The first stage of the bp Ultimate Rally Raid Portugal was thrilling, with four riders taking the lead.
South African Henk Lategan (Toyota) was the fastest and heads to Spain with a 1m51s lead over Brazilian Lucas Moraes, who has a one-second lead over Portuguese João Ferreira. It’s a promising battle! On the motorcycles, Australian Daniel Sanders (KTM) imposed his rule.
The “European Dakar” began in earnest with the stage that took place in the Alentejo region. The official riders set a very strong pace throughout the 302km selective section, and in the end, the gaps were relatively small; the top three cars were separated by 1m52s.
Four leaders in the cars
It was a closely contested day, 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 vying for the lead. But Lategan pushed the pace in the second half of the race and took over. “The stage was extremely demanding. I had a good day, drove cleanly, and had fun driving the car. I’m really enjoying doing this event in Europe,” said the South African driver, who won a World Rally Raid (W2RC) stage for the fourth time.
Nasser Al Attiyah (Dacia Sandrider) set off determined to win the event organised by the Automóvel Club de Portugal (ACP). The Qatari driver was second fastest on the road, but was penalised two minutes later and dropped to fifth place. “It was a difficult qualifying session. I don’t know if I did a good job or not. The car setup wasn’t the best, and we have to change it for the next stage. The gap is small, and we’ll give it our all. I hope to have a better day tomorrow,” said the Dacia driver, who remains well-positioned to win his fourth world title.
With the Qatari’s penalty, Lucas Moraes (Toyota Hilux T1+ Evo) moved up to second place in a stage that was “very intense, with different types of corners and lots of gear changes. I like this type of stage; it’s similar to some qualifiers in Brazil. The organisation and the crowd are fantastic, and I’m happy to be in the top three and ready to attack tomorrow,” said the Toyota driver, who has just a one-second lead over João Ferreira.
Portuguese João Ferreira was one of the leaders
The Portuguese driver is competing in the first round of the World Rally Raid Championship with the Toyota Hilux T1+ Evo, and demonstrated his speed. With a deep understanding of the region—he was twice in the lead during the intermediate time trials—his task was complicated by the dust kicked up by Sébastien Loeb and a brake problem. In the end, he benefited from Nasser Al Attiyah’s penalty to earn a podium finish. “It was a very tough, long, and difficult stage. The surfaces were more slippery than we expected, and it was easy to make mistakes. Our starting position wasn’t ideal, as we got caught up in the dust from Loeb and Sainz. We didn’t lose much time to the frontrunners, and tomorrow’s stage will be very important,” said João Ferreira.
Several incidents also marked the day. Marcos Baumgart rolled his Toyota Hilux T1+ Evo and was left stationary. Seth Quintero, one of the contenders for victory, stopped for technical work on his Toyota Hilux T1+ Evo and lost over 17 minutes, and Carlos Sainz suffered a flat tyre in his Ford Raptor T1+.
Portuguese riders Gonçalo Guerreiro and Alexandre Pinto stand out in the “Spiders”
The Challenger category was extremely competitive. Gonçalo Guerreiro (Taurus Evo Max) and Mattias Ekström (Can-Am XRS) fought for second place throughout the stage. The Portuguese rider led until 10 km from the finish, but lost 2:30 due to a technical issue and dropped to second place (12th overall). “It’s a shame because we were leading. I’m not satisfied, but we’ll fight with all our determination,” he said at the end.
Alexandre Pinto (Polaris RZR) was always at the front of the SSV category and gained a considerable advantage over Enrico Gaspari. “We had a positive day. We opted for a cautious approach, aiming to finish, and apparently, the pace was quite good. There’s a lot of racing ahead, but we’re off to a good start,” said the rider, who is 15th overall. If this result continues, the world title is ever closer.
Australian Daniel Sanders dominated on the motorcycles
The first stage was quite difficult for the motorcycle riders, due to the hard surface, which caused excessive tyre wear. Daniel Sanders (KTM 450 Rally) was once again the best, but faced stiff opposition from the Honda riders. The championship leader set a blistering pace, winning both qualifying sections, and finished the stage 1:11 seconds ahead of Adrien Van Beveren (Honda CRF 450 Rally) and 1:32 seconds ahead of Tosha Schareina (Honda CRF 450 Rally). “The surface was very slippery; it was difficult to be fast, but I survived. Now it’s time to think about the next stage,” said the leader. The second stage promises an intense battle among the top three.
Bruno Santos (Husqvarna FR450 Rally) is the top Portuguese rider (13th) at the end of the first day. “It was quite challenging and different from last year, with very dry and hard surfaces. I had little traction, and by the end, the terrain was sandy, and the rear tyre was worn. I’m very pleased with the result, especially since I started from a secondary position and, after 10 km, I was already picking up dust from other riders,” he explained.
Stage 1 Car Classification
1st Henk Lategan (Toyota Hilux T1+ Evo), 2h 30.21
2nd Lucas Moraes (Toyota Hilux T1+ Evo), 1m 51
3rd João Ferreira (Toyota Hilux T1+ Evo), 1m 52 (first Portuguese)
4th Saood Variawa (Toyota Hilux T1+ Evo), 3m 03
5th Nasser Al Attiyah (Dacia Sandrider), 3m 37
Stage 1 Motorcycle Classification
1st Daniel Sanders (KTM 450 Rally), 2h 43.40
2nd Adrien Van Beveren (Honda CRF 450 Rally), 1m 11
3rd Tosha Schareina (Honda CRF 450 Rally), 1m 32
4th Ross Branch (Hero 450 Rally), 2m.46
5th Luciano Benavies (KTM 450 Rally), 4m.16
13th Bruno Santos (Husqvarna FR450 Rally), 10m.06 (1st Portuguese)
Tomorrow, the second stage will begin in Grândola and finish in Badajoz. It’s the longest day of the race, at 655 km, with 429 km of timed sections. The first two selective sections are in Portugal, in the Ponte de Sor and Mação areas. The first section is on dirt roads dotted with eucalyptus and pine trees. The Ponte de Sor area is sandier, and the Mação area is quite hilly and hard. The stage ends in Spain, on a flat stretch that leads to the Badajoz fairgrounds, near the Portuguese border, where the arrival control and bivouac are located, open to the public between 6 and 11 pm (Spanish time).
Access link to watch the second stage of the bp Ultimate Rally Raid Portugal: https://rallyraidportugal.com/content.aspx?menuid=1343
Program
September 25 – Stage 2 Grândola-Badajoz (429 km)
5:25 AM – Start of the first motorcycle from the Gravatá Fairgrounds
7:30 AM – Start of the first car from the Gravatá Fairgrounds
3:30 PM – Arrival of the first motorcycle at the Badajoz Fairgrounds (estimated time)
5:30 PM – Arrival of the first car at the Badajoz Fairgrounds (estimated time)
7 PM – W2RC Medal Ceremony at the Badajoz Fairgrounds
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