The third edition kicked off with the motorbike prologue near Grândola.
Daniel Sanders set the tone for this year’s bp Ultimate Rally-Raid Portugal by winning the prologue held in Grândola. The World Champion was just one-tenth of a second faster on his KTM than the runner-up, Tosha Schareina (Honda). Third place went to Ricky Brabec (Honda), just 0.03s off the fastest time.
Still recovering from the spectacular crash he suffered at this year’s Dakar, Sanders demonstrated his full competitive edge. In the end, the Australian rider was pleased with the result:
“Obviously, it’s good to start like this. The track was similar to last season’s and we were able to get a better feel for the lines, but the conditions kept changing. Everyone was attacking and, to find the fastest line, you had to take risks without making mistakes. It’s hard to get into your stride in such a short stage, lasting just two or three minutes, but it’s a matter of holding your breath and going as fast as possible.”
In front of a large crowd at the Grândola tracks, the prologue also saw Jeremy Knuiman (KTM) win in the Rally2 category and the Portuguese rider Gonçalo Amaral (Honda) in Rally3.
The best Portuguese rider was Bruno Santos, on a Husqvarna FR 450 Rally. The rider was pleased with his performance:
“It was a positive prologue, very interesting, with sandy sections and winding bends. I set a good pace, even though I haven’t quite got the lines sorted out yet. I tried to push as hard as possible and I believe I’ve secured a good position for tomorrow’s stage.”
Excitement on the tracks and in the areas open to the public
The first day concluded with a press conference open to the public, followed by a well-attended autograph session featuring 18 riders and the official start ceremony for motorbikes and cars, where off-road fans were able to cheer on some of the World Championship’s biggest stars.
Tomorrow sees the first stage, featuring a 180-kilometre special stage, making a total of 225 timed kilometres, starting and finishing in Grândola.
Along the route, there will be several spectator areas for the public to follow the race. At the end of the day, the service park will be open to the public free of charge between 6.00 pm and 10.00 pm.
The competition can also be watched live on SportTV, with coverage between 1.49 pm and 4.37 pm, as well as via a daily highlights programme of around 15 minutes, broadcast at 1.20 am.