>>> Find some of the best images of Baja Portalegre here: www.imagensdesportivas.com
Find out more about the municipalities that will host the race: Portalegre, Alter do Chão, Fronteira, Nisa, Ponte de Sor, Crato
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Press release:
In the motorcycles, there won't be a repeat of last year's thrilling duel between António Maio and Simão Ventura, which was decided in favor of the multiple national champion by an incredible 0.1s after 414.2 kilometers. Simão Ventura was recently injured, but the list of motorcycles has an extensive, quality squad, with the TT3 national title still to be decided. António Maio (Yamaha) has already renewed his title as absolute champion and is looking for his ninth victory in Portalegre, on a weekend when Sebastian Bühler returns to the national races with the official Hero. Other highlights include the Honda riders Gustavo Gaudêncio, Fábio Magalhães, João Duarte, Gonçalo and Salvador Amaral -, the Husqvarna riders - Bruno Santos, Miguel Castro and Daniel Jordão - and Bernardo Megre (KTM), David Megre (Kawasaki), Tomás Dias (Fantic) and André Sérgio (Beta). The TT3 title will be contested between Bruno Santos and Fábio Magalhães.
In the quads, João Vale won last year and comes to Portalegre on his Can-Am Renegade XXC, but this year the fight for the championship title involves Luís Fernandes (Yamaha), the championship leader after three wins, and the youngsters Rafael Carvalho (Yamaha) and Rodrigo Alves (Yamaha).
The list of candidates for victory in the SSVs is extensive and includes three former national champions who are in direct contention for the title: João Monteiro, Pedro Santinho Mendes and Roberto Borrego, all on Can-Am. Gonçalo Guerreiro, the defending champion and winner of the last two editions in Portalegre, leads the Polaris offensive with his brother Tiago Guerreiro, while Luis Cidade, Hélder Rodrigues and Nelson Caxias, all on Can-Am, also have arguments to fight for victory. In the Stock championship, the title will be decided between Nelson Saramago (Polaris), Rui Serpa (Can-Am) and Paulo Fernandes (Yamaha), the latter being the Portuguese representative in the European SuperFinale of the Yamaha YXZ1000R Cup, which will be held in Portugal for the fourth time.
Mini Baja looking to the future
The ACP event includes the Mini Baja category, aimed at young riders aged between 8 and 16, divided into the Infantile, Initiate and Juvenile classes. Part of the FMP Mini TT Championship, it's an important moment for those who aspire to follow in the footsteps of the national TT and Rally-Raids stars who made history in Portalegre and at the Dakar. Domingos Cunha (Yamaha) and Bernardo Caiado (Gas Gas) lead the Youth and Beginners classes, while Francisco Porto Nunes (Yamaha) is already champion among the Children.
The Mini Baja route includes a prologue on Friday and a selective sector of around 85 kilometers (with a stop in the middle for refueling) on Saturday.
Baja Portalegre 500 is an Eco-Event
The Baja Portalegre 500 has an Environmental Sustainability Plan that confers "Eco-event" status on the ACP event. In partnership with the company Valnor and the municipalities of Portalegre, Ponte de Sor, Nisa, Gavião, Crato, Chamusca, Alter do Chão and Abrantes, the organization aims to achieve measurable environmental sustainability objectives throughout the event, in line with the FIA and FIM environmental codes.
As in previous years, the work carried out with Valnor is aimed at reducing the amount of waste produced, separating packaging and selectively collecting and recycling waste. At the different venues where the event takes place, particularly in the areas with the largest crowds (NERPOR, Prologue and Show Zones), containers and recycling bins are made available for sorting waste, and participants, assistance teams and spectators are encouraged to contribute to the correct separation of waste. Local training and awareness-raising activities are also promoted to disseminate best recycling practices.
At the end of the event, the amount collected from the waste produced during the event, handed over by the ACP to Valnor, will go entirely to the Portalegre Volunteer Fire Brigade.
Automatic translation from the original Portuguese version available on www.todoterreno.pt
Source: ACP Motorsport / Baja Portalegre
Photos: Rally-Raid Network / ImagensDesportivas.com
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