Created by Lucas Luís at Monday, 19 May 2025
A day that started at 2.30am to watch the Rally of Portugal
This article is a testimony
Expectations were high for the Rally de Portugal in Pai das Donas - Arganil. Me (Lucas), Gonçalo, Tiago and Luís were as excited as kids before a school-leaving trip, because none of us knew exactly what to expect from the Rally of Portugal. Gonçalo and I were going to a motorsport event for the first time, while Tiago and Luís had already experienced Fronteira... they had an idea of what it might be like, but no guarantees.
We were advised by friends and, above all, by our Marketing Director, to head for Pai das Donas. They told us it was one of the best areas to watch the cars go by and, in fact, they couldn't have been more right. We chose a spot where we could watch the cars go by for about two minutes: first in the distance, in an incredible valley, and then much closer, in a sequence of curves, elbows and flying earth. We set up our ‘troupe’ right next to the last bend in the Spectacle Zone. The view was luxurious.
The night before, we prepared everything carefully. Rissoles, croquettes, baked goods, potatoes, beer, water, lots of ice in the coolers and clothes we didn't mind getting dirty. We also took collars, hats, sun cream, chairs and, of course, equipment to record some moments - camera, microphones and powerbanks. I wanted to capture every detail of our Rally de Portugal debut, to share on the Benecar website and remember it later.
We left home at 2.30 in the morning. Sleep hadn't even set in yet and we were already on the road. The darkness, the silence of the mountains and the adrenaline of someone about to experience something great accompanied us the whole way. The playlist? A dose of WRC Techno from the 2000s! On arrival, at around 5.00 am, the sky began to lighten. The Rally was already in the air.
As we approached the entrance to the EZ, we soon realised that we weren't the only early risers. Hundreds of fans were already heading for the entrance, fully equipped for the party spirit that was expected in a few hours' time. The GNR wouldn't let us drive up any more, everything was full. As we got closer, we understood why: there were camps set up days ago, real makeshift caravans and structures that looked like they had been taken out of a Mad Max film.
We made the ascent to the Spectacle Zone loaded down: two coolers, four chairs, backpacks and good humour. We shared the weight and the shoulder pain, but it was worth it. When we got to the top, Gonçalo still had to resort to the asthma pump... we had to resort to the cooler pumps.
The socialising started early. The sun hadn't even fully risen yet and people were already leaving the tents and others were arriving. We then began to interact with those who were there. Complete strangers who, that day, became friends. We chatted to some WRC fans and even took Benecar gifts to give away. It created a nice dynamic between everyone.
At around 10am, anxiety began to run high. We could already hear the helicopters, the assistance cars, the first engines in the distance. It was confirmed: they were coming! Suddenly, the ground shook and the dust began to rise. For more than an hour we watched the best drivers in the world tearing up the section right in front of us. Ogier, Tanak, Neuville, Rovanperä, Fourmaux (who even had a mishap right next to us in the afternoon), passed like arrows, leaving behind a cloud of dust and adrenaline. I didn't really ‘see them go by’, so to speak, as I know nothing about rallying and couldn't even identify them... it was only when I got home and downloaded the photos that I realised who had passed in front of my lens.
Between chainsaws screaming, clapping, laughter and stories shared, there was time for everything. To live intensely, to photograph, to play, to enjoy every curve as if it were a last-minute goal. Pai das Donas, for me, who had never experienced anything like it, can only be compared to the ‘Festa do Jamor’, such was the animation and conviviality. At one point, around lunchtime, we were given suckling pig sandwiches, steaks, glasses of wine and even a privileged spot on a scaffold set up as a lookout tower. The spirit of sharing there is hard to explain, you can only understand it by being there.
After filling our bellies, we all fell asleep, so tired were we. Our alarm clock for the drivers' second pass was none other than the helicopters returning to our EZ, as a way of ‘announcing’ what was on the way: a veritable avalanche of Rally cars, and this time with the helicopters passing close by to capture what seemed to me, who knows nothing about this, to be a faster and more technical second pass than the one in the morning, with even more spectators and euphoria. It was the perfect way to end the experience.
Experiencing the Rally de Portugal in Pai das Donas was more than just watching cars go by. It was feeling the sport at its purest, it was realising that we're all the same there: we all want to have fun, socialise with strangers, get dust in our faces and, last but not least, watch the best in the world tear around in front of us. Above all, it was a party. One of those we want to repeat. Because in the midst of the dust, the engines and the dirt... we found something special in Arganil.
Translated with DeepL
