# 2012 Rally de Portugal

The 2012 Rally de Portugal was the fourth round of the 2012 World Rally Championship season and was based in Faro, Portugal. It started with a street stage in Lisbon on 29 March and concluded on 1 April after twenty-two special stages, totalling 434 competitive kilometres.

## Report
### Before the rally

The rally was preceded by the "Fafe Rally Sprint", a single-stage exhibition event run over the famous Fafe stages in the country's north which was won by Ford World Rally Team driver Petter Solberg. Solberg's team-mate, Jari-Matti Latvala won the rally's qualifying stage on the Wednesday before the start of the rally. Latvala elected to run seventeenth on the road as a result; by contrast, Citroën Total World Rally Team drivers Mikko Hirvonen and Sébastien Loeb elected to run first and second respectively.

## Results
### Event standings

| Pos. | Driver | Co-driver | Car | Time | Difference | Points |
| Overall |||||||
| 1. | Mads Østberg | Jonas Andersson | Ford Fiesta RS WRC | 4:21:16.1 | 0.0 | 25 |
| 2. | Evgeny Novikov | Denis Giraudet | Ford Fiesta RS WRC | 4:22:49.3 | 1:33.2 | 18 |
| 3. | Petter Solberg | Chris Patterson | Ford Fiesta RS WRC | 4:23:11.7 | 1:55.6 | 15 |
| 4. | Nasser Al-Attiyah | Giovanni Bernacchini | Citroën DS3 WRC | 4:27:21.9 | 6:05.8 | 12 |
| 5. | Martin Prokop | Zdeněk Hrůza | Ford Fiesta RS WRC | 4:27:25.3 | 6:09.2 | 10 |
| 6. | Dennis Kuipers | Robin Buysmans | Ford Fiesta RS WRC | 4:28:03.4 | 6:47.3 | 8 |
| 7. | Sébastien Ogier | Julien Ingrassia | Škoda Fabia S2000 | 4:28:25.1 | 7:09.0 | 6 |
| 8. | Thierry Neuville | Nicolas Gilsoul | Citroën DS3 WRC | 4:29:54.0 | 8:37.9 | 4 |
| 9. | Jari Ketomaa | Mika Stenberg | Ford Fiesta RS WRC | 4:31:08.9 | 9:52.8 | 2 |
| 10. | Peter van Merksteijn Jr. | Eddy Chevaillier | Citroën DS3 WRC | 4:31:27.1 | 10:11.0 | 1 |
| 11. | Dani Sordo | Carlos del Barrio | Mini John Cooper Works WRC | 4:33:39.8 | 12:23.7 | 3 |
| 13. | Jari-Matti Latvala | Miikka Anttila | Ford Fiesta RS WRC | 4:38:18.7 | 17:02.6 | 2 |
| 14. | Ott Tänak | Kuldar Sikk | Ford Fiesta RS WRC | 4:38:31.2 | 17:15.1 | 1 |
| SWRC |||||||
| 1. (16.) | Hayden Paddon | John Kennard | Škoda Fabia S2000 | 4:49:41.2 | 0.0 | 25 |
| 2. (17.) | Maciej Oleksowicz | Andrzej Obrebowski | Ford Fiesta S2000 | 4:54:43.5 | 5:02.3 | 18 |
| 3. (18.) | Pedro Meireles | Mário Castro | Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X R4 | 4:58:31.5 | 8:50.3 | 15 |
| WRC Academy |||||||
| 1. | Alastair Fisher | Daniel Barritt | Ford Fiesta R2 | 2:32:02.9 | 0.0 | 28 |
| 2. | Brendan Reeves | Rhianon Smyth | Ford Fiesta R2 | 2:32:43.2 | 40.3 | 20 |
| 3. | Pontus Tidemand | Stig Rune Skjærmoen | Ford Fiesta R2 | 2:34:08.6 | 2:05.7 | 16 |
| 4. | Timo van der Marel | Erwin Berkhof | Ford Fiesta R2 | 2:37:07.9 | 5:05.0 | 12 |
| 5. | Jose Antonio Suarez | Candido Carrera | Ford Fiesta R2 | 2:39:37.4 | 7:34.5 | 10 |
| 6. | Fredrik Ahlin | Morten Erik Abrahamsen | Ford Fiesta R2 | 2:42:19.6 | 10:16.7 | 11 |
| 7. | Elfyn Evans | Andrew Edwards | Ford Fiesta R2 | 2:47:58.2 | 15:55.3 | 6 |
| 8. | João Silva | José Janela | Ford Fiesta R2 | 2:49:17.7 | 17:14.8 | 4 |
| 9. | John MacCrone | Stuart Loudon | Ford Fiesta R2 | 2:52:01.9 | 19:59.0 | 2 |
    ^† – The WRC Academy features only the first 13 stages of the rally.

### Special stages

| Day | Stage | Time (UTC+1) | Name | Length | Winner | Time | Avg. spd. | Rally leader |
| Leg 1 (29 Mar) | SS1 | 15:00 | SSS Lisboa | 3.27 km | Petter Solberg | 2:57.1 | 66.47 km/h | Petter Solberg |
| Leg 1 (29 Mar) | SS2 | 20:19 | Gomes Aires | 10.19 km | Petter Solberg | 6:38.1 | 92.15 km/h | Petter Solberg |
| Leg 1 (29 Mar) | SS3 | 20:49 | Santa Clara | 14.29 km | Jari-Matti Latvala | 8:34.4 | 100.01 km/h | Jari-Matti Latvala |
| Leg 1 (29 Mar) | SS4 | 21:25 | Ourique | 11.10 km | Ott Tänak | 6:45.5 | 98.55 km/h | Jari-Matti Latvala |
| Leg 2 (30 Mar) | SS5 | 12:01 | Tavira 1 | 25.01 km | Dani Sordo | 17:55.3 | 83.73 km/h | Petter Solberg |
| Leg 2 (30 Mar) | SS6 | 12:36 | Alcarias 1 | 25.15 km | Dani Sordo | 20:14.7 | 74.54 km/h | Mikko Hirvonen |
| Leg 2 (30 Mar) | SS7 | 13:28 | S. Brás de Alportel 1 | 16.18 km | Dani Sordo | 13:11.7 | 73.57 km/h | Mikko Hirvonen |
| Leg 2 (30 Mar) | SS8 | 15:56 | Tavira 2 | 25.01 km | stages cancelled due to poor weather | stages cancelled due to poor weather | stages cancelled due to poor weather | | Mikko Hirvonen |
| Leg 2 (30 Mar) | SS9 | 16:31 | Alcarias 2 | 25.15 km | stages cancelled due to poor weather | stages cancelled due to poor weather | stages cancelled due to poor weather | Mikko Hirvonen |
| Leg 2 (30 Mar) | SS10 | 17:23 | S. Brás de Alportel 2 | 16.18 km | stages cancelled due to poor weather | stages cancelled due to poor weather | stages cancelled due to poor weather | Mikko Hirvonen |
| Leg 3 (31 Mar) | SS11 | 09:49 | Almodovar 1 | 26.22 km | Dani Sordo | 16:30.8 | 95.27 km/h | Mikko Hirvonen |
| Leg 3 (31 Mar) | SS12 | 10:43 | Vascao 1 | 25.29 km | Petter Solberg | 17:03.5 | 88.95 km/h | Mikko Hirvonen |
| Leg 3 (31 Mar) | SS13 | 11:33 | Loulé 1 | 22.57 km | Petter Solberg | 15:49.7 | 85.56 km/h | Mikko Hirvonen |
| Leg 3 (31 Mar) | SS14 | 14:39 | Almodovar 2 | 26.22 km | Petter Solberg | 16:06.9 | 97.62 km/h | Mikko Hirvonen |
| Leg 3 (31 Mar) | SS15 | 15:33 | Vascao 2 | 25.29 km | Petter Solberg | 16:16.5 | 93.24 km/h | Mikko Hirvonen |
| Leg 3 (31 Mar) | SS16 | 16:23 | Loulé 2 | 22.57 km | Dani Sordo | 15:25.0 | 87.84 km/h | Mikko Hirvonen |
| Leg 4 (1 Apr) | SS17 | 07:59 | Silves 1 | 21.42 km | Jari-Matti Latvala | 12:01.2 | 106.92 km/h | Mikko Hirvonen |
| Leg 4 (1 Apr) | SS18 | 08:52 | Santana de Serra 1 | 31.04 km | Jari-Matti Latvala | 22:48.0 | 81.68 km/h | Mikko Hirvonen |
| Leg 4 (1 Apr) | SS19 | 09:42 | Sambro 1 | 5.08 km | Petter Solberg | 3:09.2 | 96.66 km/h | Mikko Hirvonen |
| Leg 4 (1 Apr) | SS20 | 12:23 | Silves 2 | 21.42 km | Petter Solberg | 12:05.2 | 106.33 km/h | Mikko Hirvonen |
| Leg 4 (1 Apr) | SS21 | 13:16 | Santana de Serra 2 | 31.04 km | Jari-Matti Latvala | 22:54.1 | 81.32 km/h | Mikko Hirvonen |
| Leg 4 (1 Apr) | SS22 | 14:10 | Sambro 2 (Power stage) | 5.08 km | Dani Sordo | 3:10.4 | 96.05 km/h | Mikko Hirvonen |
Notes:
* ^1 — Mikko Hirvonen won the rally, but was excluded when event scrutineers found that parts in his Citroën DS3 WRC did not match the parts listed by his team. Hirvonen's exclusion mean that Adapta World Rally Team driver Mads Østberg was declared the winner

### Power Stage

The "Power stage" was a 5.08 km (3.16 mi) stage at the end of the rally.
| Pos | Driver | Time | Diff. | Avg. speed | Points |
| 1 | Dani Sordo | 3:10.473 | 0.000 | 96.1 km/h | 3 |
| 2 | Jari-Matti Latvala | 3:10.747 | +0.274 | 95.9 km/h | 2 |
| 3 | Ott Tänak | 3:12.569 | +2.096 | 95.0 km/h | 1 |

## Championship standings after the event
### Drivers' championship

| Position | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | 7th | 8th | 9th | 10th |
| Points | 25 | 18 | 15 | 12 | 10 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 1 |
| Pos | Driver | MON | SWE | MEX | POR | ARG | GRE | NZL | FIN | GER | GBR | FRA | ITA | ESP | Pts |
| 1 | Sébastien Loeb | 1 $^1$ | 6 $^1$ | 1 $^2$ | Ret | | | | | | | | | | 66 |
| 2 | Petter Solberg | 3 | 4 $^2$ | 3 $^1$ | 3 | | | | | | | | | | 62 |
| 3 | Mads Østberg | | 3 | 4 $^3$ | 1 | | | | | | | | | | 53 |
| 4 | Mikko Hirvonen | 4 $^2$ | 2 | 2 | DSQ | | | | | | | | | | 50 |
| 5 | Evgeny Novikov | 5 $^3$ | 5 | Ret | 2 | | | | | | | | | | 39 |
| 6 | Jari-Matti Latvala | Ret | 1 $^3$ | Ret | 13 $^2$ | | | | | | | | | | 28 |
| 7 | Dani Sordo | 2 | Ret | | 11 $^1$ | | | | | | | | | | 21 |
| 8 | Nasser Al-Attiyah | | 21 | 6 | 4 | | | | | | | | | | 20 |
| 9 | Ott Tänak | 8 | Ret | 5 | 14 $^3$ | | | | | | | | | | 15 |
| 10 | Martin Prokop | 9 | 9 | | 5 | | | | | | | | | | 14 |
| 11 | Sébastien Ogier | Ret | 11 | 8 | 7 | | | | | | | | | | 10 |
| 12 | François Delecour | 6 | | | | | | | | | | | | | 8 |
| 13 | Dennis Kuipers | | | | 6 | | | | | | | | | | 8 |
| 14 | Armindo Araújo | 10 | 15 | 7 | 15 | | | | | | | | | | 7 |
| 15 | Henning Solberg | 13 | 7 | DNS | DNS | | | | | | | | | | 6 |
| 16 | Pierre Campana | 7 | | | | | | | | | | | | | 6 |
| 17 | Thierry Neuville | Ret | 12 | 13 | 8 | | | | | | | | | | 4 |
| 18 | Patrik Sandell | | 8 | | Ret | | | | | | | | | | 4 |
| 19 | Jari Ketomaa | | Ret | | 9 | | | | | | | | | | 2 |
| 20 | Ken Block | | | 9 | | | | | | | | | | | 2 |
| 21 | Peter van Merksteijn Jr. | | 19 | | 10 | | | | | | | | | | 1 |
| 22 | Ricardo Triviño | | | 10 | 26 | | | | | | | | | | 1 |
| 23 | Eyvind Brynildsen | | 10 | | | | | | | | | | | | 1 |
| Pos | Driver | MON | SWE | MEX | POR | ARG | GRE | NZL | FIN | GER | GBR | FRA | ITA | ESP | Pts |
Key :
| Colour | Result |
| Gold | Winner |
| Silver | 2nd place |
| Bronze | 3rd place |
| Green | Points finish |
| Blue | Non-points finish |
| Blue | Non-classified finish (NC) |
| Purple | Did not finish (Ret) |
| Black | Excluded (EX) |
| Black | Disqualified (DSQ) |
| White | Did not start (DNS) |
| White | Cancelled (C) |
| Blank | Withdrew entry from the event (WD) |
Notes:
* $^1$ $^2$ $^3$ refers to the classification of the drivers on the 'Power Stage', where bonus points are awarded 3–2–1 for the fastest three drivers on the stage.

### Manufacturers' championship

| Pos | Manufacturer | MON | SWE | MEX | POR | ARG | GRE | NZL | FIN | GER | GBR | FRA | ITA | ESP | Pts |
| 1 | Citroën Total World Rally Team | 37 | 28 | 43 | 0 | | | | | | | | | | 108 |
| 2 | Ford World Rally Team | 15 | 40 | 15 | 26 | | | | | | | | | | 96 |
| 3 | M-Sport Ford World Rally Team | 16 | 12 | 10 | 31 | | | | | | | | | | 69 |
| 4 | Qatar World Rally Team | | 8 | 8 | 15 | | | | | | | | | | 31 |
| 5 | Mini WRC Team$^†$ | 26 | | | | | | | | | | | | | 26 |
| 6 | Citroën Junior World Rally Team | | | 6 | 12 | | | | | | | | | | 18 |
| 7 | Adapta World Rally Team | | | 12 | | | | | | | | | | | 12 |
| 8 | Brazil World Rally Team | | | | 10 | | | | | | | | | | 10 |
| – | Armindo Araújo World Rally Team$^‡$ | 4 | | | | | | | | | | | | | 0 |
| – | Palmeirinha Rally$^‡$ | 2 | | | | | | | | | | | | | 0 |
| Pos | Manufacturer | MON | SWE | MEX | POR | ARG | GRE | NZL | FIN | GER | GBR | FRA | ITA | ESP | Pts |
Notes:
* † — The Mini WRC Team lost its manufacturer status in February when parent company BMW withdrew works support from the team, demoting them to customer team status. The team kept the points it scored on Rallye Monte Carlo although it was no longer classified as a manufacturer entrant. They were replaced by the WRC Team Mini Portugal as the official Mini works team.
* ‡ — Armindo Araújo World Rally Team and Palmeirinha Rally merged to form WRC Team Mini Portugal. The points they scored at the Rallye Monte Carlo were removed from the manufacturers' championship.

### SWRC Drivers' championship

| Pos | Driver | MON | SWE | POR | NZL | FIN | GBR | FRA | ESP | Pts |
| 1 | Craig Breen | 1 | 2 | Ret | | | | | | 43 |
| 2 | Hayden Paddon | | 4 | 1 | | | | | | 37 |
| 3 | Maciej Oleksowicz | | 6 | 2 | | | | | | 26 |
| 4 | Per-Gunnar Andersson | Ret | 1 | | | | | | | 25 |
| 5 | Pontus Tidemand | | 3 | | | | | | | 15 |
| 6 | Pedro Meireles | | | 3 | | | | | | 15 |
| 7 | Yazeed Al-Rajhi | | 5 | Ret | | | | | | 10 |
| 8 | Alister McRae | | 7 | | | | | | | 6 |
| – | Giandomenico Basso | Ret | | | | | | | | 0 |
| Pos | Driver | MON | SWE | POR | NZL | FIN | GBR | FRA | ESP | Pts |
Key :
| Colour | Result |
| Gold | Winner |
| Silver | 2nd place |
| Bronze | 3rd place |
| Green | Points finish |
| Blue | Non-points finish |
| Blue | Non-classified finish (NC) |
| Purple | Did not finish (Ret) |
| Black | Excluded (EX) |
| Black | Disqualified (DSQ) |
| White | Did not start (DNS) |
| White | Cancelled (C) |
| Blank | Withdrew entry from the event (WD) |

### WRC Academy Drivers' Championship

| Pos | Driver | POR | GRE | FIN | GER | FRA | ESP | Pts |
| 1 | Alastair Fisher | 1 $^3$ | | | | | | 28 |
| 2 | Brendan Reeves | 2 $^2$ | | | | | | 20 |
| 3 | Pontus Tidemand | 3 $^1$ | | | | | | 16 |
| 4 | Timo van der Marel | 4 | | | | | | 12 |
| 5 | Fredrik Ahlin | 6 $^3$ | | | | | | 11 |
| 6 | Jose Antonio Suarez | 5 | | | | | | 10 |
| 7 | Elfyn Evans | 7 | | | | | | 6 |
| 8 | João Silva | 8 | | | | | | 4 |
| 9 | John MacCrone | 9 | | | | | | 2 |
| — | Christopher Duplessis | Ret | | | | | | 0 |
| Pos | Driver | POR | GRE | FIN | GER | FRA | ESP | Pts |
Key :
| Colour | Result |
| Gold | Winner |
| Silver | 2nd place |
| Bronze | 3rd place |
| Green | Points finish |
| Blue | Non-points finish |
| Blue | Non-classified finish (NC) |
| Purple | Did not finish (Ret) |
| Black | Excluded (EX) |
| Black | Disqualified (DSQ) |
| White | Did not start (DNS) |
| White | Cancelled (C) |
| Blank | Withdrew entry from the event (WD) |
Notes:
* $^1$ refers to the number of stages won, where a bonus point is awarded per stage win.