Martim Ventura, bp Ultimate-backed rider, wins Rally2 in the bikes category
The bp Ultimate Adventure Team maintained today the lead it has held since Stage 2 in the SSV classification of the bp Ultimate Rally-Raid Portugal, a round of the FIA World Rally-Raid Championship organised by the Automóvel Clube de Portugal. Miguel Barbosa, who set the fourth fastest time on the stage, moved into the overall lead of the competition, on a less fortunate day for Luís Portela Morais, who was forced to stop early in a stage featuring 317 timed kilometres across a route split between Spain and Portugal. Also outstanding was the performance of Martim Ventura, a rider supported by bp Ultimate, who claimed victory in the Rally2 class in the bike category.
“It was a very tough day. A long one, with 317 kilometres of special plus long liaison sections. A very demanding stage. In the morning, the track was very narrow, with lots of rocks, making it easy to make a mistake. We started the special well and safely, with a good pace. Then we saw Luís and David stopped with a mechanical issue—so a word for them, as besides being our teammates in the bp Ultimate Adventure Team, they were having a great race—and from that moment we knew we had a comfortable margin to manage. Still, the day was very challenging and shortly after we had issues with the intercoms, which made our task even harder and cost us some time. At the refuelling point we managed to fix it and focused on staying calm and regaining concentration. We later recovered some of the lost time. We moved into the SSV lead on a day that confirmed just how tough this rally is, and with one final stage still ahead, we must prepare well,” said Miguel Barbosa at the bivouac in Loulé. Driving a Polaris RZR and navigated by Joel Lutas, he now holds an advantage of 3m36s over the second-placed crew.
For Luís Portela Morais, this was a stage “that leaves me extremely disappointed. There are no words to describe the feeling. We had the race in our hands and were forced to retire because of a part we replaced three days ago as a precaution. It’s incredibly bad luck. We still tried to fix the issue, but it was impossible and we are out of the race. Now I’m here hoping that Miguel wins the race for me.”
Martim Ventura, supported by bp Ultimate, secured an excellent victory in the Rally2 category, where he now holds second place overall, and with this result moved up to sixth place in the overall bike standings: “I tried to increase my pace a bit, but I had some limitations in the corners because I didn’t want to put my foot down too much. I wanted to have a good race in Portugal for the fans, for everyone here, as the support has been incredible. I’m happy, even though I wanted more this week but couldn’t achieve it, so I have to be satisfied with today’s result. I want great things from this race in the future, and I wanted that this year as well, but I simply don’t have the pace yet and I’m not in my best shape, so with what I managed to do, I’m happy,” said the rider.
The final stage of the bp Ultimate Rally-Raid Portugal, starting and finishing in Loulé, will feature a short 101-kilometre timed special, plus an additional 190 kilometres of liaison.
Official press release
Photo: Todoterreno.pt / ImagensDesportivas.pt
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