The third stage of the bp Ultimate Rally-Raid Portugal was full of surprises. In the cars, Portuguese driver João Ferreira (Toyota) made a mistake and lost the lead to Brazilian driver Lucas Moraes (Toyota).
Spanish driver Tosha Schareina (Honda) took first place in the motorcycle category, while Portuguese drivers Gonçalo Guerreiro and João Dias led with their “Spyders” in the Challenger and SSV categories, respectively. Today (Saturday), the thrills of the “European Dakar” return to Alentejo, with 274 km contested on the clock.
The third stage was the only one of the race organised by the Automóvel Club de Portugal to be held entirely in Extremadura, Spain. The three hundred and eight kilometres of the route – the second longest selective stage of this year’s edition – led to changes in the leaders among the cars, but also among the motorcycles.
Brazilian Lucas Moraes (Toyota) was the fastest and took the lead: “It was a great day. I had a clean stage, saving my tyres, despite it being a difficult course. I’m in the lead and in a good position for the next few days,” said the Brazilian. Seth Quintero (Toyota Hilux T1+ Evo) had the second-fastest time, ahead of Carlos Sainz. The Spanish driver remains one of the fastest and, despite suffering a puncture in today’s stage, is in contention for victory: “It was another stage where I fought. Opening the road on the second day penalised me, but I’m satisfied and will continue to give my all,” he said.
Nine-time world champion Sébastien Loeb was fourth fastest in the stage: “I liked the course and finally had a trouble-free stage. The race is difficult, things are always happening. We’ll see until the end,” he said.
Portuguese rider João Ferreira (Toyota Hilux T1+ Evo) was controlling the pace of his rivals, but at kilometre 161, he went off the track, resulting in a broken rim and a fire. As a result, the race was interrupted for about an hour. The young rider from Leiria only posted the 52nd fastest time, 1 hour and 51 seconds behind the fastest, and dropped to 32nd place.
The Portuguese Gonçalo Guerreiro (Taurus Evo Max) had better luck, finishing seventh in the stage and leading the Challenger category, as did João Dias (Polaris RZR), who finished first in the SSV category (12th overall). Both excellent performances against internationally renowned competitors.
Change of Leader in Motorcycles
There was another duel between the KTM and Honda riders, with the Japanese brand gaining the upper hand. Racing at home, Spaniard Tosha Schareina (Honda CRF 450 Rally) pushed hard, winning the stage by 2:18 over Daniel Sanders, and is the new leader on two wheels. “It was a good day for me. I gave it my all in the last 100 km, even though my tyres were very worn. I gained some advantage for tomorrow, where I’ll be first on the road, but the next few days will be difficult,” he said. Since the Abu Dhabi race, Honda hadn’t led a World Rally-Raid Championship (W2RC) race.
Australian Daniel Sanders (KTM 450 Rally) finished second in the stage and lost the lead: “I survived a very technical stage, which required a good strategy. I tried to save my tyres as much as possible in a tough stage, and I’m happy to finish. Tomorrow, with new tyres, it will be different,” said the current championship leader. The two riders are separated by 42 seconds, and tomorrow’s stage promises to be exciting.
Bruno Santos (Husqvarna FR450 Rally) once again demonstrated his speed against the world’s best riders. He set the fastest time in the stage, but was penalized by one minute and dropped to second place in the Rally2 category (8th overall). “It was a very technical and fun stage, I really enjoyed it. I hope to be just as fast tomorrow,” he said.
Classification after Stage 3: Cars
1st Lucas Moraes (Toyota Hilux T1+ Evo), 8h:38.07
2nd Carlos Sainz (Ford Raptor T1+), 4m:22
3rd Henk Lategan (Toyota Hilux T1+ Evo), 9m:05
4th Sebastien Loeb (Dacia Sandrider), 19:32
5th Christian Baumgart (Toyota Hilux T1+ Evo), 26m:54
6th Francisco Barreto (Toyota Hilux T1+ Evo), 26m:54 (first Portuguese)
Classification after Stage 3: Motorcycles
1st Tosha Schareina (Honda CRF 450 Rally), 9h:11.02
2nd Daniel Sanders (KTM 450 Rally), 42s
3rd Luciano Benavides (KTM 450 Rally), 9:22
4th: Ricky Brabec (Honda CRF 450 Rally), 9:32
5th: Edgar Canet (KTM 450 Rally), 15:32 (1st: Rally 2)
8th: Bruno Santos (Husqvarna FR450 Rally), 21:29 (1st: Portuguese)
RECTIFIED CAR CLASSIFICATION
The car classification for the third stage of the bp Ultimate Rally Raid Portugal has been revised. Frenchman Sébastien Loeb was declared the winner of the day’s qualifying section, with the Dacia Sandrider driver setting a time of 3:06:08. South African Henk Lategan (Toyota) finished 33 seconds ahead, and Brazilian Lucas Moraes (Toyota) finished third, 1:17 seconds ahead.
With the first three stages completed and two qualifying sections remaining tomorrow (Saturday) and Sunday, totalling 384 kilometres, Lucas Moraes (Toyota) leads the race organised by the Automóvel Club de Portugal (ACP), with a mere 57 seconds ahead of Henk Lategan (Toyota) and 5:36 seconds ahead of Spaniard Carlos Sainz (Ford).
Classification after Stage 3: Cars
1st Lucas Moraes (Toyota Hilux T1+ Evo), with 8h46m15s
2nd Henk Lategan (Toyota Hilux T1+ Evo), 33s
3rd Carlos Sainz (Ford Raptor T1+), 5m36s behind
4th Sébastien Loeb (Dacia Sandrider), 11m24s
5th Christian Baumgart (Toyota Hilux T1+ Evo), 13m52s
6th Francisco Barreto (Toyota Hilux T1+ Evo), 18m46s behind (1st Portuguese)
The fourth stage takes place on Saturday, connecting Badajoz to Lisbon, covering 528 km, of which 274 km are timed. The first part is a relatively narrow and difficult section, still in Spanish territory. Then, the riders enter Portugal through the Reguengos, Portel, and Évora areas, on a mix of good and more difficult terrain. It is a typical Alentejo route, ending in Lisbon, at the Pedrouços Dock. The public can visit the bivouac set up there between 6:00 pm and 11:00 pm.
Access link to watch the fourth stage of the bp Ultimate Rally Raid Portugal https://rallyraidportugal.com/content.aspx?menuid=1345
Program
September 27 – Stage 4 Badajoz-Lisbon (274 km)
6:00 AM – Start of the 1st Motorcycle from the Badajoz Fairgrounds
8:10 AM – Start of the 1st Car from the Badajoz Fairgrounds
2:35 PM – Arrival of the 1st Motorcycle at the Pedrouços Dock (estimated time)
4:25 PM – Arrival of the 1st Car at the Pedrouços Dock (estimated time)
7:00 PM – W2RC Medal Ceremony at the Pedrouços Dock
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