The first stage of the bp Ultimate Rally Raid Portugal was thrilling, with four drivers taking turns at the lead. South African Henk Lategan (Toyota) was the fastest and heads to Spain with a 1m51s advantage over Brazilian Lucas Moraes, who is just one second ahead of Portuguese driver João Ferreira. The battle is on! In the bikes, Australian Daniel Sanders (KTM) laid down the law.
The “European Dakar” truly got underway with the stage that unfolded across the Alentejo region. The factory drivers set a blistering pace over the 302 km selective section, and in the end, the gaps were small; the top three cars are separated by just 1m52s.
Four leaders in the cars
It was a highly competitive day 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 leading at different times. But Lategan pushed hard in the second half of the route and took control. “The stage was extremely demanding. I had a good day, drove clean, and really enjoyed handling the car. I’m really enjoying competing in this rally here in Europe,” said the South African driver, who claimed his fourth stage win in the World Rally-Raid Championship (W2RC).
Nasser Al Attiyah (Dacia Sandrider) set off determined to win the event organized by the Automóvel Club de Portugal (ACP). The Qatari driver was second-fastest on the road but received a two-minute penalty, dropping him to fifth. “A tough special, I don’t know if I did a good job or not. The car’s setup wasn’t right and we need to change it for the next stage. The gap is small, and we’ll push hard. I hope tomorrow will be a better day,” said the Dacia driver, who remains well-placed to chase his fourth world title.
With Al Attiyah’s penalty, Lucas Moraes (Toyota Hilux T1+ Evo) climbed to second place after what he described as a “very intense stage, with lots of different types of corners and plenty of gear changes. I enjoy this type of stage, it’s similar to some rally tests in Brazil. The organization and the fans are fantastic, and I’m happy to be in the top three and ready to attack tomorrow,” said the Toyota driver, who has just a one-second edge over João Ferreira.
Portuguese João Ferreira among the leaders
The Portuguese driver is contesting his first World Rally-Raid Championship event with the Toyota Hilux T1+ Evo and showed his speed. A deep knowledge of the region saw him lead at two intermediate waypoints, but his progress was hindered by dust from Sébastien Loeb and by brake issues. In the end, he benefited from Nasser Al Attiyah’s penalty to move onto the podium. “It was a very tough, long, and difficult stage. The surface was more slippery than we expected, and it was easy to make mistakes. Our starting position wasn’t ideal, as we caught the dust from Loeb and Sainz. We didn’t lose much time to the leaders, and tomorrow’s stage will be very important,” said Ferreira.
The day was also marked by incidents: Marcos Baumgart rolled his Toyota Hilux T1+ Evo and retired, Seth Quintero – one of the contenders for victory – stopped for technical intervention on his Toyota Hilux T1+ Evo and lost more than 17 minutes, while Carlos Sainz suffered a puncture on his Ford Raptor T1+.
Portuguese drivers Gonçalo Guerreiro and Alexandre Pinto shine in the “Spiders”
The Challenger category was fiercely contested. Gonçalo Guerreiro (Taurus Evo Max) and Mattias Ekström (Can-Am XRS) fought for the lead all stage long, separated by seconds. The Portuguese driver led until 10 km from the finish, but lost 2m30s due to a technical problem and dropped to second (12th overall). “It’s a shame, because we were leading. I’m not happy, but we’ll keep fighting with full determination,” he said afterwards.
Alexandre Pinto (Polaris RZR) stayed at the front of the SSV category throughout and built a solid lead over Enrico Gaspari. “We had a positive day. We went for a cautious approach with the goal of reaching the end, and it looks like the pace was actually pretty good. There’s still a long way to go, but it’s a strong start,” said Pinto, who is 15th overall. If he maintains this result, the world title is within reach.
Australian Daniel Sanders dominates in the bikes
The first stage was tough on the bike riders due to the punishing terrain, which caused excessive tire wear. Daniel Sanders (KTM 450 Rally) was again the best, but faced stiff opposition from the Honda riders. The championship leader set a blistering pace, won both selective sections, and finished with a 1m11s lead over Adrien Van Beveren (Honda CRF 450 Rally) and 1m32s over Tosha Schareina (Honda CRF 450 Rally). “Very slippery surface, it was hard to be fast, but I survived. Now it’s all about the next stage,” said the leader. Stage 2 promises an intense battle between the top three.
Bruno Santos (Husqvarna FR450 Rally) was the best Portuguese rider, finishing 13th after Day 1. “It was very challenging and different from last year, with dry, hard terrain. There was little traction, and by the end, the sandy sections had worn out the rear tire. I’m quite satisfied with the result, especially since I started from a secondary position and by 10 km in, I was already catching other riders’ dust,” he explained.
Stage 1 Classification – Cars
1st Henk Lategan (Toyota Hilux T1+ Evo), 2h30m21s
2nd Lucas Moraes (Toyota Hilux T1+ Evo), +1m51s
3rd João Ferreira (Toyota Hilux T1+ Evo), +1m52s (1st Portuguese)
4th Saood Variawa (Toyota Hilux T1+ Evo), +3m03s
5th Nasser Al Attiyah (Dacia Sandrider), +3m37s
Stage 1 Classification – Bikes
1st Daniel Sanders (KTM 450 Rally), 2h43m40s
2nd Adrien Van Beveren (Honda CRF 450 Rally), +1m11s
3rd Tosha Schareina (Honda CRF 450 Rally), +1m32s
4th Ross Branch (Hero 450 Rally), +2m46s
5th Luciano Benavides (KTM 450 Rally), +4m16s
13th Bruno Santos (Husqvarna FR450 Rally), +10m06s (1st Portuguese)
Tomorrow, Stage 2 runs from Grândola to Badajoz – the longest day of the rally at 655 km, including 429 km against the clock. The first two selective sections are in Portugal, in the areas of Ponte de Sor and Mação. The first part runs through fast tracks lined with eucalyptus and pine trees. Ponte de Sor is sandier, while Mação is more mountainous with harder ground. The stage finishes in Spain, in a flat area leading to the Badajoz Fairgrounds, right by the Portuguese border, where the finish control and bivouac will be located. The bivouac will be open to the public from 6 PM to 11 PM (Spanish time).
Access link to follow Stage 2 of the bp Ultimate Rally Raid Portugal:
https://rallyraidportugal.com/content.aspx?menuid=1343
Program
September 25 – Stage 2 Grândola–Badajoz (429 km)
05:25 – Start of 1st Bike from Parque de Feiras e Exposições de Grândola
07:30 – Start of 1st Car from Parque de Feiras e Exposições de Grândola
15:30 – Arrival of 1st Bike at Badajoz Fairgrounds (estimated)
17:30 – Arrival of 1st Car at Badajoz Fairgrounds (estimated)
19:00 – W2RC Medal Ceremony at Badajoz Fairgrounds
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