Henk Lategan (Toyota) leads the bp Ultimate Rally Raid Portugal at the end of the first selective sector of the opening stage. The relatively small gaps in the race heighten anticipation for the final kilometers, held in the heart of the village of Grândola.
The bp Ultimate Rally Raid Portugal truly began today, with the first stage on the dirt roads of Alentejo. The motorcycle riders began leaving the Grandola Fair and Exhibition Park early in the morning (6 a.m.), while the cars began the stage a little later (8 a.m.).
The course was quite technical and fast, which pleased most of the riders.
Among the cars, the battle is fierce, with Nasser Al Attiyah (Dacia Sandrider), João Ferreira (Toyota Hilux T1+ Evo), Seth Quintero (Toyota Hilux T1+ Evo), and Henk Lategan (Toyota Hilux T1+ Evo) all taking the lead.
At the end of the first timed sector (km 297), Lategan led with a 1:48 advantage over Al Attiyah. João Ferreira led for a long time but lagged in the final stretch, experiencing minor issues, and dropped to fourth place.
Among the drivers vying for victory, Al Attiyah lost some bodywork but remained in the running, and Carlos Sainz (Ford Raptor T1+) was delayed after a puncture.
In the motorcycle race, Daniel Sanders (KTM 450 Rally) led from the start, despite strong opposition from the Honda riders. The championship leader was fastest at all intermediate points, finishing 50 seconds ahead of Adrien Van Beveren (Honda CRF 450 Rally) and 1:19 ahead of Tosha Schareina (Honda CRF 450 Rally). Bruno Ventura (Husqvarna FR450 Rally) was the fastest Portuguese rider (12th) at the end of the first section. Martim Ventura (Honda CRF 450 Rally) had long held fourth place overall and led the Rally2 category, but a mechanical problem caused him to lose more than 40 minutes.
Cars Section 1 Classification
1st: Henk Lategan (Toyota Hilux T1+ Evo), 2h25.13
2nd: Nasser Al Attiyah (Dacia Sandrider), 1m48
3rd: Lucas Moraes (Toyota Hilux T1+ Evo), 1m55
4th: João Ferreira (Toyota Hilux T1+ Evo), 1m57 (first Portuguese)
5th: Saood Variawa (Toyota Hilux T1+ Evo), 3m04
Motorcycles Section 1 Classification
1st: Daniel Sanders (KTM 450 Rally), 2h33.56
2nd: Adrien Van Beveren (Honda CRF 450 Rally), 50s
3rd: Tosha Schareina (Honda CRF 450 Rally), 1m19
4th: Ross Branch (Hero 450 Rally), 2:33
5th Luciano Benavies (KTM 450 Rally), 4:01
12th Bruno Santos (Husqvarna FR450 Rally), 10:06 (1st Portuguese)
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