Oliveira gets ready for Portugal... in Austria

A Tarmac rally in Austria might be unusual preparation for the mainly gravel-based Vodafone Rally de Portugal this week, but that’s how Daniel Oliveira has warmed up for round four of the FIA World Rally Championship powered by Nokia.

The Brazil World Rally Team driver was a WRC regular last season but has only managed one appearance so far this term when he entered Rally Sweden in a Group N Subaru Impreza.

For the Algarve-based event this week, Oliveira will campaign the Stohl Racing-run Ford Fiesta RS WRC he will use for the balance of 2012.

Having tested the M-Sport-built machine in Austria earlier this month, Oliveira got behind the wheel of a Stohl Racing-prepared Peugeot 207 Super 2000 for Rally Rebenland, an all-asphalt round of the Austrian championship last weekend.

After finishing third overall, Oliveira said he and Portuguese co-driver Carlos Magalhaes were now ready for their WRC return having used the event to find their rhythm in a competitive environment.

“We had a smooth run and didn’t push a lot, although I had to run to the limit in some moments,” said the 25-year-old. “The objective was to finish the race and not to pay attention to the final result; however, we clinched a good third position.”

Brazil World Rally Team is a registered WRC Team and will be eligible for manufacturers’ championship points from Portugal onwards.