The Automóvel Club de Portugal organization has drawn up a demanding safety plan for the BP Ultimate Rally-Raid Portugal, an unprecedented event with a route of over 1,700 kilometers. The collaboration of the spectators will, as always, be fundamental.
The debut of the World Rally-Raid Championship in Portugal will bring the great stars and machines of the Dakar to the Iberian Peninsula, but the characteristics of the event also represent an added challenge for the Automóvel Club de Portugal team. There are more than 1,000 kilometers of selective sectors, more than 1,700 kilometers of total route, and a gigantic logistical operation that stretches across the Alentejo, Ribatejo and Spanish Extremadura.
To give you an idea, Orlando Romana (Event Director) and Jaime Santos (Security Director) have already covered more than 15,000 kilometers in the field together since December, to draw up a security plan involving more than 400 ACP staff, in conjunction with the GNR, fire departments and teams from the local authorities involved in the event (municipalities and parish councils).
Joint mission
"Safety is always an absolute priority, but a race like this, with such a long route, forces us to reinforce all our resources and try to anticipate as many variables as possible over 1,700 kilometers. It's not easy," says Jaime Santos.
"As always, the collaboration of the spectators will be fundamental here. We'll certainly have many thousands of fans, in Portugal and Spain, but I ask everyone to always respect the orders of the stewards and the security forces, to always stay behind the green tape or net, to always keep a safe distance from the road. Unlike events like the Rally of Portugal, here we won't have the traditional Spectactor Zones - instead, we'll have areas designated as 'Points of Interest' for the public, which are places with good access and visibility to a spectacular part of the route, with good safety conditions. We'll have several Points of Interest on each stage, up to a maximum of seven in a single Selective Sector, so people will be able to disperse throughout the race," revealed the Safety Director.
As the Rally-Raids route is secret, the Points of Interest for the public will only be revealed closer to the event, in accordance with FIA and FIM rules.