A new motorsport association bringing together past and present rally drivers and navigators from the Algarve and Alentejo has been launched with the aim of organising events and strengthening the region’s motorsport community.
The Associação de Desportos Motorizados do Sul (Association of Motorised Sports of the South, or ADM Sul) was founded in August 2025, born out of a shared passion for the adrenaline of rallying and the friendships and sense of unity built around the sport.
The group held its first major gathering on Saturday (March 7) with a lunch at the O Teodósio restaurant in Guia (Albufeira), attended by over 100 people, where 56 current and former drivers and navigators from the Algarve and lower Alentejo were honoured. Among those recognised was Spanish driver Félix Rodrigues, who competed in numerous motorsport events in Portugal.
The initiative was spearheaded by Jaime Falcão, president of ADM Sul, who also received a surprise tribute from fellow drivers at the event. Falcão began his motorsport career as a navigator in 1980 in Reguengos de Monsaraz and became a driver roughly a decade later.
The idea for the association emerged from conversations among friends who wanted to reconnect with former competitors and revive old memories.
“It brings a lot of satisfaction and joy,” said Falcão, who is also one of the Algarve’s best-placed navigators in the national rally championship.
Plans for new events
ADM Sul now plans to organise a range of activities aimed at motorsport enthusiasts in the Algarve and Alentejo.
“We will organise sporting events such as slaloms and timed stages,” Falcão said. “They won’t be rallies – they will be simpler competitions in which anyone can participate.”
According to the association, the goal is to make motorsport more accessible, both for newcomers and for former competitors who would like to return to the sport in a more relaxed setting.
Falcão is joined on the board by vice-president and driver Júlio Inácio, while well-known Portuguese rally driver Ricardo Teodósio serves as president of the General Assembly. His long-time navigator José Teixeira is vice-president of the assembly.
A native of Guia, Teodósio recently celebrated 36 years in motorsport and sees the association as an opportunity to strengthen the community around the sport.
“Besides competitions, we also want to organise motoring events, drives and test sessions about two weeks before each regional rally so participants can feel more comfortable with their cars,” said the three-time national rally champion in 2019, 2021 and 2023.
For Teodósio, the association reflects the strong sense of camaraderie that has long defined rallying.
“It’s great to meet again. There are drivers here I admired when I was a child, and now they follow my career. I have history with many of them, and some taught me and helped me grow into the driver I am today,” he said, describing the association as “a family of racing enthusiasts.”
Looking to the future
Although the association plans to start with smaller events, it does not rule out organising a rally in the future.
ADM Sul is also seeking to become affiliated with the Portuguese Automobile and Karting Federation (FPAK) and is currently awaiting a decision.
For more information about the association, contact president Jaime Falcão at +351 919 456 832.
