Rally of Portugal: What does the remote assistance at Arganil entail?

This week, Portugal hosts the sixth round of the 2026 season of the WRC. Rally Renowned for its demanding and challenging terrain, it is the true first gravel rally of the year, excluding the Safari Rally Kenya, held last March, which had a unique profile. But one of the most distinctive features of this Rally Portugal will be its format: this Thursday, May 07th, the crews will tackle three special stages, then return to Figueira da Foz for a Tire Fitting Zone where only tires can be changed, before embarking on a demanding second day of 96,22 kilometers, but without any real service at the halfway point. Instead, the organizers have planned a remote service area, based this Friday in Arganil: while this will allow teams to work on the cars, it will be limited, completely changing the approach to this opening stage of the Rally Portugal.

Rally Portugal: The Arganil remote service conundrum

In practical terms, this remote service means that crews will have to carry additional parts in their cars. Only certain of these onboard parts can be used at the Arganil service stop: caution will therefore be necessary at the start of the rally, and the right choices must be made. Among the parts that can be changed if they are carried in the race cars, the anti-roll bar is one example. In addition to these restrictions, Race Control has also added its own touch by recently publishing a document specifying what will and will not be permitted at Arganil on Friday. For example, it states that it will be possible to top up brake fluid… but not to use tape, which would allow for repairing a large part of damaged bodywork, nor will it be permitted to use hose clamps.

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Manual use, the only option allowed for the teams

But the challenges won't stop at just the permitted tools and practices. In addition to this list, it's important to understand that only manually operated tools will be allowed to enter this remote service area, also known as the Remote Service Zone, via the teams. For example, a team can bring a wheel alignment tool, a hand pump, or a battery-powered air compressor to their car, but cannot use tools to change shock absorbers if they are hydraulically or foot-operated, nor can they use an oil change device that operates via an air pump. Ingenuity, endurance, and caution will therefore undoubtedly be the watchwords of this Rally of Portugal.