The bp Ultimate Rally Raid Portugal crowned young Bernardo Oliveira as the Rally-Raid Co-Drivers World Champion in the SSV category – an unprecedented achievement in Portuguese motorsport – while also awarding Daniel Sanders (KTM) the Riders’ World Title in bikes, with the Australian also taking victory in the event organized by ACP.
In the cars, after more than 12 hours at the wheel and 1,119 competitive kilometers raced against the clock through dirt tracks across Alentejo, Ribatejo, and Spanish Extremadura, the top two finishers were separated by just 53 seconds. Advantage to Brazilian Lucas Moraes over South African Henk Lategan, both in Toyota Hilux T1+ Evo. Sébastien Loeb (Dacia) completed the podium. Also noteworthy were the Portuguese triumphs of Gonçalo Guerreiro (Challenger) and João Dias (SSV) in their respective categories.
The “European Dakar” will return to Portugal from March 17 to 22, 2026.
A world champion from Fafe
Born in Fafe, Bernardo Oliveira is just 20 years old, yet already pursuing a Master’s degree in Economics in Boston. In between, he still finds time to sit alongside Alexandre Pinto in the events of the Rally-Raid World Championship (W2RC). Today, with the Monument of the Discoveries as the backdrop, the Portuguese secured the title of Rally-Raid Co-Drivers World Champion in SSV – the first such conquest in national motorsport history.
“Honestly, it still hasn’t sunk in. It’s my first season in the world championship, and I’m happy to become champion here in Portugal. I believe we can wrap up the drivers’ title in Morocco,” said Oliveira.
As for his driver, Alexandre Pinto, only the mathematics prevented him from sharing the same joy, although he could already be considered a virtual champion if the Italian Enrico Gaspari does not take part in the final round of the season in Morocco.
Portugal: cradle of off-road champions
The second edition of the bp Ultimate Rally Raid Portugal delivered thrills and drama in abundance: multiple changes of lead across different categories over five days of racing, a car victory that was only confirmed at the final control in Belém, and confirmation that a new generation of Portuguese drivers is ready to fight for victories and world titles in the coming years.
Car victory with a Portuguese accent
After five days of fierce competition and three different leaders (Henk Lategan, João Ferreira, and Lucas Moraes), the battle in the car category came down to pure drama and emotion.
The final stage, 103 kilometers long, was a flat-out sprint for victory between the two Toyota Gazoo Racing W2RC teammates. Brazilian Lucas Moraes and South African Henk Lategan started just 34 seconds apart, but the Brazilian flew in pursuit of his first Rally-Raid World Championship victory and ended the selective section 53 seconds clear of his teammate.
It was a win with a Portuguese flavor:
“I really like this race and it’s so good to win here and be able to speak Portuguese. The car was flawless, which allowed me to be fast and set a good strategy. At the end, the team asked me to ease off, but since I also have a chance to win the championship, I decided to keep pushing. As long as I have a chance to fight for victory, I won’t lift my foot,” said Lucas Moraes, who also praised the organization: “Congratulations to the organizers for putting together an amazing rally.”
Henk Lategan secured second place and valuable points for the world championship:
“I tried to score the maximum points possible. The field was strong, and this result keeps the title fight wide open heading to Morocco,” he explained.
Despite mechanical issues earlier in the rally, Sébastien Loeb rounded off the podium in Portugal:
“I took no risks on the final stage and enjoyed the scenery. We had the speed to do better, but the problems on the previous days dictated the result,” said the Frenchman.
Portuguese star João Ferreira (Toyota Hilux T1+ Evo) had promised to put on a show – and delivered! He dominated the final selective section, proving he had both pace and car to challenge for the overall win. Over 103 kilometers, he gained 1m13s on Nasser Al Attiyah (Dacia Sandrider) and 1m16s on Carlos Sainz (Ford Raptor T1+).
“I felt great with the car. It’s always good to win a selective and show our speed against the best in the world. It wasn’t the overall result I expected, but I’m happy with the stage win. Now it’s time to focus on Morocco,” said Ferreira after clinching his second W2RC stage win in the Ultimate category.
With this result, the fight for the world title is tighter than ever: three drivers within 10 points. Nasser Al Attiyah (140), Henk Lategan (131), and Lucas Moraes (130) will settle the 2025 World Champion crown in Morocco.
National pride
Portuguese drivers shone in the bp Ultimate Rally Raid Portugal. Fresh from his excellent second place at the 2025 Dakar, Gonçalo Guerreiro (Taurus Evo Max) won the Challenger category in Portugal. He was the fastest in three of the five stages and secured a superb 6th overall, ahead of several Ultimate cars.
“It was a good rally, I had fun despite a few setbacks. It’s a great result,” he said.
The Portuguese dominated the SSV category, with nine drivers in the top 10! João Dias (Polaris RZR) won the class with an impressive 18-minute gap over second place.
“It’s an enormous pride to win this category here in Portugal. The car was perfect and allowed me to push,” said Dias, who already has the 2026 Dakar in his sights.
Alexandre Pinto (Polaris RZR) finished second, taking a decisive step towards the SSV World Title:
“I’m very happy with this result. We were a bit conservative, but we still finished second, scored maximum points for the championship, and are very close to securing the title,” he said.
Meanwhile, Bernardo Oliveira sealed the co-drivers’ crown at just 20 years old, after Enrico Gaspari switched navigators mid-season.
Daniel Sanders: World Champion
The fifth and final stage of the bp Ultimate Rally Raid Portugal proved historic for Daniel Sanders (KTM 450 Rally). The Australian not only clinched victory in the event but also secured his first-ever RallyGP World Championship title.
Sanders is in sensational form, having won 50% of the stages on the calendar and all four W2RC events held this year. His next goal: win in Morocco to complete the Grand Slam.
In Portugal, he was fastest in the Prologue and took three out of five stages.
“My focus was on the stage rather than the championship. The last kilometers were a good fight, and the feeling is amazing. It was a fantastic rally – I always had the right strategy, the right pace, and I enjoyed it a lot. The finish was spectacular with all the flags and the crowd,” said the new world champion at the end.
“I’m really happy with the season. This is the realization of a dream – now it’s time to celebrate.”
The bikes’ podium was completed by Spaniard Tosha Schareina (Honda CRF 450 Rally):
“I wanted to win the stage and pushed hard. After yesterday’s navigation mistake, it was very difficult to win overall, but I’m happy with second place. We did a good job.”
Third went to Argentinian Luciano Benavides (KTM 450 Rally), winner of the final stage:
“It was a beautiful stage. Very windy, but with good grip, I was able to push and enjoy it a lot. It was my first time racing in Portugal, and I’m very happy with this podium.”
In Rally2, Edgar Canet (KTM 450 Rally) claimed his third victory of the season. Thomas Zoldos (Beta 430) was best in Rally3.
Among the Quads, Gaëtan Martínez (CF Force 1000) took the win, which also earned him the Rally-Raid World Cup title with one round to spare, as Morocco does not include this category.
Final Classifications
Cars
-
Lucas Moraes / Armand Monleon (Toyota Hilux T1+ Evo), 12h13m05s
-
Henk Lategan / Brett Cummings (Toyota Hilux T1+ Evo), +53s
-
Sébastien Loeb / Edouard Boulanger (Dacia Sandrider), +10m05s
-
Christian Baumgart / Luís Felipe Eckel (Toyota Hilux T1+ Evo), +17m43s
-
Nasser Al Attiyah / Fabian Lurquin (Dacia Sandrider), +24m13s
-
Gonçalo Guerreiro / Bruno Jacomy (Taurus Evo Max), +23m53s (1st Challenger & 1st Portuguese)
-
João Dias / Rui Pita (Polaris RZR), +43m33s (1st SSV)
Bikes
-
Daniel Sanders (KTM 450 Rally), 12h39m39s
-
Tosha Schareina (Honda CRF 450 Rally), +3m40s
-
Luciano Benavides (KTM 450 Rally), +12m41s
-
Ricky Brabec (Honda CRF 450 Rally), +14m34s
-
Edgar Canet (KTM 450 Rally), +21m57s (1st Rally2)
-
Bruno Santos (Husqvarna FR450 Rally), +27m18s (1st Portuguese)
-
Thomas Zoldos (Beta 430), +1h16m33s (1st Rally3)
-
Gaëtan Martínez (CF Force 1000), +3h05m41s (1st Quad)
Drivers’ Championship – Cars
-
Nasser Al Attiyah – 140 pts
-
Henk Lategan – 131 pts
-
Lucas Moraes – 130 pts
-
Seth Quintero – 84 pts
-
Yazeed Al Rajhi – 77 pts
Manufacturers’ Championship – Cars
-
Toyota Gazoo Racing W2RC – 397 pts
-
Dacia Sandrider – 287 pts
-
Ford M-Sport – 217 pts