The longest stage in the race was a Dakar-like slog with the drama to match. Dacia were routed, while Toyota put three Hiluxes on the provisional overall podium. Like Tosha Schareina, "El Matador" did not manage to bring the trophy home in Spain. João Ferreira played his cards right to romp home with 1′03″ to spare over a surging Carlos Sainz. Toyota Gazoo Racing's Saood Variawa (+2′13″) and Toyota Gazoo Racing W2RC's Seth Quintero (+3′05″) and Lucas Moraes (+3′47″) rounded out the top spots. His teammate Henk Lategan, who was opening the road after taking the previous stage, finished eighth at +7′19″ and relinquished control of the race.
Ferreira, the first-ever leader of the Ultimate competition, sits at the top of an all-Toyota podium, 3′24″ ahead of Variawa and 3′46″ clear of Moraes. Sainz (+5′20″) will find solace in the fact that he is now back in contention for the trophy, 7 seconds ahead of Lategan in fifth place. Sébastien Loeb and Nasser Al Attiyah suffered the same fate, with mistakes causing them to spend over 15 minutes patching up their cars. The Frenchman received a part from Cristina Gutiérrez in a show of team spirit that will come as cold comfort to Dacia. Loeb sits ninth at 16′27″, with Al Attiyah right behind him at 17 minutes. Tomorrow, their late starts will put them in the ideal position to exact revenge
CHALLENGER / SSV: BIG CELEBRATION FOR PORTUGAL
The winner of stage 1, Mattias Ekström, suffered a mechanical today, leaving the victor of the prologue, Gonçalo Guerreiro, a clear run to glory. The Portuguese driver took the Challenger stage win despite the relentless attacks of the BBR Motorsport duo of Pau Navarro (+3′22″), who was eyeing a home win, and Dania Akeel (+6′07″), who led for some time. Guerreiro padded his overall lead to 8′55″ over Navarro, 11′42″ over Pim Klaassen and 13′22″ over Nicolás Cavigliasso. Alexandre Pinto, victorious in SSV, completed the first-ever Portuguese hat-trick in the FIA classes.
SCHEDULE
• 26 September: stage 3 — Badajoz–Badajoz (total: 511 km / special: 308 km / road section: 203 km)
• 27 September: stage 4 — Badajoz–Lisbon (total: 528 km / special: 274 km / road section: 254 km)
• 28 September: stage 5 — Lisbon–Lisbon (total: 287 km / special: 103 km / road section: 184 km)
4:30 pm: final press conference
7 pm: prize-giving
Portugal: UTC+01:00 / Spain: UTC+02:00
Source: W2RC / A.S.O.
Photos: ImagensDesportivas.com
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