The spectacular list of 169 entries for the bp Ultimate Rally-Raid Portugal includes the overwhelming majority of the drivers in the top 20 of the FIA World Rally-Raid Championship, led by Carlos Sainz. The Spanish driver, who is making his debut with the new X-Raid MINI, arrives in Portugal in a direct fight with Nasser Al-Attiyah (Prodrive Hunter) and the very strong Toyota armada.
Portuguese and Spanish fans will be able to see the great machines and stars of the Dakar competing for the FIA W2RC main title. A discussion that has gained even more interest with the arrival of Carlos Sainz to the X-Raid MINI JCW Team, after the renowned Spanish driver won the last Dakar with Audi.
Sainz's success in Saudi Arabia gave him the lead in the World Championship, even without having taken part in the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge, where Nasser Al-Attiyah and the Prodrive Hunter T1+ outclassed the competition. Only nine points separate the top two before the round in Portugal and Spain, a terrain that is familiar to both of them, despite the unprecedented nature of the Automóvel Club de Portugal event.
But Sainz and Al-Attiyah are not alone in the fight for the title. Five of the next six places in the W2RC standings are occupied by Toyota drivers, split between Toyota Gazoo Racing and Overdrive Racing. Guerlain Chicherit, who will be joined in Portugal by his navigator Mathieu Baumel, is third in the World Championship, 12 points behind Sainz and just ahead of Guillaume De Mévius, who shone at the last Dakar with second place.
The Hilux T1+ of Yazeed Al-Rajhi, Lucas Moraes, Seth Quintero and Juan Cruz Yacopini are also contenders for the top spots, and we're looking forward to seeing what Portuguese drivers Tiago Reis and João Ramos can do with similar machines.
João Ferreira among the favorites
A surprise addition to the 'queen' Ultimate category, young João Ferreira is another strong contender for victory, having given up the SSV category in anticipation of his return to the X-Raid MINI, similar to the one he used to win his second Baja Portalegre 500 in 2023.
Also in the Ultimate category, the Brazilian brothers Cristian and Marcos Baumgart, in the Prodrive Hunter, the South African Saood Variawa, a Toyota Gazoo Racing South Africa entry, and Denis Krotov, in another Toyota Hilux T1+.
As usual, the Challenger category could also see some of the best ex-T3 prototypes in top positions, in a World Championship led by young Lithuanian Rokas Baciuska (Can-Am). The American Austin Jones (Can-Am) won in Abu Dhabi and is just behind, but there is luxury opposition to Can-Am's best representatives. On the side of Taurus, the brand that won the Dakar, there's Cristina Gutierrez - only the second woman to win the Dakar - and two-time World Rally Champion Sébastien Loeb, although neither of them will score points in the W2RC.
In the SSVs of the old T4 category, the championship is led by Saudi Yasir Seaidan (Can-Am), ahead of Ecuador's Sebastian Guayasamin (Can-Am).
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