If ever there had been doubt, Rally of Portugal confirmed the suspicions. Super 2000s are superior to orthodox group N cars! Seventeen S2000s had been entered on this IRC qualifying event, the best placed turbocharged group N only finishing fifth.

Although the Portuguese Madeira Rally was established as an IRC event, the world championship event was also accepted into the series as a one-off, in the Rally of Portugal's gap-year. Two days instead of three, S2000s instead of World Rally Cars, but in other respects it was much the same as before.

The event started with an asphalt superspecial around a car park in downtown Faro, an event which in a warm spring evening was delightful. Drivers had to run on gravel tyres so it was also spectacular! The rally proper was run on gravel stages in the hinterland of Algarve and the south part of Alentejo province. Once again various leading drivers were invited to the event, with Marcus Gronholm as zero-car driver, Juho Hanninen, Francois Duval, Dani Sola, Manfred Stohl and Auriol. Andreas Aigner came to the event as teammate to his younger Portuguese Red Bull teammate Bernardo Sousa. IRC events are traditionally BF Goodrich territory but Sola, Stohl and the Red Bull cars all used Pirellis, but of customer rather than the latest anti-puncture WRC control design.

Rossetti was quickest on the Faro stage but found life difficult on the Friday, "It is our first time here, and we were delayed in Aigner's dust after the Austrian had to stop and change a flat tyre". On the first leg of seven stages, the lead changed every stage By lunchtime the Italian was up to second and battling with Vouilloz eventually leading midday Friday after Portuguese driver Magalhaes had gone straight on at a junction and lost 3 minutes. Freddy Loix was up to fourth but lost time with a puncture. On stage 2 Anton Alen retired with clutch failure on his Abarth and Armindo Araujo stopped with turbo failure trouble. Janos Toth retired his Peugeot with a broken alternator cable and Pirelli cars of Sola (Fiat) and Stohl (Peugeot) both had engine problems which caused power loss. Miguel Campos in the BFG prize winning Peugeot almost came to blows with fellow countryman Fontes, who was struggling through a stage with broken suspension and creating an endless dust storm. "Three times I had stop to let the dust clear", he moaned. Didier Auriol got into the top ten, smiling from ear to ear, enjoying every moment. Hannunen, the top normal Group N car, was in despair only just in the top ten.

The battle for the lead continued through the afternoon, Vouilloz swapping with Rossetti all the time, the gap never more than 5.9 seconds and often a lot less. It started to rain in the midday service and that threw the crews into a tyre choice trauma. Early running crews such as Duval and Kopecky fitted softer compounds but when they reached the stages it was virtually all dry. Later drivers gambled on harder tyres, and found the rain came down increasingly strongly! Loix disappeared on stage 6 with two punctures and one spare, Stohl punctured and had to stop and change as did Aigner and Basso, Jean Joseph in his demonstration C2R2 Max was merrily whislting along except that a door came off its hinges, Kopecky had to revert to manual gearshifting, Sola continued with engine troubles, while Sousa had to stop when the radiator and the intercooler were damaged in a water crossing. Gradually the orthodox Group N cars were fighting back. Hanninen had closed up to 7th but Adruzilo Lopes was the next at 13th. The diesel category was headed by the SEAT on Francisco Leite. Seven changes of leader, five different drivers making scratch times, what a first half!

Loix did not restart on the Saturday, no point to carry on but Alen and Araujo restarted. Rossetti headed off first car on the road for the second half but the intensity behind him was never ending. On the first three stages three different drivers held second place. Duval on his first gravel rally with S2000 was gradually getting the feel and passed Vouilloz into second, closing up to 9.3 seconds behind Rossetti, who had wrongly tightened up his suspension settings. Duval then struck trouble on the road section between stage 9 and 10, stopping with wheel bearing failure. Vouilloz meanwhile punctured and stopped to change the wheel so finally Rossetti was unchallenged and in second place now was Kopecky, who only 24 hours before had been lying ninth and Auriol was third, but it was not so simple... Auriol had a curious sudden oversteer on left hand bends. No immediate diagnosis was forthcoming and the car was withdrawn! Vouilloz was back to third. Sola's engine was getting worse and he withdrew. Campos had a bad vibration at high speed but continued, finally retiring with alternator failure on the road to the finish when eighth while. Alen lost second gear, creating a violent noise inside the car, and he withdrew at midday as well and sixth placed Tirabassi went off the road and retired.

In "real" Group N cars Hanninen was now fourth and Aigner eleventh. Liete retired with clutch troubles so the sole remaining Diesel was now Cavigioli in his Fiat. With three stages to go the pressure finally eased except for Basso's successful attack on fourth place

3mmm
photo1:  Luca Rossetti is winning in IRC
photo2:  Duval is back in top rallying
photo3: Didier Auriol was back and smiling
photo4: Alen and Hanninen

Final classification Portugal de Rally (IRC 2)
1 Rossetti/Chiarcossi Peugeot 207 S2000 2h57m50.1s
2 Kopecky/Stary Peugeot 207 S2000 2h58m35.9s
3 Vouilloz/Klinger Peugeot 207 S2000 2h59m27.9s
4 Basso/Dotta Fiat Grande Punto S2000 3h00m08.8s
5 Hanninen/Markkula Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX 3h00.11.3s
6 Magalhaes/Castro Peugeot 207 S2000 3h01m01.7s
7 Stohl/Minor Peugeot 207 S2000 3h01m41.4s
8 Aigner/Wicha Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX 3h05m59.6s
9 Peres/Dias Mitsubishi Lancer 4h07m54.3s

Overall drivers: Rossetti 20p; Vouilloz 14, Kopecky 12; Alen 6; Basso & Travaglia 5; Hanninen 4; Magalhaes & Sola 3; Stohl & Isik 2; Loix & Aigner 1p

Overall manufacturers: Peugeot 36p; Abarth 16, Mitsubishi 4