The Vodafone Rally de Portugal has got off to a rapid start at the spectator superspecial in downtown Faro, which was attended by thousands of fans. ... 
 
 
The 1.3-kilometre long stage, opened up by two-time World Champion Marcus Gronholm in the zero car, contained a tight and twisty mixture of fast straights and slow corners, making neatness and precision a key element to doing well.

The winner of the Faro superspecial, the only asphalt stage of the entire rally, was Peugeot Italy’s Luca Rossetti (pictured) – who is currently leading the IRC standings by virtue of his victory on the opening round of the series in Turkey last month.

In second place – just over half a second behind him – was Nicolas Vouilloz, who was second to Rossetti on the Istanbul Rally. To the delight of the local fans, Portuguese driver Armindo Araujo, a former winner of the Portugal Rally two years ago, was third in a Group N Mitsubishi Lancer.

With the top five places currently covered by less than a second, it is clear that the event will be as closely contested as was expected before the start at the Algarve Stadium near Faro.

None of the drivers encountered any serious problems during the superspecial, although Austrian driver Andreas Aigner slid slightly wide at the start in his Mitsubishi Lancer and Brice Tirabassi hit a kerb in his Peugeot 207 S2000. Most of the competitors were content to drive safely through the stage, knowing that the rally will never be won on a superspecial but aware that there is always a chance of losing it.

Former World Champion Didier Auriol was 14th quickest through the superspecial, not feeling at his best but confident of an improvement tomorrow.

The real action will come tomorrow morning at 09:50 (local time) when the drivers face the first of the gravel special stages, which are renowned for being highly technical, narrow and challenging. The weather is expected to remain dry, although there is the slight possibility of rain in the afternoon.

Earlier in the day, the drivers all took part in the shakedown stage near Faro: a last-minute opportunity to finalise car set-up before the rally start. Luca Rossetti eventually posted the fastest time in the session, underlining his potential pace on this event. However, he was closely challenged by local hero Bruno Magalhaes in a similar Peugeot, aiming to repeat his podium finish in the Madeira Rally last year.