With almost two decades of history, the ACP 500 Miles is one of the largest and most important regularity rallies in the Iberian Peninsula, not only due to the quantity and quality of the cars that participate, spanning the 1950s to the 1970s but also due to the very challenging particular opportunity to travel, in a single day, the longest road in Europe: the emblematic Estrada Nacional 2.
This year, the caravan crossed Nacional 2 in the original format, from north to south, from Km 0 in Chaves to Km 738 in Faro, with the 500 Miles ending in Olhão, in the recreational port of that Algarve city, already early in the morning. With a total of 77 teams registered, this was one of the most competitive editions ever and also one of the toughest, due to the atmospheric conditions that the competitors faced while crossing mainland Portugal, with periods of rain, thunderstorms and even hail.
Although some of the ACP 500 Miles classics were manufactured more than 70 years ago, the abandonment rate was very low, as more than 90 per cent of the teams managed to complete the 19 regular special stages and reach Olhão, including crossing the Serra do Caldeirão, late at night and after many kilometres of travel.
Never say never
In addition to the impeccable condition of the historic machines, the level of preparation of the teams was also extremely high, as the discussion for victory in the different categories (depending on the year of manufacture of the car) lasted, literally, until the last kilometres. A reality that can be explained, in part, by the ACP regularity navigation course, available online. To understand the short differences at the top of the classification, in the municipality of Almodôvar, immediately before entering the Algarve, just 9.8 seconds separated the eight lowest-scoring teams in the race!
In the end, just 2 seconds decided the victory in Category F, won by Nuno Serrano and Tiago Caio, in a 1968 Porsche 912 Coupé, just in front of Evandro and Adriana Gueiros, in a 1970 Porsche 911 E 2.2. The podium was completed with the team of Jorge Magalhães Correia and Eduardo Carpinteiro Albino, in another Porsche 911 E from 1968.
In Category E, reserved for older cars, the excitement also lasted until the finish, in Olhão, where just 5.3s separated the winners, Pedro Carregosa and Ekta Sureschandre, in the beautiful Jaguar Mk2 3.8 from 1960, from the rare Fiat Derivazione Abarth from 1959 driven by Nuno Pereira de Melo and Francisco Pereira de Melo. Another beautiful example, the 1959 MG A by Pedro and Duarte Brito, completed the Category E podium.
In Category G, Sancho Ramalho and António Caldeira took their 1973 Alfa Romeo 2000 GTV to victory, with a 5.7s advantage over Luís Miguel Garcia and João Serôdio, in a 1974 Fiat 124 Special T 1600. Victor Júlio and José Santos Madeira were also in evidence, with the Lancia Fulvia 1.3 from 1972, taking the final place on the podium.
After another successful edition, the ACP Classics team is already aiming for the 20th edition of the ACP 500 Miles, in 2025.
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