In Rally-Raids, the route is secret to the competitors and, for this reason, the "Points of Interest" for the public can only be released around 48 hours before each stage. Even so, find out all the information available about the five stages of the BP Ultimate Rally-Raid Portugal, which crosses some of the most beautiful landscapes and trails in the Alentejo, Ribatejo and Spanish Extremadura.
The town of Grândola, in the district of Setúbal, hosts the operational base and the Prologue of the Automóvel Club de Portugal event, which has unique characteristics in the World Rally-Raid Championship (W2RC) calendar. In all, there are 1,758 kilometers of route, more than 1,000 of them timed, over five stages disputed in different types of terrain and striking landscapes.
The BP Ultimate Rally-Raid Portugal will pass through the municipalities of Grândola, Santiago do Cacém, Abrantes, Alcácer do Sal, Almeirim, Chamusca, Coruche, Mação, Ponte de Sor, Salvaterra de Magos, Sines and the city of Badajoz, which will host the end of one of the stages.
The program
As of March 30, machines and teams will begin to occupy the race's Bivouac and Service Park, located at the Grândola Fair and Exhibition Park.
April 2 (Tuesday) is reserved for technical and administrative checks, and the briefing for the prologue and two sections of the following day. The engines start revving on April 3, with a spectacular Prologue of around 5 kilometers, very close to the Parque de Feiras e Exposições. The results of this spectacular stage will determine the competitors' starting order for the two sections on Wednesday afternoon: the first starting and finishing in Santiago do Cacém; the second starting in Santiago do Cacém, but taking the drivers back to Grândola. In this part of the country, the competitors will tackle several kilometers of the course on sandy surfaces, in the best style of Rally-Raids held on other continents.
Stage 2, on Thursday (April 4), starts and finishes in Grândola, this time on a slightly more consistent surface, but still with sandy sections, similar to those of the 2022 edition of the BP Ultimate Baja TT ACP.
This is followed by the longest day of the race in terms of timed kilometers, Stage 3 (on Friday, April 5), where the competitors head north, to Ribatejo and Alto Alentejo, through regions full of history for national off-road racing. At the end of this stage, the caravan crosses the border, with Badajoz being the stage of arrival, the city where the teams will spend the night and start the next day's stage.
Saturday's stage takes place in Spain, on terrain very similar to that used by the competitors in the Spanish TT Championship's Baja Extremadura, in a region with firmer terrain, noticeably different from the sandy beaches of Grândola or the fast tracks of the Ribatejo. The town of Villafranca de Los Barros, south of Badajoz, hosts the start of the timed sector, and Fregenal de la Sierra, the finish, before the competitors head to Bivouac, in Grândola.
The big decisions of the BP Ultimate Rally-Raid Portugal are set for Sunday, April 7, on the final 133 timed kilometers, starting and finishing in Grândola. In total, there will be 1,008 timed kilometers of adventure, lots of competition and a unique spectacle.
Stage length
Prologue: 5 km
Stage 1: 103 km
Stage 2: 220 km
Stage 3: 282.87 km
Stage 4: 270 km
Stage 5: 133 km
Total timed: 1,008.87 km
Total route: 1,758.41 km