro emerged victorious in the Masters category.
The motorbike competition was just as intense, with the duo of Ricardo Sousa and Luís Marques leading after the first day, but the second day saw fierce competition between them, Guilherme Meireles and Pedro Alves (who took the win in the Junior category), and Rafael Rego and Ana Gonçalves. Rego and Gonçalves faced difficulties during the second pass through Silves, allowing Sousa to claim victory.
Meanwhile, in the Past Rally3 Trophy Iberica, Turkish driver Kerem Kazaz initially led but rolled his car, opening the door for Tom Williams and Jesus Jimenez to battle for the win. In the end, it was Spanish driver Jimenez who emerged victorious in this exciting opening round.
In the Promo and South categories, Miguel Carvalho and António Reis (Hyundai) came out on top after a thrilling battle with Carlos Martins and Daniel Amaral, who were making their debut with the Fiesta R5 on gravel. In the South two-wheel-drive category, Viana Martins and Rodrigo Assunção (Peugeot) claimed victory, after the previous leaders, Carlos Marreiros Jr. and Ricardo Barreto, suffered a setback when their car lost power steering in the final section.
The 2025 Rallye Casinos do Algarve was organised by the Clube Automóvel do Algarve, under the aegis of the Portuguese Federation of Automobile and Karting (FPAK), with support from Solverde Casinos & Hotels and the municipalities of Lagos, Portimão, and Silves.
The full final standings can be viewed online.
