Posthumous award for Portimao legend Paulo Pinheiro

Paulo Pinheiro has received recognition for his work at the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve.

The National Tourism Awards in Portugal have posthumously credited the founder of the Portimao race track.

A statement read: "The National Tourism Award (PNT) awarded this year, for the first time, a posthumous Personality Award. The winner was our founder, Paulo Pinheiro. 

"The award awarded yesterday, at the ceremony of the sixth edition of the PNT, at Forte da Crismina, was recognition for the work developed by Paulo Pinheiro over the 16 years of the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve and for being responsible for the return of the MotoGP World Championship and Formula 1 to Portugal in 2020.

"The nomination and distinction, posthumously, by the jury of the National Tourism Award, recognizes the legacy of Paulo Pinheiro and the contribution he made to the development of tourism in the Algarve region. 

"In September of this year, the Government, through Pedro Machado, Secretary of State for Tourism, also awarded the Medal of Tourism Merit, Silver Degree. 

"The National Tourism Award (PNT) – which has the high sponsorship of the Ministry of Economy and Digital Transition, the institutional support of Turismo de Portugal, and the technical support of Deloitte as a knowledge partner – aims to promote, encourage and distinguish entities, practices and projects that stand out in the tourism sector."

Portimao remains a key destination on the MotoGP calendar.

In 2025, the Portuguese MotoGP is planned as the penultimate round in November.