João Ferreira (Toyota Hilux T1+ Evo) dominated the first day of the bp Ultimate Baja Portalegre 500. He won the prologue and the first qualifying section, leading Gonçalo Guerreiro (Polaris RZR) by a minute.
In the final stage, a close battle for victory is expected, as the top seven are separated by two minutes with 375 km of timed racing remaining. João Dias (SSV), André Sérgio (Motorcycle), and Tomás Paulo (Quad) will start leading their respective categories.
The competitive phase began with the prologue (5 km), held on the outskirts of Portalegre, where João Ferreira (Toyota Hilux T1+ Evo) set the fastest time. One of the title contenders, Tiago Reis (Taurus Evo Max), finished on three wheels and was forced to retire. “The front axle bearing broke,” the driver explained.
In the first stage (70 km) of the oldest and most prestigious national off-road race, a battle broke out between the Leiria driver’s Toyota Hilux T1+ Evo and the small, agile SSV and Challenger vehicles. An intense battle that promises to continue on Saturday, again on the challenging back roads of Alto Alentejo, but also Ribatejo, surrounded by thousands of spectators.
João Ferreira was fastest at both intermediate timing points and won the stage, with an impressive average speed of 80.2 km/h. “Despite having a few muddy areas, it was a tricky stretch. The SSV tracks were too narrow for our car, and it was difficult to maintain a strong pace. I was surprised to have gained a minute over the second-place driver in just 70 km. But tomorrow is when the Baja Portalegre truly begins. It will be a long day. I expect a fast stage with some slippery areas, and everything can change quickly. We have to do our job and fight for the win,” said the Toyota Hilux T1+ Evo driver.
Gonçalo Guerreiro set the second fastest time and holds the same position overall, but he wasn’t satisfied: “We had a good stage as far as possible. The course was difficult and very fast, and the car’s suspension setup wasn’t the best. We’ll change a few things, and tomorrow I’ll give it my all,” said the driver, who leads the SSV category with a 1m41s lead over Luís Cidade (Can Am Maverick R).
Daniel Silva (Taurus T3 Max) was third fastest in the qualifying section and holds the same position overall: “It was a difficult stage, with a very hard surface. We did the best we could. I’m ready to attack tomorrow,” he said. The driver leads the Challenger classification with a 52.3-second lead over Frenchman Romuald Lasne (Can Am Maverick R).
Miguel Barbosa (Taurus T3 Max), winner of the race in 2024, stopped one kilometre from the finish with a gas station failure, and Ricardo Porém (Kaizen S1) also retired. Both drivers were contenders for victory in the Challenger category.
On the motorcycles, Luís Oliveira (Yamaha WR 450) started the prologue by winning, while André Sérgio (Beta 480 Race) was the fastest in the qualifying section and took the lead, 50.7 seconds ahead of Bernardo Megre (KTM EXC 450) and 51.1 seconds ahead of Bruno Santos (Husqvarna FE450). “I didn’t train much and the bike doesn’t have the best top speed, but I’m happy because, for the first time, I won a section. I had a really good feeling and tomorrow I’ll attack,” said the Italian motorcycle rider, who won the stage with an impressive average speed of 79.8 km/h, while the fastest car rider reached 80.2 km/h! The top six are separated by 1m58s with 300 km of time remaining – meaning they’re in contention for the win. Instead, Sebastian Bühler, one of the favourites, had problems on his KTM 450 EXC-F and lost a lot of time.
João Dias (Polaris RZR) was clearly the fastest among the SSV riders participating in the Portuguese Motorcycle Federation. “I wish the course had been more slippery, but it went well and we didn’t make any mistakes,” he said. Tomás Paulo (Yamaha YFZ450R) led the quad riders. “Halfway through the section, I was second, and the goal wasn’t to be the fastest, but it worked out, and I’m satisfied. Tomorrow will be the big day, and I hope to win,” he said.
The Baja & Hobby Promotion riders competed only in the prologue, where Luís Chavado (Husqvarna FE 450) was the fastest on a motorcycle, Victor Lopes (Segway Villain SX10) won the SSV rider, and Rúben Rodrigues (Yamaha YFZ450) was the best quad rider. Tomorrow, they return to the road to compete in a selective 166 km section.
Parallel to the bp Ultimate Baja Portalegre 500, the Mini Baja, a competition for young people between 8 and 14 years old, was held. The race featured 28 future motorcycle racing stars, who competed in a 5 km section (the same route as the prologue). Gabriel Xavier won the children’s race, Martim Alves won the beginners’ race, Manuel Baptista was the best beginner quad, Maria Piedade Cortes won the children’s quad category, and Manuel Ruivo triumphed in the beginner SSV.
The second and final stage saw competitors leaving Portalegre very early (6:15 am). The car drivers will compete in two selective sections of 180 km and 195 km, respectively, while the motorcycle drivers will compete in a single 300 km section.
Classification after Stage 1: Cars
1st João Ferreira/Filipe Palmeiro (Toyota Hilux T1+ Evo), with 53m.06.4
2nd Gonçalo Guerreiro/Pablo Moreno (Polaris RZR), at 1m.00.7 (1st SSV)
3rd Daniel Silva/Gonçalo Magalhães (Taurus T3 Max), at 1m.18.2 (1st Challenger)
4th Luís Cidade/Valter Cardoso (Can Am Maverick R), at 1m.41.1
5th João Ramos/Jorge Carvalho (Toyota Hilux T1+ Evo), at 1m.43.6
Classification after Stage 1: Motorcycles
1st André Sérgio (Beta 480 Race), with 57m.23.9
2nd Bernardo Megre (KTM EXC 450), at 50.7 s
3rd Bruno Santos (Husqvarna FE450), 51.1 s behind
4th Micael Simão (Gas Gas EC 500F), 1m 15.4
5th João Dias/Rui Pita (Polaris RZR), 1m 52.3 (1st SSV)
8th Tomás Paulo (Yamaha YFZ450R), 2m 19.9 (1st Quads)
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