Henk Lategan (Toyota) leads the bp Ultimate Rally-Raid Portugal at the end of the opening selective section of the first stage. The tight gaps raise the suspense for the final kilometres, which will run right through the heart of Grândola.
The bp Ultimate Rally-Raid Portugal truly got underway today with the first stage on the fast dirt tracks of the Alentejo. The bikers set off from the Grândola Fair and Exhibition Park at 6:00 a.m., while the cars hit the road a little later, at 8:00 a.m.
The route proved to be both technical and fast, a combination much appreciated by the majority of the competitors.
In the cars, the battle is red-hot, 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 taking turns in the lead.
At the end of the first timed sector (km 297), Lategan was in front with a 1m48s advantage over Al Attiyah. João Ferreira led for much of the section but dropped to fourth after minor issues in the final stretch.
Among the contenders for victory, Al Attiyah lost parts of his bodywork but kept up the pace, while Carlos Sainz (Ford Raptor T1+) dropped time after a puncture.
On two wheels, Daniel Sanders (KTM 450 Rally) set the pace from the very start, despite strong opposition from the Honda riders. The championship leader was quickest at every waypoint and finished 50s clear of Adrien Van Beveren (Honda CRF 450 Rally) and 1m19s ahead of Tosha Schareina (Honda CRF 450 Rally). Bruno Ventura (Husqvarna FR450 Rally) is the best Portuguese rider in 12th at the end of the opening section. Martim Ventura (Honda CRF 450 Rally) spent much of the day in fourth overall and was leading Rally2 before a mechanical issue cost him more than 40 minutes.
Cars – SS1 Classification
1. Henk Lategan (Toyota Hilux T1+ Evo), 2h25m13s
2. Nasser Al Attiyah (Dacia Sandrider), +1m48s
3. Lucas Moraes (Toyota Hilux T1+ Evo), +1m55s
4. João Ferreira (Toyota Hilux T1+ Evo), +1m57s (top Portuguese)
5. Saood Variawa (Toyota Hilux T1+ Evo), +3m04s
Bikes – SS1 Classification
1. Daniel Sanders (KTM 450 Rally), 2h33m56s
2. Adrien Van Beveren (Honda CRF 450 Rally), +50s
3. Tosha Schareina (Honda CRF 450 Rally), +1m19s
4. Ross Branch (Hero 450 Rally), +2m33s
5. Luciano Benavides (KTM 450 Rally), +4m01s
6. Bruno Santos (Husqvarna FR450 Rally), +10m06s (top Portuguese)