Round 6 of the 2026 FIA World Rally Championship concluded in northern Portugal last weekend, with Hankook Tire & Technology completing another full supply cycle as exclusive WRC tire partner. The Vodafone Rally de Portugal, based in Matosinhos, ran from May 7 to 10 across 23 Special Stages covering approximately 345 kilometers of terrain that changed character as the event progressed.

The surface conditions at Rally de Portugal are among the most demanding on the WRC calendar. Stages open on soft, sandy gravel but degrade quickly under repeated passes, transitioning into exposed rock and deeply rutted lines that stress tire construction throughout the event. For a single-supplier arrangement, that range of conditions compresses the entire performance argument into one compound choice per stage.

Cesare Fiorio, Lancia’s competition director, decided in 1970 that the Fulvia — which had won the World Rally Championship in 1972 — was obsolete and that Lancia needed a purpose-built rally car rather than an adapted road car. The car that resulted from this decision was designed by Bertone’s Marcello Gandini, powered by the Ferrari Dino 246’s 2.4-liter V6, and homologated for competition by producing exactly 492 road cars. It won the World Rally Championship in 1974, 1975, and 1976. Then Fiat, which owned Lancia, withdrew works support. The Stratos was replaced by the Fiat 131 Abarth. The absurdity of this decision is apparent in retrospect.