Luís Cidade dominated the 13th bp Ultimate 4 Hours SSV Vila de Fronteira, which opened the program of the great national off-road event.
The Can-Am Maverick driver led from the start without much opposition, but in the secondary positions, there was an interesting battle, with the specialists of this discipline putting on a show throughout the four hours.
At dawn, thousands of spectators began to move to the Fronteira Off-Road Racetrack to watch the start of the 29 SSV. These races are, as a rule, quite competitive, and this was well demonstrated by the battles in the middle of the pack. Only Luís Cidade stood out. He started from pole position and gave no chance to his opponents, only losing the lead when he made the mandatory pit stops.
His opponents opted for a compromise pace with the goal of finishing the race, and nobody could keep up with Luís Cidade’s pace. At the end of the first lap, he had a 44-second advantage over Vasco Martins (Can-Am Maverick), gained in just 16.2 kilometres. He then increased his lead, which was 1 minute and 55 seconds at the halfway point of the race. He finished the four hours with a lead of more than four minutes over the second-place finisher.
“I’m very happy. The car was fantastic, and the team was very efficient in the pit stops. It was always running smoothly, although in the middle of the race I adopted a more relaxed pace to conserve the car,” said the driver, who achieved his third victory in this race, after triumphs in 2019 and 2024.
The battle between Vasco Martins and the duo Arnaldo Monteiro/João Dias (Polaris RZR Pro) for the remaining podium places was lively. Everything was decided in the second half of the race with Vasco Martins’ retirement. Arnaldo Monteiro/João Dias secured second place. “The track was very difficult, and overtaking was complicated. We drove well and tried to reach first place, but Luís Cidade is a great driver, and the result is clear,” explained João Dias.
The Pedro Carvalho/Nelson Caxias team (Can-Am Maverick X3) was always very competitive and reached the last place on the podium in the final part. “We achieved a good result, despite racing an SSV with a T3, which is less competitive, but the car was always impeccable. At the beginning, they weren’t showing blue flags to the slower drivers and that made overtaking difficult,” said Pedro Carvalho. His navigator, Nelson Caxias, national SSV champion, emphasised: “I’m happy. Our result shows that we had a great race with a car that is 20 km/h slower than the competition.”
The Manuel Carvalho/António Maio/Tomás Neves team (Can-Am Maverick R) was the second fastest in practice and hoped to fight for the victory. That goal fell apart at the start of the race: “I was hit by another competitor, went off the road and rolled over. Some people can’t manage the enthusiasm of the first lap,” said António Maio.
Two hours after the end of the SSV race, the great adventure that is the bp Ultimate 24 Hours TT Vila de Fronteira began, with the participation of 81 teams and more than three hundred drivers. After winning the SSV race, Luís Cidade returned to the track to start the 24-hour race: “I’m still warm,” he joked.
There are three Show Zones, where the public can safely observe the race. These areas will have food courts and restrooms. There is also a Camping Zone.
Final classification of the 13th bp Ultimate 4 Hours SSV Vila de Fronteira
1st Luís Cidade (Can-Am Maverick R), in 4h.03m14.376s
2nd Arnaldo Monteiro/João Dias (Polaris RZR Pro), at 4m.24.911s
3rd Pedro Carvalho/Nelson Caxias (Can-Am Maverick X3), at 1 lap
4th Nelson Beiró/Rosalino Pires (Can-Am Maverick X3), at 1 lap
5th Paulo Madeira/Gonçalo Boaventura/Afonso Madeira (Can-Am Maverick), at 1 lap
Program
Saturday, December 6th
3.00 pm – Start of the bp Ultimate 24 Hours TT Vila de Fronteira
Sunday, December 7th
3.00 pm – Arrival of the bp Ultimate 24 Hours TT Vila de Fronteira
4.15 pm – Podium Ceremony
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