Old Friends Rally Team rider wins 48-hour stage and strengthens his lead in the SSV World Championship
Alexandre Pinto repeated his victory in the opening stage of the 2025 Dakar Rally. In this, his debut in the world's premier off-road event, the driver, registered with the Old Friends Rally Team and navigated by Bernardo Oliveira, once again scored the maximum points for the SSV World Rally Raid Championship, a competition he now leads with a score of 10 points. The Portuguese duo also won outright in the FIA Rookie Challenge, a competition for FIA drivers who are new to the Dakar.
“We covered almost 1000 km, it was an adventure, a new experience for us, but everything went well. We set a conservative pace which paid off in the end. We brought the car to the end. We managed to win the stage classification for the World Championship again, accumulated more points and climbed to 3rd overall. The Dakar has only just begun, so we don't have too many expectations, but I think we're managing to find the right rhythm for the race. The Dakar is only just beginning, but everything is going well,” said the driver who, at the controls of a Can-Am, covered the 947 timed kilometers of the demanding two-day stage in 12h35m51s on his arrival in Bisha.
Tomorrow sees the third stage of the Dakar Rally 2025. After three days in Bisha, the caravan will face a long journey north as it continues to tour the country. It will be time to head for Al Henakiyah. Given that the area has been subject to heavy storms, the organization decided to establish a more accessible route to also give the competitors some rest after the tough chrono stage, not least because on January 8 and 9 the entire entourage will have to face a marathon stage. The route of the third stage has therefore been shortened to 327 timed kilometers.
Automatic translation of the Portuguese versio available on www.todoterreno.pt
Source: Alexandre Pinto / A2 Comunicação
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