The 8th round of the 2010 Intercontinental Rally Challenge (IRC) was held from 5-7 August on the Portuguese island territory of Madeira, located in the Atlantic Ocean.

The all-tarmac rally was the second consecutive IRC event to be fought on Portuguese territory. Featuring mountainous stages that are narrow and twisty, the many corners put a huge burden on brakes. Unlike on most tarmac rallies, brick walls line the stages, meaning cutting corners is impossible. Because of this, the road surface never becomes strewn with gravel and rocks, so any disadvantage regarding the starting order is difficult to determine. The total official stage distance was close to 300 kms and so the burden on both cars and crews was a concern in this truly tough event for both the minds and bodies of the competitors.

The rally got underway on Thursday, August 5th with a short 2.8km stage, before competition proper began with mountainous stages on the following day, August 6th. Over the three days, a total of 298.2kms were run over 21 competitive stages, but SS12, Day One’s penultimate test, was cancelled due to a crash on the stage, and all cars were given nominal times.

On this running of the Madeira Rally, veteran Portuguese driver Pedro Meireles, driving a GRB-type Impreza WRX STI, was the sole SUBARU entry. Unable to show his true pace on the opening stage, he came 23rd, but when the rally moved into the mountains, his pace leveled out. He ended the first day in 15th. On Day 2, he maintained his pace while steadily improving his position, and by the middle of the day, had moved up to 12th. He maintained this position until he reached the finish.