Baja Escuderia de Castelo Branco 2025 - FMP Event - Portuguese Cross-Country Rally Championship
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In the motorcycle competition, Gustavo Gaudêncio, on a Honda, won the prologue with a time of 5m25s and was also 1st in the TT1 Class. Second best time for national champion Martim Ventura, on a Husqvarna, who spent 7s more. He was also the fastest in the TT2 Class and among the Juniors. Third place was 0.1s away from 2nd place for João Duarte on a Honda, 1st TT3 and 2nd Junior.
Of particular note was the return of eight-time national champion António Maio, who made his debut on a Yamaha Ténéré 700 entered in the Trail Class. Also new was the participation of the renowned Pedro Bianchi Prata at the controls of a 100% electric Honda.
The Baja TT Escuderia Castelo Branco continued on Saturday, on a day marked by adverse and extreme weather conditions, where the riders faced a 174 km timed section. Gustavo Gaudêncio remained unstoppable, and the Team Offroad Center Bianchi Prata - Honda rider completed the selective sector in 3h07m19s with a lead of 5m04s over national champion Martim Ventura. 3rd place in SS2 for Micael Simão in GasGas, 2m04s ahead of Martim Ventura. 4th place went to Gonçalo Amaral, who spent 1m59s more than Micael Simão. 15 seconds further back in 5th place was João Duarte, also on a Honda.
Bernardo Megre, on a Kawasaki, finished SS1 in 6th place, 10m30s behind Gustavo Gaudêncio. António Maio's 7th place on his Yamaha Ténéré in the Trail Class was remarkable.
The final day of the Baja TT Escuderia Castelo Branco 2025 was completed with the competitors facing a 164 km selective sector. Gustavo Gaudêncio managed his advantage from the previous day very well and took a significant victory at the controls of a Honda in the TT1 Class. In second place was national champion Martim Ventura, on a Husqvarna. He was fastest in SS2, won the TT2 Class, triumphed among the Juniors and continues to lead the national championship. 3rd place and another podium finish for Micael Simão on a GasGas. He won the TT3 Class. 4th place Bernardo Megre, on a Kawasaki, was 3rd fastest in SS2. He finished just 22s behind Micael Simão. He was 2nd in the TT2 Class. In 5th place, 42 seconds behind Bernardo Megre, was João Duarte on a Honda. He was 2nd in the TT3 Class and 2nd Junior. Gonçalo Amaral was 4th at the start of SS2, where he didn't do as well as the day before and dropped two positions. He was 3rd in the TT2 class on a Honda. Christophe Lajouanie's performance was excellent, also on a Honda TT2. He was the fastest of the veterans and 7th overall. 8th place for David Megre, back at the controls of a KTM. On his debut at the controls of the Yamaha Ténéré in the Trail Class, António Maio went straight into the Top 10. He won the class and was 9th overall. Salvador Amaral on a Honda TT2 rounded off the top 10. Olavo Medeira on a KTM won the Promotion Class and Daniela Mateus on a Beta triumphed among the ladies. Of particular note was Pedro Bianchi Prata's feat at the controls of a 100% electric motorcycle, which successfully overcame the harshness and the almost 350 km of this Baja.
Tomás Paulo - winner
In the Quad competition, the fastest rider in the prologue was young Rodrigo Alves on a Yamaha. Also on a Yamaha, the second fastest time went to another youngster, Tomás Paulo, the winner of the opening race, who spent 0.7s more on this prologue than the winner. Third time for national champion Luís Fernandes, like the first two also on Yamaha, who spent 12s more than Rodrigo Alves.
The following day, with national champion Luís Fernandes soon out of the race, it was young Tomás Paulo, the winner of the opening race, who took the lead, which he held until the very end. It was another youngster, Rodrigo Alves, on a Yamaha, who finished with the best time. The winner of the prologue took 4m25s less than Filipe Martins, also on a Yamaha and leading among the veterans. Tomás Paulo, who at km 131 was leading with a 2m 45s advantage over Rodrigo Alves, finished the day in 3rd place, 4m51s behind the winner.
On the final day of the race, a lively duel for first place between two youngsters once again took place in this Baja TT ECB in favor of Tomás Paulo, who took his second consecutive victory. 2nd place, 1m53s behind the winner, went to Rodrigo Alves, who, like Tomás Paulo on a Quad Yamaha, was at the front of SS2 for much of the section. Third place went to Filipe Martins, also on a Yamaha, who triumphed among the veterans. With the first six positions occupied by Yamaha Quads, 4th place went to Fábio Ferreira, who was 2nd fastest in SS2. 5th place for Martim Pedroso who was 3rd in the Juniors.
6th place for Jorge Sampaio who won the Promotion Class. Third fastest in SS2 Tiago Teixeira in a Can-Am was 7th in the final standings.
Automatic translation of the Portuguese version
Source: FMP / A2 Comunicação
Photos: Rally-Raid Network // ImagensDesportivas.com
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