Micael Simão, riding a GasGas, Tomás Paulo on a Yamaha Quad, and Roberto Borrego co-driven by Daniel Jordão in a Can-Am SSV were the major winners of the 39th edition of the Baja Portalegre 500. The event, organized by the Automóvel Clube de Portugal (ACP), kicked off with the traditional administrative and technical checks, followed on Friday morning by the 5 km Prologue at Herdade das Coutadas, which marked the start of the competitive section of this penultimate round of the Portuguese Cross-Country Championship (CNTT).
In the Bike category, Luís Oliveira (Yamaha) was the fastest in the Prologue, followed by Sebastian Bühler (KTM) at 2.3s and Bruno Santos (Husqvarna) at 4.3s. Next came André Sérgio and Luís Correia (both on Beta), with Bernardo Megre (KTM) completing the top six, 9.9s behind Oliveira. The following 70 km special stage saw both Oliveira and Bühler suffer mechanical problems, allowing André Sérgio to move into the overall lead with a 50s advantage over Bernardo Megre, and Bruno Santos just 0.4s behind him. Micael Simão, the CNTT championship leader, was fourth on his GasGas, 1m15s off the lead.
On Saturday, riders faced a decisive 287 km special stage, where both Bühler and Oliveira were already out, and Luís Correia soon joined them on the sidelines. André Sérgio took the lead aboard his Beta, closely followed by Micael Simão, Bruno Santos, and Bernardo Megre — the four separated by just a minute halfway through the stage. In the end, a transfer zone penalty dropped André Sérgio to fourth, handing victory to Micael Simão, who thus sealed the 2025 national championship title. Bruno Santos finished second, just 17 seconds behind, taking victory in the TT2 Class, while Bernardo Megre completed the podium 1m07s back.
Final Top Riders:
In the Quad category, Rodrigo Alves set the fastest Prologue time, followed by Luís Fernandes (+4.5s) and Tomás Paulo (+4.6s), all riding Yamaha. In the first selective sector, Tomás Paulo took the lead with a 14s advantage over Fernandes. From there, Paulo dominated completely, securing his sixth win of the season, along with the Junior Class victory, and claiming his first-ever win at Portalegre. 2024 champion Luís Fernandes tried to keep up but was forced to retire before mid-race.
Final Top Quad Riders:
Tomás Paulo (Yamaha) – 163 pts
Rodrigo Alves (Yamaha) – 93 pts
Luís Fernandes (Yamaha) – 68 pts
Alongside the main event, the Mini Baja Portalegre returned in circuit format at Herdade das Coutadas. Among the youngest riders, Gabriel Xavier took the win, ahead of Artur Portela Morais and Pedro Bourbon, with Matilde Cardoso and Margarida Bourbon proudly representing the female contingent. In the Iniciados class, Martim Alves was victorious, followed by João Marcão and Rodrigo Silva. In the combined Quad and SSV race, Manuel Batista won the MB4 class, with Clara Belo second, while Maria Cortes triumphed in MB2. In SSV, Manuel Ruivo, Duarte Vaz, and Mariana Laranjeira finished with the same number of laps, in that order.
The Portuguese Cross-Country Championship (CNTT) will conclude with its final round at the Baja TT Lagos, taking place from 21 to 23 November.
Photo: Imagens Desportivas
Official Press Release
Would you like to discover more about the regions that host the Baja Portalegre 500?
Explore here: Portalegre – Gavião – Crato – Alter do Chão – Avis – Ponte de Sor – Abrantes – Nisa – Fronteira – Sousel
Disclaimer:
As a service to the sport we all love and follow, Rally-Raid Network posts numerous media releases from a wide variety of sources on our website. Due to the large number, and some times short time available, it is nearly impossible to review each public release. These articles are written by reporters or press officers who work for various organizers, teams, drivers, riders, and other parties, and they do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Rally-Raid Network.
