João Ferreira and Filipe Palmeiro (Can-Am) won stages in the first two rounds of the World Rally-Raid Championship, in the Dakar and Abu Dhabi, and the young Portuguese driver believes he can win the SSV race at the BP Ultimate Rally-Raid Portugal and re-enter the fight for the world title.
João Ferreira admits that local knowledge can help Portuguese drivers in direct competition with the world's best, as the World Rally-Raid Championship (W2RC) makes its debut in Portugal from April 2 to 7.
"Obviously, we have the advantage of racing 'at home,' and since it's the first time the World Championship comes here, that can play in our favor. We already know the Grândola area from the Baja TT ACP, the tracks in Alentejo and Ribatejo, the Estremadura region in Spain... But we must not forget that we are competing with the best drivers in the world, and they are very fast. I will do everything I can to bring home the victory," said the young driver from Leiria.
Despite being only 24 years old, João Ferreira is one of the few drivers in the ACP event who has competed in the T1+, T1, T2, T3 categories, and now also in the T4 category (SSV), where he is part of the official Can-Am / South Racing team. Additionally, the former champion of Portugal, Europe, and double winner of the Baja Portalegre 500 can also compare the profile of Iberian races, like the BP Ultimate Rally-Raid Portugal, with what he encounters in other World Championship events held on other continents.
"Although we have some sandy tracks in Portugal, they are indeed quite different from what we encounter, for example, in Abu Dhabi, where it's a hundred percent dunes, or even Dakar, which has a lot of rocks. Our tracks are more winding, more technical. We are used to that, and we will do our best," concluded the driver navigated by Filipe Palmeiro.