# Rallye Açores

The Rallye Açores, known originally as the Volta à Ilha de São Miguel is an international rallying event based on the Portuguese island of São Miguel Island in the Azores.
The rally was first run in 1965 as locals gathered for a race called Volta à Ilha de São Miguel, which translated means Round the Island of São Miguel. This was six years after the establishment of the Rali Vinho da Madeira on the Portuguese island of Madeira, much closer to Africa.
The event has been a long running round of the European Rally Championship and the Portuguese Rally Championship as well as spawning its own championship in the Azores. Unlike other international events held on Atlantic Ocean islands that it is frequently paired with, the Rali Vinho da Madeira and the Rally Islas Canarias it is a gravel event.
Despite its isolated location, over 1500 kilometres from the coast of Portugal, it has since the early 1970s been a part of Portugal's national championship. It became an international event since 1992 when it was first included in the European Rally Championship. The rally was demoted to the European Rally Cup West in 2004 and dropped entirely in 2006. In 2008 the rally regained international standing with the European Rally Cup South series and the Intercontinental Rally Challenge the following year. After the death of the IRC in 2012 the European Championship returned in 2013.
Portuguese drivers have dominated the event. A non-Portuguese driver did not win the event until the first international event was won in 1992 by Yves Loubet. Portuguese drivers continued to dominate, though, with Fernando Peres winning the rally seven times in the international era. Carlos Bica has won the event four times.

## List of winners

Sourced in part from:
| Season | Winner | Car | Report |
| 1965 | Luís Toste | Fiat 1500 |
| 1966 | Luís Cordeiro | Ford Cortina GT |
| 1967 | Luís Cordeiro | Ford Cortina GT |
| 1968 | José Lampreia | Renault 8 Gordini |
| 1969 | Américo Nunes | Porsche 911 S |
| 1970 | Jorge Nascimento | BMW 2002 |
| 1971 | Raúl Mendonça | BMW 2002 |
| 1972 | António Borges | Porsche 911 S |
| 1973 | Giovanni Salvi | Porsche 911 S |
| 1974 | not held | not held |
| 1975 | Manuel Inácio | Opel 1904 SR |
| 1976 | Giovanni Salvi | Ford Escort RS2000 |
| 1977 | "Larama" | Ford Escort RS1600 |
| 1978 | "Larama" | Ford Escort RS1600 |
| 1979 | José Pedro Borges | Opel Kadett GT/E |
| 1980 | Mário Silva | Ford Escort RS |
| 1981 | António Santinho Mendes | Datsun Violet 160J |
| 1982 | Joaquim Santos | Ford Escort RS |
| 1983 | Joaquim Santos | Ford Escort RS |
| 1984 | Joaquim Santos | Ford Escort RS |
| 1985 | Joaquim Moutinho | Renault 5 Turbo |
| 1986 | Jorge Ortigão | Toyota Corolla GT |
| 1987 | Inverno Amaral | Renault 11 Turbo |
| 1988 | Carlos Bica | Lancia Delta HF |
| 1989 | Carlos Bica | Lancia Delta HF |
| 1990 | Carlos Bica | Lancia Delta HF |
| 1991 | Carlos Bica | Lancia Delta Integrale 16V |
| 1992 | Yves Loubet | Toyota Celica GT-Four |
| 1993 | José Miguel | Ford Sierra RS Cosworth |
| 1994 | Fernando Peres | Ford Escort RS Cosworth |
| 1995 | José Miguel | Ford Escort RS Cosworth |
| 1996 | Fernando Peres | Ford Escort RS Cosworth |
| 1997 | Bruno Thiry | Ford Escort RS Cosworth |
| 1998 | Fernando Peres | Ford Escort WRC |
| 1999 | Grégoire De Mévius | Subaru Impreza 555 |
| 2000 | Markko Märtin | Subaru Impreza WRC |
| 2001 | Juha Kankkunen | Subaru Impreza WRC |
| 2002 | Rui Madeira | Ford Focus WRC |
| 2003 | Fernando Peres | Ford Escort RS Cosworth |
| 2004 | Fernando Peres | Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VII |
| 2005 | Fernando Peres | Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VIII |
| 2006 | Armindo Araújo | Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VIII |
| 2007 | Fernando Peres | Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX |
| 2008 | Bruno Magalhães | Peugeot 207 S2000 |
| 2009 | Kris Meeke | Peugeot 207 S2000 | Report |
| 2010 | Bruno Magalhães | Peugeot 207 S2000 | Report |
| 2011 | Juho Hänninen | Škoda Fabia S2000 | Report |
| 2012 | Andreas Mikkelsen | Škoda Fabia S2000 | Report |
| 2013 | Jan Kopecký | Škoda Fabia S2000 | Report |
| 2014 | Bernardo Sousa | Ford Fiesta RRC | Report |
| 2015 | Craig Breen | Peugeot 208 T16 R5 | Report |
| 2016 | Ricardo Moura | Ford Fiesta R5 | Report |
| 2017 | Bruno Magalhães | Škoda Fabia R5 | Report |
| 2018 | Alexey Lukyanuk | Ford Fiesta R5 | Report |
| 2019 | Łukasz Habaj | Škoda Fabia R5 | Report |
| 2020 | Rally cancelled due to COVID-19 | Rally cancelled due to COVID-19 | Rally cancelled due to COVID-19 |
| 2021 | Andreas Mikkelsen | Škoda Fabia R5 Evo | Report |
| 2022 | Efrén Llarena | Škoda Fabia R5 Evo | Report |
| 2023 | Sébastien Loeb | Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 | Report |