Rally Madeira Legend 2026: What's On and Where to Watch
Sixty-three crews are entered for the Rally Madeira Legend, which leaves Funchal at 18:30 on Friday 23 October and runs 10 timed stages from Santo da Serra to Boaventura in the kind of cars that filled these roads when the Rali Vinho da Madeira was a European Championship round. Roads close across the east and north of the island on both days, and the finish is in the middle of the city on Saturday evening.
Four Night Stages on Friday, Six More on Saturday
Friday is the short, loud half. The ceremonial start is at 18:30 on Avenida Arriaga, outside the organising club’s headquarters, and the first car is due at Santo da Serra at 20:20. Crews run Santo da Serra (10.21 km) and Santo Poiso (5.85 km) twice each in the dark, regroup at the Santo da Serra golf club at 21:45, and are parked up at Praça CR7 by 23:55.
Saturday opens at 08:00 and reaches much further. Palheiro Ferreiro (7.15 km) runs at 08:55 and again at 10:40 with Meia Serra (6.86 km) in between, then the rally crosses the island for Serra d’Água at 12:35, Boaventura at 13:15 and Portela at 14:00. Ten stages make 76.87 km against the clock inside a 331 km route, and the podium is back on Avenida Arriaga at 16:30.
A Lancia Stratos, an Audi Quattro and 63 Entries
The entry list is the reason to go. It carries a Lancia Stratos, a Lancia Rally 037, an Audi Sport Quattro, a Ford Focus RS WRC, a Volkswagen Golf IV Kit-Car, a Ford Fiesta S2000 and several generations of Ford Escort RS, split across historic, Spirit, Open and Show classes. Car number 1 belongs to the Belgian Patrick Snijers, the 1994 European Rally Champion, in a Ford Sierra RS Cosworth 4x4.
All but one of the 63 entries came through scrutineering at Praça CR7 on Friday morning, where the Rally Village has been running since Thursday evening with food stalls, competition cars on display and talks about Madeiran motorsport. Club Sports da Madeira publish every official document on the rally’s own site, and the free Sportity app carries the bulletins as they are issued under the channel password RML26.
Which Roads Close, and When
Friday night closes two stretches of road in the hills above Santa Cruz and Funchal. The ER 207, ER 225, ER 212 and ER 110 between the Santo da Serra golf course and Serragem are closed from 19:20 to 23:35, and the ER 202 from Quatro Estradas up to Poiso from 19:45 to 23:59. Nothing on the closure schedule touches the VR1, so the airport run is unaffected all weekend.
Saturday is the day to check before you set off. Caminho dos Pretos (ER 201) from Palheiro Ferreiro to Terreiro da Luta closes 07:55 to 12:10; the ER 215 and ER 202 from Nicho to Quatro Estradas 08:20 to 10:50; the ER 105 and ER 228 from Serra d’Água to Rosário 11:35 to 14:05; Boaventura to Arco de São Jorge 12:15 to 14:45; and the ER 110 from Porto da Cruz to Serragem 13:00 to 14:30. That removes the usual approaches to Encumeada and a stretch of the north coast, so if Saturday was your day for a levada walk up there, go early or keep it for Sunday.
The Weekend Ends With a Slalom Through Central Funchal
The prizes are handed out at 16:30, and then the cars come back out. From 18:00 the crews run a 1.1 km slalom on Avenida Sá Carneiro, looping the Rotunda Sá Carneiro, the roundabout at the top of Rua Dr. Brito Câmara and Avenida Calouste Gulbenkian. It is optional and counts for nothing, which is exactly the point: the organisers laid it on so drivers could show off with no result at stake. Those streets are closed from 16:45 to 21:45.
The organisers are expecting a crowd, so be standing there well before 18:00 if you want to see more than the back of someone’s head.
