Alexandre Pinto will line up with a more competitive car at the bp Ultimate Rally Raid Portugal. His goal is to fight at the front and defend his lead in the SSV World Championship.
The 26-year-old driver is having an excellent season. He made his Dakar debut with a third-place finish, but still collected maximum points since the other drivers were not competing in the Cross-Country Rally World Championship. In Abu Dhabi and South Africa he faced some setbacks that pushed him down to third place overall. At the event organized by the Automóvel Club de Portugal (ACP) — often referred to as the European Dakar — he hopes to achieve a strong result: “We’re leading the championship and the most important thing is to secure the title for Portugal,” he stressed. That could happen if Pinto wins the rally raid and his rival, Enrico Gaspari, fails to score.
Alexandre Pinto will be competing with a more competitive machine. “I’ll be driving the Polaris RZR Pro, prepared by the OldFriends Rally Team. We made the move to a stronger car also with Dakar 2026 in mind,” he explained. He added: “We’ll be in top form to proudly represent Portugal,” before noting with satisfaction: “It’s really special for Portuguese drivers to relive the Dakar.”
His strategy for the bp Ultimate Rally Raid Portugal is clear: “I’ll approach the race in a safe way, without jeopardizing the championship. Racing at home, of course I want to be at the front, but I won’t risk the entire season. We’ll have tough stages, with some tricky sections — it’s important to stay sharp to keep a fast pace without damaging the car,” he said.
The race will be tackled with one eye on championship points and the pace of his rivals. “I always want to win, but this time I’ll be paying close attention to what the other contenders for the world title are doing. A good result would be to finish ahead of those fighting for the championship and collect as many points as possible in each stage,” highlighted Alexandre Pinto, who acknowledged: “I know the competition will be very strong, especially from the Portuguese drivers, who are extremely fast.”