From April 2 to 7, the only World Rally-Raid Championship round to be held in Europe will bring the stars of the Dakar to the trails of the Alentejo, Ribatejo and Spanish Extremadura regions. Organized by the Automóvel Club de Portugal (ACP), the competition will take in cars, motorcycles and quads over more than a thousand kilometers.
The guidelines for BP Ultimate Rally-Raid Portugal are already known, a new event that marks Portugal's debut among the elite of the World Rally-Raid Championship (W2RC), organized by the FIA and FIM. The 1,700-kilometer race (more than 1,000 timed) will bring the spectacular machines and figures of the Dakar to Portugal, in an off-road race for cars, motorcycles and quads.
From April 2 to 7, the Alentejo town of Grândola will host the Bivouac and the Prologue of the event, consisting of five stages - from Wednesday to Sunday - and which crosses the Alentejo and Ribatejo regions, with an incursion into Spanish Extremadura and the city of Badajoz.
Dakar stars confirmed
The BP Ultimate Rally-Raid Portugal is the third event in the W2RC calendar, which began in January with the Dakar Rally in Saudi Arabia, followed by the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge. Entries don't close until March 18, but it's already possible to anticipate some of the big names who will be in Portugal.
In the cars and SSVs, two-time World Rally-Raid champion and five-time Dakar winner Nasser Al-Attiyah (Prodrive Hunter T1+) will face strong opposition from the drivers of the official Toyota team, such as Brazilian Lucas Moraes and American Seth Quintero, but also from Overdrive Racing drivers such as Guerlain Chicherit, Guillaume de Mévius and Yazeed Al-Rajhi, also at the wheel of Toyota Hilux T1+s. Brothers Christian and Marcos Baumgart are also names to watch out for in the discussion for the top spots, with the Brazilians lining up at the controls of two Prodrive Hunter T1+.
Spain's Cristina Gutiérrez, a brilliant Dakar winner in the Challenger category (ex-T3), is another name to watch out for in the side-by-side prototype race, as is Portugal's João Ferreira, Can-Am's official SSV driver (ex-T4), the Americans Austin Jones (Challenger) and Sara Price (SSV), and the Lithuanian Rokas Baciuška (Challenger), among others.
The ACP event is also eligible for the Portuguese Cross-Country Championship, currently led by defending champion Tiago Reis, followed by João Ramos, both in Toyota Hilux T1+. The CPTT points are awarded at the end of Stage 2, with the national competitors then able to continue in the race, in direct competition with the best in the world.
On the bikes race, there's a lot of anticipation for the clash between the official Honda, Sherco and Hero teams, who are bringing two-wheeled talents to Portugal such as the American Ricky Brabec (Honda), a double Dakar winner, Ross Branch (Hero), the current World Championship leader, Pablo Quintanilla (Honda), the former Cross-Country World Cup winner, Jose Ignacio Cornejo (Honda), Adrien Van Beveren (Honda), Skyler Howes (Honda), Lorenzo Santolino (Sherco) and Harith Noah (Sherco), among others.
Speaking directly
Carlos Barbosa, president of the Automóvel Club de Portugal
"It's a difficult race to organize, there are more than 1,700 kilometers of route, with everything that entails, but with the experience and quality of our team we've managed to do it. I think the ACP is going to put on a great race and prove once again that we are excellent organizers. We're going to have all the world's best car, motorcycle and quad drivers and riders who have been to the Dakar, plus national drivers and teams from Europe who haven't had the chance to go to the Dakar. It's going to be a very crowded race, with great drivers and, above all, very interesting, because the route is completely different from what they've done so far. It's important to take these races to the interior of Portugal, because they fill hotels, restaurants, attract people... The interior needs a strong economy and events like this."
Carina Batista, Deputy Mayor of Grândola
"It's both a challenge for Grândola and a very important event for the local economy, due to the drivers and teams who will be visiting us, as well as a way of promoting our municipality."
Inês Rodrigues, BP Portugal
"ACP is one of BP Portugal's main partners and we're proud to be able to support another world-class event. The BP Ultimate team was formed two years ago and boosts the image of our premium fuels, not only in Portugal but also on the international off-road circuit."
Santiago Amaro Barril, Junta de Extremadura
"We want to put Extremadura in the national and international spotlight. Our relationship with Portugal is that of brothers, we are united by a shared culture, heritage and tourism. We've worked on both sides of the border and it's very important for us to take this step forward in major motorsport events too."
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