- CNTT with 150 entries at Baja TT Sharish Gin
- Martim Ventura (Moto), Luis Fernandes (Quad) and João Monteiro (SSV) lead the championship
The Alentejo region in Portugal, will host the Baja TT Sharish Gin, the fifth stage of the National Cross-Country Championship, which will take in tracks in the municipalities of Reguengos de Monsaraz, Mourão and Redondo. The 150 registered competitors will face a course totaling 578.67 km, of which 376 will be timed. Martim Ventura on a Yamaha in the Moto competition, Luis Fernandes also on a Yamaha in the Quad competition and João Monteiro on a Can-Am in the SSV competition are leading their respective championships and were also the winners of the 2022 edition.
In the two-wheelers, we'll surely see the duel between the champion and his main opponent in the fight for the title. Martim Ventura and António Maio, both on Yamaha, have won four races and are tied on points, but the advantage goes to the young Martim. This duo is joined by an excellent line-up that includes Honda riders - Gustavo Gaudêncio, Fábio Magalhães, João Duarte, Gonçalo and Salvador Amaral - Husqvarna riders - Micael Simão, Miguel Castro, Daniel Jordão and Bruno Santos, as well as Bernardo Megre (KTM), David Megre (Kawasaki) and Tomás Dias (Fantic), among others. Luís Engeitado, a former Quad national champion, is also taking part, riding a Kawasaki.
In the Quad class, the fight for victory should be very lively, involving Luís Fernandes, the championship leader after triumphing in Góis, Ferraria and Loulé, the young Rafael Carvalho, winner in Beja, the very fast Fernando Cardoso, all on Yamaha, who will have the champion João Vale as his main adversary, who had an accident in the opening race of the season when he was making his debut on a Can-Am Renegade XXC, a different quad bike from the others that usually take part in the championship and with which he took the podium in Loulé. It's worth noting that Rodrigo Alves and Tiago Ferreira, two youngsters who have been in the spotlight in the CNTT, are now joined by another youngster, Tomás Paulo, a very promising rider. To these riders, all on Yamaha, we must also add the names of Tiago Teixeira, on Yamaha and Fábio Ferreira on ATVRacing.
In the SSVs, the list of candidates for victory is always long, but we have to start with the names of João Monteiro and Roberto Borrego, both on Can-Am, who have shared the victories of the four rounds already held, and Luis Cidade and former national champion Pedro Santinho Mendes, who have also come close to triumphing. Other names to watch out for are national champion Gonçalo Guerreiro, now at the controls of a Polaris PRO R, registered as an official driver for the American manufacturer, Sérgio Batista, Ruben Rodrigues, Pedro Pinha, Marco Pereira, Nelson Caxias, Herlander Araújo and Arnaldo Monteiro, drivers who have been in the spotlight in the four previous races. Returning to the CNTT competitions are Hélder Rodrigues, Mário Franco and Pedro Grancha, drivers with established credentials. In the Stock championship, Rui Serpa on a Can-Am, Paulo Fernandes on a Yamaha and Nelson Saramago on a Polaris occupy the top three positions.
The Yamaha YXZ 1000R Cup is in its second round with Luís Caseiro in the lead in the Open classification and Paulo Fernandes in the Stock classification.
The 35th edition of the Baja TT Sharish Gin takes place in the municipalities of Reguengos de Monsaraz, Mourão, Redondo and Évora. The race will cover a total of 578.67 km, including a 6.2 km prologue to be held on Friday and two stages, each with a selective sector, the first of 210 km and the second of 160 km.
More information about the Baja TT Sharish Gin on the Sportity App with the code SAR-BIKE
Automatic translation from the original Portuguese version available on www.todoterreno.pt
Source FMP/A2 Comunicação
Photos: www.imagensdesportivas.com / www.imagensdesportivas.pt