The bp Ultimate Rally Raid Portugal crowned young Bernardo Oliveira the Rally-Raid Navigator World Champion in the SSV category – a first in the national sport – and awarded Daniel Sanders (KTM) the motorcycle rider title, with the Australian also winning the event organised by the ACP.
In the cars, after more than 12 hours behind the wheel and 1,119 kilometres of racing, against the clock, on dirt roads in Alentejo, Ribatejo, and Spanish Estremadura, the top two finishers finished separated by just 53 seconds. Brazilian Lucas Moraes led South African Henk Lategan, both in a Toyota Hilux T1+ EVO. Sébastien Loeb (Dacia) rounded out the podium. But equally noteworthy are the victories of Portuguese drivers Gonçalo Guerreiro (Challenger) and João Dias (SSV) in their respective categories. The “European Dakar” returns to Portugal from March 17th to 22nd, 2026.
Born in Fafe, Bernardo Oliveira is only 20 years old, but he’s already pursuing a master’s degree in economics in Boston. In between, he finds time to sit alongside Alexandre Pinto in the races that are part of the World Rally Raid Championship (W2RC) calendar. Today, with the Padrão dos Descobrimentos as the backdrop, the Brazilian was crowned World Rally Raid Navigators Champion in the SSV category – an unprecedented achievement in the history of national motorsports. “Honestly, it hasn’t sunk in yet. It’s my first season in the world championship, and I’m happy to be a champion in Portugal. I believe we’ll wrap up the drivers’ title in Morocco,” stated Bernardo Oliveira.
As for his driver, Alexandre Pinto, only mathematics prevented him from experiencing the same happiness. However, he could already be a virtual champion if Italian Enrico Gaspari’s absence in the final race of the season in Morocco is confirmed.
Portugal, the birthplace of great off-road drivers
The second edition of the bp Ultimate Rally Raid Portugal was full of excitement and excitement, with several leader changes in the different categories over the five days of racing; but also several dramatic events; a victory in the cars that was held over until the final control in Belém; and confirmation that there is a new generation of Portuguese drivers with talent and the ability to fight for victories and world titles in the coming years.
Victory in the cars spoken in Portuguese
After five days of intense competition and three different leaders (Henk Lategan, João Ferreira, and Lucas Moraes), the battle between the cars in the bp Ultimate Rally Raid Portugal ended with drama and excitement.
The final stage, 103 kilometres long, was a true sprint to victory between the two Toyota Gazoo Racing W2RC drivers. Brazilian Lucas Moraes and South African Henk Lategan started just 34 seconds apart. Still, Moraes raced ahead in pursuit of his first World Rally Raid (W2RC) victory, finishing the qualifying section 53 seconds ahead of his teammate. It was a triumph pronounced in Portuguese: “I really like this race, and it’s great to win and be able to speak Portuguese. The car had no problems, and that allowed me to be fast and choose a good strategy. In the end, the team asked me to slow down, but I also had a chance to win the championship and decided to keep up the pace. As long as I have a chance to win, I won’t slow down,” said Moraes, who won a race that was well received by the drivers. “Congratulations to the organisers, who put together an incredible race,” he emphasised.
Henk Lategan finished second and scored important points for the World Rally Raid. “I tried to score as many points as possible for the championship. The race had good drivers, and the result leaves everything open for the title fight in Morocco,” he explained.
Despite some issues that hampered his pace, Sébastien Loeb finished on the podium at the bp Ultimate Rally Raid Portugal. “I drove a risk-free final stage and took the opportunity to admire the scenery. We had the speed to do better, but the problems from the previous days dictated the result,” said the Frenchman.
João Ferreira (Toyota Hilux T1+ Evo) had promised to put on a show, and he delivered! The Portuguese driver crushed his rivals in the final selective section and showed he had the pace and car to win the race. Over 103 km, he beat Nasser Al Attiyah (Dacia Sandrider) by 1:13 and Carlos Sainz (Ford Raptor T1+) by 1:16. “I felt great with the car. It’s always great to win a qualifying section and show our pace against the best drivers in the world. It wasn’t what I expected, but I’m happy with the stage result. Now it’s time to think about Morocco,” said João Ferreira, after securing his second stage victory in the W2RC Ultimate category.
After this race, the fight for the world title is in full swing, with three drivers separated by 10 points. Nasser Al Attiyah (140), Henk Lategan (131), and Lucas Moraes (130) will decide the 2025 world champion in Morocco.
National Pride
Portuguese drivers achieved remarkable results in the bp Ultimate Rally Raid Portugal. After an excellent second-place finish at the 2025 Dakar, Gonçalo Guerreiro (Taurus Evo Max) won the Challenger category in Portugal. He was the fastest in three of the five stages and finished in an excellent 6th place, ahead of several cars in the higher Ultimate category. “It was a good race, I had fun, despite some setbacks. It’s a great result,” he emphasized.
Portuguese drivers dominated the SSV category, with nine drivers in the top 10! João Dias (Polaris RZR) won the category by 18 minutes over the second-place finisher. “It’s a huge honour to win this category in Portugal. The car has always been great and allowed me to attack,” said the driver, who is already thinking about the 2026 Dakar Rally.
Alexandre Pinto (Polaris RZR) finished second and took a decisive step towards winning the SSV world title. “I’m very happy with the race I had. We were a bit conservative, but we still finished second, scored maximum points for the championship, and we’re very close to winning it,” said Alexandre Pinto. Bernardo Oliveira secured the navigators’ title at the age of 20, as Enrico Gaspari changed navigators mid-season.
Daniel Sanders, World Champion
The fifth and final stage of the bp Ultimate Rally Raid Portugal was historic for Daniel Sanders (KTM 450 Rally). The driver confirmed his victory in the event organised by the ACP and became world champion in the RallyGP category for the first time. The Australian is in fantastic form, having finished fastest in 50% of the calendar’s stages and having won all four World Rally Raid races so far this year. His next goal is to triumph in Morocco and secure the Grand Slam. In Portugal, he finished fastest in the prologue and won three of the five stages. “The focus was on the stage, not the championship. In the final kilometres, I had a good fight, and the feeling is great. It was a great race; I always had a good feeling, the right strategy, and I had a lot of fun. The finish was spectacular, with flags waving and a lot of people,” said the new world champion at the end. “I’m very happy with the season I had. It’s a dream come true, now let’s celebrate.”
The motorcycle podium was completed by Spaniard Tosha Schareina (Honda CRF 450 Rally). “I wanted to win the stage and was always on the attack. It was very difficult to win the race after yesterday’s route error, but I’m satisfied with second place. We did a good job.” Argentine Luciano Benavides (KTM 450 Rally), who won the final stage, finished third overall. “The stage was beautiful. It was very windy, but with good grip, I was able to go fast and have a lot of fun. It was my first time racing in Portugal, and I’m very happy with this podium,” he said.
Spanish rider Edgar Canet (KTM 450 Rally) won the Rally2 category for the third time this season, while Thomas Zoldos (Beta 430) finished top in Rally3.
French rider Gaëtan Martínez won the Quads category, a triumph that secured him the early title of the Rally Raid World Cup, as the Morocco event does not have this category.
Final Classification Cars
1st Lucas Moraes/Armand Monleon (Toyota Hilux T1+ Evo), with 12h13m05s
2nd Henk Lategan/Brett Cummings (Toyota Hilux T1+ Evo), 53s
3rd Sebastien Loeb/Edouard Boulanger (Dacia Sandrider), 10m05s
4th Christian Baumgart/Luís Felipe Eckel (Toyota Hilux T1+ Evo), 17m43s
5th Nasser Al Attiyah/Fabian Lurquin (Dacia Sandrider), 24m13s
6th Gonçalo Guerreiro/Bruno Jacomy (Tauris Evo Max), 23m53s (1st Challenger and 1st Portuguese)
11th João Dias/Rui Pita (Polaris RZR), 1 43m33s (1st SSV)
Final Motorcycle Classification
1st Daniel Sanders (KTM 450 Rally), 12h39m39s
2nd Tosha Schareina (Honda CRF 450 Rally), 3m40s
3rd Luciano Benavides (KTM 450 Rally), 12m41s
4th Ricky Brabec (Honda CRF 450 Rally), 14m34s
5th Edgar Canet (KTM 450 Rally), 21m57s (1st Rally2)
8th Bruno Santos (Husqvarna FR450 Rally), 27m18s (1st Portuguese)
15th Thomas Zoldos (Beta 430), 1h16m33s (1st Rally3)
25th Gaëtan Martinez (CF Force 1000), 3h05.41s (1st Quad)
Automotive Drivers’ Championship
1st Nasser Al Athiyah, 140 points
2nd Henk Lategan, 131
3rd Lucas Moraes, 130
4th Seth Quintero, 84
5th Yazeed Al Rajhi, 77
Automotive Manufacturers’ Championship
1st Toyota Gazoo Racing W2RC, 397 points
2nd Dacia Sandrider, 287
3rd Ford M-Sport, 217
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