Sébastien Loeb took the lead from João Ferreira.
After a hesitant start in Grândola, Sébastien Loeb set off determined to beat the competition and quickly began building an advantage on the trails leaving Portugal. With Guy Botterill and Seth Quintero in pursuit, the Frenchman handled the day’s difficulties with precision to remain in front.
"[The stage] was complicated, with a lot of rain at the beginning, which led me to stay cautious. At the end, with the rain gone, we could increase the pace and, even after making a mistake at a junction, we managed to stay in front,” revealed the Dacia driver.
Less satisfied was Quintero who, after starting further back, was hindered by having to drive in Ferreira’s dust:
"The stage was going well, but 70 kilometers from the finish we started catching João’s dust and couldn’t overtake him, because here it’s difficult to pass cars. Even so, it was fun, and we will keep pushing,” concluded Quintero.
Another highlight of the day was the Sara Price/Sean Berriman duo, who after struggling with mechanical problems in their Defender the previous day, beat their teammates right at the end of the selective sector, winning in the Stock category.
Among the Challengers, the big winners were the Portuguese Alexandre Pinto/Bernardo Oliveira (Taurus), who showed strong pace against Ricardo Porém/Nuno Sousa (Kaizen). Their performance was so good that the team set the fifth fastest overall time. Third on the stage was the duo Charles Munster/Xavier Panseri (KTM), showing good speed in their transition from WRC to Rally-Raid.
Ricardo Porém remains the category leader, but will have to defend himself in the coming days from Pinto’s attacks. In SSV, the Portuguese dominated again, with João Monteiro/Nuno Morais (BRP CAN-AM) arriving first in Badajoz, followed by Luís Portela Morais/David Megre (Polaris) and Miguel Barbosa/Joel Lutas (Polaris).
The unlucky crew of the day in the category was Luís Cidade/Valter Cardoso, who after leading for much of the stage were forced to retire with mechanical problems in their BRM Can-Am. At the end of the day, Portela Morais moved into the overall lead with a 2m12s advantage over Barbosa, who is now second.
Victory on the day missed by a very small margin
At the finish in Badajoz, Bruno Santos could not hide his disappointment after missing the much-desired stage victory by just two seconds. Thankful for the support received, Santos remained determined for the coming days:
"The day was going well. I tried to ride conservatively at all times, but at the same time I felt pushed by the huge support along the route. I’m sorry I didn’t get the stage win, but I will keep pushing until I do,” concluded the now fourth overall in the bikes standings and first in Rally2.
With a completely opposite mood, the stage winner could not have been more pleased. Spaniard Tosha Schareina said the day had started cautiously.
“But once we reached the dry tracks in Spain I was able to push a bit more. Bruno has shown very strong pace and is an opponent to keep an eye on, but we must also be careful with the other rivals,” he concluded.
In Rally3, Gonçalo Amaral (Honda) once again beat the competition, also keeping the lead. Highlights go to the second-placed rider of the day, Murun Purevdorj (KTM), and Richárd Hodola (KTM), whose performance moves him up to third in the category. In the Quads, Adomas Gancierius (CFMOTO) not only won the stage but also moved into first place in the category, swapping positions with teammate Antanas Kanopkinas.
Stage in Spain promises close battles
The 296 kilometers of the selective sector designed around Badajoz promises plenty of action in all categories, with several spectator zones where it will be possible to watch everything live.
Schedule for March 20:
- First bike starts at 07:05 and the first car at 09:35
- Finish in Badajoz is expected at 13:10 for cars and 15:42 for bikes
Access to the Badajoz Bivouac is free. Check here for locations and main schedule information.