Bumper Entry for Rally Portugal

Next weekend's Vodafone Rally de Portugal (May 18-21) will feature the biggest entry yet for the new generation WRC cars, with 14 taking to the start of one of the most popular gravel rallies in Europe.

The Toyota Gazoo Racing team (I still can't say that without feeling a little bit ill) will field three cars for the first time in 2017, as Esapekka Lappi joins regular runners Juho Hänninen and Jari-Matti Latvala in the most Finnish team ever.

Citroën are going all-out and running four cars; with a full complement of works drivers in Kris Meeke, Craig Breen and Stéphane Lefebvre taking to the start. Khalid Al Qassimi, who will be entering the Dakar Rally this year, is to pilot the fourth C3 WRC. This is a big event for the French outfit. 2017 has proven to be a tough season so far and, while the C3 has the speed, it also seems to be struggling with its dampers on rough stages. Meeke and co. will be keen to prove that they've overcome these problems.

M-Sport are also going for big numbers in Portugal; with Mads Østberg back for the Martin Prokop-run team, while Sébastien Ogier, Ott Tänak and Elfyn Evans will be in the works M-Sport cars. Prokop will be making his first 2017 start in Portugal, albeit in a 2016-spec Fiesta, running in the WRC Trophy. He will be fighting for victory against Valeriy Gorban in a MINI WRC and Jean-Michel Raoux in a Citroën.

The Hyundai team will be almost unchanged; with Thierry Neuville, Dani Sordo and Hayden Paddon piloting the i20 WRCs as usual. The only change is that Seb Marshall will be sitting alongside Paddon instead of regular co-driver, John Kennard. The Australian aggravated a hip injury in Argentina so has been advised not to compete in Portugal. Kennard is actually due to retire after Rally Finland in July, so this is a great opportunity for Paddon's new partner, Marshall, to get some more competitive seat time before he takes over full-time at Rallye Deutschland.

This makes a total of 17 World Rally Cars, which isn't bad at all. Hopefully this is a sign that the championship is growing in stature and that we have more big entry lists to look forward to. So, out of the 14 who really have a shot (the 2016 cars will likely be well off the pace), who is going to come out on top? I don't think anyone can deny that Thierry Neuville will be a force. He really is back in the groove after a difficult couple of seasons and, with two wins under his belt already this year, he would be a safe bet for victory.

As I have already said, Citroën have a lot to prove and Meeke was definitely quick in Argentina, so should be here too. Provided the C3 doesn't throw him off the road again, I think the Irishman has a real shot at the win. You can also never rule out Sébastien Ogier. The Frenchman didn't seem happy in the Fiesta in Argentina, but he will be looking to bounce back and keep hold of his place at the top of the championship standings. On the subject of Fords, let's not forget Efyn Evans. The 28-year old led the way for almost all of Rally Argentina, where the DMACK tyres seemed almost untouchable. Evans is quietly confident that the DMACK rubber will be just as effective on the Portugese stages and, after coming within a whisker of victory, the quiet Welshman will be keen to prove it wasn't a fluke.

Portugal is also the first mandatory event for crews competing in WRC2 so, behind the WRC cars, will be an army of hard-charging R5 machines. Andreas Mikkelsen, who has still been unable to secure a drive in a 2017 WRC car, will return in the Skoda Fabia and is likely to be the man to beat. It really is a crime that the Norwegian isn't in a top-flight seat, so let's hope he continues to impress and is picked up by one of the big teams soon. There have been a few shaky performances from WRC drivers so far this season, so there could well be some vacancies come the end of the year...

It's just a shame that we have to wait another week for it all to kick off. Keep an eye on Maximum Attack! for more updates as the rally gets underway.

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