Spanish driver Dani Sordo secured the Portuguese Rally Championship title Saturday by a mere 0.8 seconds, concluding a season heavily influenced by a legal battle over whether foreign competitors can claim the national honor.
Sordo, driving a Hyundai i20, claimed victory at the Rali Vidreiro, the final event of the season, narrowly beating Northern Ireland’s Kris Meeke in a Toyota Yaris. The win marked Sordo’s debut year in the Portuguese championship.
The dramatic finish meant that whichever driver crossed the line first in the rally would also be crowned champion. Meeke, who had been seeking a second consecutive title, was denied by Sordo’s razor-thin margin.
The championship outcome this year was directly impacted by a previous legal dispute. In 2024, the Arbitration Court for Sport (TAD) had deemed unconstitutional a rule that prevented national titles from being awarded to foreign athletes. This ruling specifically applied to Meeke’s 2024 championship title.
While the Public Prosecutor’s Office has appealed the TAD’s decision to the Constitutional Court, the Portuguese Automobile and Karting Federation (FPAK) opted this year to award the title to the championship’s top finisher regardless of nationality.
Ni Amorim, president of FPAK, described the season as “the best championship in recent years.” He told the Portuguese news agency Lusa that it was a “spectacular championship” with “two days of rally decided by only 0.8 seconds.”
Sordo himself acknowledged the challenge. “It was a difficult year,” he stated, noting the need to adapt to a new championship. “We worked hard… and we managed to finish the season on a high. I loved this challenge and this tenth-of-a-second duel with Kris [Meeke].”
Sordo led the Rali Vidreiro from the outset. Meeke, however, fought back fiercely, recovering 2.2 seconds in the penultimate special stage. The two entered the final section separated by just 0.6 seconds.
Sordo, a two-time third-place finisher in the World Rally Championship (2008, 2009), ultimately won the final “power stage” by two-tenths of a second, sealing his championship.
Sordo concluded the championship with 161 points. Meeke finished second overall with 154 points. Armindo Araújo, who had led going into the final round, took third place in the championship with 137 points after finishing fifth in the Rali Vidreiro due to a wrong turn and a spin.
Portugal’s Gonçalo Henriques secured third place in the Rali Vidreiro, over a minute behind Sordo. Henrique Moniz won the two-wheel drive category in the rally, while Ricardo Sousa was crowned the overall two-wheel drive champion.
Sordo’s victory also marked the third consecutive title for Hyundai Portugal, following Meeke in 2024 and Ricardo Teodósio in 2023.