The organization of the 40th Faro Motorcycle Rally held this Sunday a “positive balanceof the event, considering that the objectives were “achieved” even with the restrictions imposed by the contingency situation decreed in Portugal to prevent fires.
The Government’s declaration of the contingency situation, which covered the four days of the concentration, held between Thursday and Sunday, and was extended for another two days, forced the organizers do not use a forest area due to the risk of firein a period in which a heat wave affected Portugal, with temperatures above 40 degrees.
Asked by the Lusa agency about the evaluation of the organization of the 40th edition of the Algarve International Motorcycle Gathering, José Amaro, president of the Motoclube de Faro, replied that “it was positive, taking into account all the anomalies that occurred, with some impositions”derived from the prohibition to remain in forest areas, within the scope of the state of contingency declared by the Government.
José Amaro acknowledged that, during the period of concentration, it was necessary to “move over a little” from “some” of these restrictions imposed just two days before the start of the event, which usually brings together more than 30,000 people in Vale das Almas, in Faro, in an area near the airport that occupies a part of the wooded area.
To prevent the campsite from occupying wooded areas, overcoming the restrictions imposed by the authorities a few days before the start of the concentration, when thousands of participants were already in the Algarve or on their way to the region to attend the event, Urban land was arranged to avoid camping sand installed in the forest area.
But José Amaro argued that “there were no conditionsin that area to welcome people and, therefore, the organization decided to “take the risk” of allowing them to return to the usual camping areas, because, if it was not done, “endanger the safety of people“, he justified.
“We could not be using land that was not compatible with the needs and where there was not enough space to house the people who came here,” he said, noting that the concentration receives thousands of people each year and “it was already known that, since it was the 40 years, it would be a reference event”.
Faro Motos Gathering will take place but the camp will be moved
The cancellation of the event was out of the equation because “it would create a lot of difficulties for [a organização] comply with all the commitments that it had already made” and “the thousands of people from practically all of Europe who came to the Faro concentration had to be taken into account”, said José Amaro.
“But the objectives were met, even with these restrictions,” said the president of Motoclube, who revealed that “the number of subscribers was around 23,000” and, “in terms of the number of participants, within the venue itself, it was about 35,000. people”.
José Amaro also considered it “strange” that on Tuesday night a fire broke out in Gambelas, in Faro, later spreading to Loulé and affecting part of the forest area where the concentration takes place, but he stressed that this fire “was not within the concentration perimeter” and occurred “even next to the university [do Algarve, campus das Gambelas]which is located about two kilometers from the place of concentration.
The president of the Motoclub showed himself, thus, “satisfiedwith the work carried out in the 40th edition of the Faro rally, which ended this Sunday with the motorcycle parade through the city, and expressed the wish that “the thousands and people present at the rally return home safe and sound”.
Source: Observadora
