Frutas Patrícia Pilar rider on the Rally 2 podium and inside the overall Top 10
Despite being hampered by a starting position that forced him into multiple overtakes, Bruno Santos delivered an outstanding performance in the opening stage of the bp Ultimate Rally Raid Portugal, which started and finished today in Grândola. The rider from Torres Vedras concluded the day in 2nd place in Rally 2, just 47 seconds behind the class leader. For now, Santos holds 9th overall, in a race where he is competing against the world’s very best rally-raid riders.
“It was quite a challenging day. I was very nervous at the start, and the starting position wasn’t the best given all the dust in the air. The stage began with very hard, dry, slippery, and treacherous terrain, with some dangers. Visibility was poor and it was easy to go off track. Early on I caught a lot of dust, but I managed to overtake riders and find some clean air. In the second part of the stage I was able to navigate better, feel more confident, and enjoy myself. Today I had an issue with the device that transmits results, which had to be replaced midway through the special. The day ended with a short passage over the prologue section. I climbed many positions in the standings today, which will allow me to start tomorrow’s stage from a more comfortable position, closer to the front-running riders, and hopefully fight for a good result on another long special, finishing in Spain,” explained Santos after completing two selective sectors of 297 km and 5 km.
The Frutas Patrícia Pilar rider, also supported by Momento TT, now looks ahead to Stage 2 of the bp Ultimate Rally Raid Portugal, which will run from Grândola to Badajoz. The day will cover a total of 656 km, including the third selective sector of 429 km against the clock. The bivouac will be located at IFEBA Fairgrounds in Badajoz.
Source: Bruno Santos official press release
Photo: ImagensDesportivas.com
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