The Baja de Lagos, the seventh and final round of the Portuguese Cross-Country Championship (CNTT), held under the authority of the FMP, crowned Micael Simão (GasGas) as the winner in the Moto category, Tomás Paulo (Yamaha) in Quad, and David Rodrigues/Nilton Lopes (Can-Am) in SSV. It was a decisive weekend, with the remaining titles finally settled.
Micael Simão (GasGas) dominated the Baja de Lagos from start to finish. He set the fastest time in the Prologue, won SS1, and once again imposed his pace in the final SS2, securing his fourth consecutive victory of 2025. The newly crowned national champion added yet another win to his season’s tally.
Second place went to Gustavo Gaudêncio (Honda), who won the TT1 class and clinched the national title in that category. Returning to the CNTT, Algarve rider João Lourenço (Beta) finished third overall and won TT2. Fourth place for Bernardo Megre (KTM), the 2025 TT2 champion. Fernando Ferreira (Kawasaki) took fifth, winning among the Veterans — a class in which he had already secured the title — and also finished second in TT1. Sixth place went to Tomás Dias (Honda), winner among the Juniors.
Next came Nelson Cunha (Kawasaki), who won the Promotion class. In eighth place, João Duarte claimed the Junior national title aboard a Honda TT3 — a class won overall by Simão. Closing the Top 10 were Afonso Figueiredo (Kawasaki), third among Juniors and in TT1, and Christophe Lajouanie (Honda), second among the Veterans. Daniela Mateus (Husqvarna #99) won the Ladies category.
In Quad, the already crowned national champion Tomás Paulo was once again unstoppable. He won the Prologue, SS1, and SS2, earning his seventh victory of the season and completing a never-before-achieved clean sweep in the CNTT. Junior rider Rodrigo Alves finished second, 6m35s behind, and the final podium spot went to Hélder Sá.
Fourth place went to Jorge Sampaio, first among Promotion riders. José Marques rounded out the Top 5. All riders competed on Yamaha machines.
The SSV category began with Vasco Martins/Luís Falé winning the Prologue. On the following day, however, it was the duo of David Rodrigues/Nilton Lopes who took control, holding the lead again in SS2 and winning the race with a 1m13s advantage. Rodrigues also topped the Veterans classification. Second place went to Sérgio Palminha, competing solo. Third was Ricardo Lourenço, second among Veterans, navigated by Manuel Santos. All three crews drove Can-Ams.
It’s worth noting that SS2 was dominated by two crews who started the final sector from very far back. Pedro Pinha/Joaquim Soares — winners of the 2024 Baja de Lagos and debuting the Polaris RZR Pro — had issues in the Prologue and SS1 but stormed to the SS2 win. Second in SS2 were André Rodrigues/Ricardo Porto Nunes in a Segway Super Villain, one minute slower than Pinha. Gonçalo Guerra, third in the Prologue and navigated by Luís Engeitado, also started from the back and finished SS2 in fourth, just behind Palminha.
In the overall standings, the duo André Carita/Nuno Abrantes finished fourth, while fifth place went to Rodrigo Melancia/João Diogo, who won the Stock Category, all in Can-Ams. The remaining Stock podium places were filled by the next teams overall: Nelson Saramago/João Charrua and Alexandre Silva/Rui Cascalho (both Polaris), separated by just 10 seconds.
Eighth place went to João and Luís Araújo in their Segway Super Villain. Fourth in the Stock Category — Arnaldo Monteiro/Farinha Duarte (Can-Am) — was enough for Monteiro to secure the title by a narrow margin. Former Quad champion Tiago Gomes, navigated by André Correia and driving a CFMoto, closed the Top 10 after a penalty cost him fourth place overall and the Stock Class win. Micael Vitória/Fábio Pratas (Segway) won the SSV TT2 class, securing the title there as well, and Vitória also topped the Junior standings for this Baja de Lagos.
MOTO:
1st Micael Simão (GasGas) – 166 pts
2nd Gustavo Gaudêncio (Honda) – 93
3rd Bernardo Megre (KTM) – 89
QUAD:
1st Tomás Paulo (Yamaha) – 191 pts
2nd Rodrigo Alves (Yamaha) – 113
3rd Luís Fernandes (Yamaha) – 68
SSV:
1st Nelson Caxias (Can-Am) – 112 pts
2nd André Carita (Can-Am) – 91
3rd Roberto Borrego (Can-Am) – 79
Source: CNTT
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