The first stage, contested between Grândola and Grândola, followed the trails of the Alvalade region along the Sado River, covering a total of 180 kilometers.
João Ferreira / Filipe Palmeiro (Toyota) finished the opening day of the bp Ultimate Rally-Raid Portugal in the overall lead, ahead of Seth Quintero / Andrew Short (Toyota) and Sébastien Loeb / Edouard Boulanger (Dacia).
The first selective section, held between Grândola–Grândola, covered 180 kilometres through the Alvalade region near the Sado river. Muddy conditions made the stage particularly demanding, with line choice proving crucial to avoid mistakes and time losses.
Trouble for several Ultimate contenders
Carlos Sainz (Ford) lost time due to engine problems, while Mattias Ekström (Ford) and Henk Lategan (Toyota) went off the track and suffered mechanical damage, although both managed to continue.
Sanders fastest in bikes
In the bike category, Daniel Sanders (KTM) set the fastest time in the first selective section, finishing in 1h32m01s, ahead of Tosha Schareina (Honda) and Adrien Van Beveren (Honda).
Portuguese rider Bruno Santos (Husqvarna) finished fifth overall and first in Rally2, while Gonçalo Amaral (Honda) led the Rally3 category.
Short second stage brought no major changes
The afternoon selective section was only three kilometres long and used the same track as the prologue, but in the opposite direction. Due to its short distance, the general classification remained unchanged.
Ferreira pleased with the start
At the end of the day, João Ferreira highlighted the difficulty of the conditions:
“It was a very good start for us on a slippery and demanding stage. The key was to avoid mistakes, as many drivers had problems. The car worked perfectly and we kept a safe rhythm, but the rally is still long.”
The Portuguese driver stressed that consistency will be essential:
“In these conditions you cannot push too hard. The goal is not to win every stage but to stay focused on the overall result. The rally is long and we must keep managing the race.”
Stock, Challenger and SSV leaders
In the Stock category, Rokas Baciuska / Oriol Vidal (Defender) led the day, ahead of Stéphane Peterhansel / Michaël Metge and Sara Price / Sean Berriman.
In Challenger, Ricardo Porém / Nuno Sousa won the day, followed by Juan Gasso / Ion del Cid and Paul Spierings / Mark Salomons.
In SSV, the provisional podium was fully Portuguese, with Luís Cidade / Valter Cardoso ahead of Luís Portela Morais / David Megre and Miguel Barbosa / Joel Lutas.