WTCR Race of Portugal: did you know?

Three years after its last visit, the WTCR – FIA World Touring Car Cup is heading back to northern Portugal for two races on the streets of Vila Real from July 1-3. This is some of what you need to know. *A street circuit oozing history and intrigue, racing has taken place on Vila Real’s demanding hillside roads since 1931, when Gaspar Sameiro and Ercilio Barbosa conquered the original 7.150-kilometre course in a Ford Model A.

*Safety and financial factors meant races were held on an irregular basis until the FIA World Touring Car Championship’s arrival in 2015 provided stability and Vila Real’s first world-level event. *The 4.790-kilometre layout now used is a challenging blend of fast turns, climbs and descents. While a handful of chicanes were installed for safety reasons, the spectacle remains unaltered with speeds exceeding 200kph on the final downhill section.

*History was made in Vila Real in 2017 when a 'joker' lap used during an FIA-sanctioned circuit race of the first time. *Mikel Azcona, Thed Björk, Norbert Michelisz, Tiago Monteiro and Yvan Muller have all won on the streets of Vila Real since the WTCR made its first visit in 2018. Michelisz and Monteiro were also winners in the town during the FIA World Touring Car Championship era when Mehdi Bennani, Tom Coronel and Ma Qing Hua triumphed.

*Race 2 at Vila Real will be the WTCR − FIA World Touring Car Cup’s 100th race after the series began on the streets in Marrakech, Morocco in 2018. *Several changes have been made to the rules since the WTCR’s last visit to Vila Real in July 2019. *There is now one three-stage qualifying for two races rather than the previous three.