Don Luis Vilariño returns to the Galician Rally Championship after more than 10 years away.
1. La Mañana de Galicia's weekly Exmotor segment interviews rally driver Luis Vilariño about his return to the Campeonato Galego de Rally de Asfalto after more than ten years' absence.
2. Luis Vilariño is a multiple Galician rally champion who previously raced in European and national events; co-host Julio González of motorgallego.com leads the interview.
3. The episode's core question is why Vilariño has returned to the regional championship and what changed to make that decision possible.
4. Vilariño credits the Federación Gallega's new regulation capping rallies at 12 continuous hours as the decisive factor, saying it cuts participation costs almost in half compared to the old format that stretched events over one and a half days.
5. He gives the example of the Noia rally starting at 9am Saturday and ending at 6:30pm, allowing him to sleep in his Coruña home and train only one weekday before each event.
6. Vilariño finished third at the Rally del Cocido, describing losing second place to a Friday problem and attributing the deficit partly to reduced night-stage visibility from age.
7. He describes the R5 Copa competition as unusually close: five cars within 4-5 seconds across all timed stages, naming Meira, Bernamás, Otero, Mela, and Yago as rivals within that margin.
8. Meira's opening stage at Rally del Cocido was described as exceptional — Vilariño says he could not have matched that single stage time in twenty attempts.
9. Vilariño plans to complete nearly all nine rounds of the Galician championship, with one confirmed miss at La Mariña due to a trip to New York, substituting the Ferrol August round instead.
10. He mentions one potential additional commitment outside Galicia from a prior election-campaign obligation but says the Galician championship remains his primary focus.
11. Vilariño reflects on the collapse of the Asociación de Pilotos y Copilotos de España, which he led as president; it lost momentum due to internal tensions over personal achievements and federation pressure on members.
12. Julio asks about Formula 1 regulations, and the two discuss reports that the FIA will increase the combustion engine share from 50% to roughly 70% before the Miami Grand Prix to reduce the advantage of cars with better battery management.
13. Both hosts agree the FIA is notoriously inconsistent in its communications, noting that whatever is announced before Miami may or may not materialize.
14. The longer-term plan for F1 from 2031 is described: 2.4-litre V8 atmospheric engines with ecological fuels, reverting from hybrid architecture.
15. Julio describes a viral video filmed by a Portuguese truck driver traversing the A52 highway between Vigo and Madrid, showing four-lane ruts so deep that drivers must straddle lanes or cross into oncoming traffic.
16. He expresses outrage that the Spanish state collects over 41 billion euros in fuel tax annually yet cannot maintain a two-lane functional highway in Galicia.
17. The DS8 electric car is highlighted with its 800km WLTP range as one of the highest in the Spanish market, comparable to the Mercedes EQS but priced below 60,000 euros versus the EQS's 190,000 euros.
18. The tone is conversational and opinionated, with both hosts making politically pointed remarks about infrastructure neglect in Galicia and the FIA's governance style.
19. Listeners who follow Spanish regional motorsport, particularly the Galician rally scene, and those interested in EV range comparisons will find the most value here.
20. Listeners looking for international motorsport coverage or neutral reporting on Spanish infrastructure will find the local focus and editorial tone limiting.
