Punctures, mechanical issues and navigation errors defined the fourth day of the BP Ultimate Rally-Raid Portugal. Lucas Moraes/Dennis Zenz (Dacia) came out on top, claiming the stage win and moving up to third overall.
Sébastien Loeb/Edouard Boulanger (Dacia) lost time but remain in the overall lead, now holding a 1m27s advantage over Seth Quintero/Andrew Short (Toyota).
In the bikes category, Bruno Santos (Husqvarna) once again delivered a strong performance, but it was Daniel Sanders (KTM) who won the stage, further consolidating his lead. Nasser Al-Attiyah (Dacia), with mechanical problems, and Henk Lategan (Toyota), after an accident, lost significant time but are expected to return to the stages tomorrow.
Still feeling the effects of the previous day, Toyota drivers set off determined to attack the lead. However, several punctures delayed both Quintero and Ferreira. In addition, a two-minute speeding penalty handed to the Portuguese driver further compromised his result. Free from trouble, Lucas Moraes set the pace on the fast tracks of the Spanish Extremadura and secured the stage win.
At the finish — even before knowing about the penalty — Ferreira expressed the team’s frustration: “We had a puncture near the end and had to change the tyre. We were pushing hard and if we managed the second-best time with a puncture, I believe we could have won the stage, but it is what it is.”
The stage winner, on the other hand, was clearly pleased: “We had a clean run. Dennis did a great job navigating, but it was very difficult — the track was very narrow and slippery,” said the Brazilian with a smile.
Loeb remained typically pragmatic after also suffering a puncture near the end of the special: “We started well, but had a puncture at the end, on the same rock as last year, in the same place, and I didn’t see it. We had to change the tyre and lost time. After that, I chose to be more cautious as the track became more slippery.”
In the Challenger class, Alexandre Pinto/Bernardo Oliveira (Taurus) once again won the stage and moved into the overall lead, ahead of Charles Munster/Xavier Panseri (KTM) and Puck Klaassen/Augusto Sanz (KTM).
The Portuguese duo has been extremely competitive over the last two days. After losing nearly 15 minutes in the opening stage, they have recovered and now lead the standings by 4m14s.
In the SSV category, the battle was decided by seconds, with the top five fighting hard. Determined to bounce back from previous mechanical issues, Luís Cidade/Valter Cardoso (Can-Am) traded positions at the front with Luís Portela Morais/David Megre (Polaris), Andrea Deldossi/Jeremy Tricaud (Can-Am), Miguel Barbosa/Joel Lutas (Polaris) and João Monteiro/Nuno Morais (Can-Am). In the end, Cidade prevailed over Barbosa and Portela Morais. The top two crews are now separated by 1m43s, with the #408 car leading.
In the Stock category, Stéphane Peterhansel/Michael Metge (Defender) took the stage win and moved into the lead, with nearly seven minutes over Rokas Baciuska.
With tyre choice playing a crucial role due to the rain and track conditions, Bruno Santos pushed hard once again. However, Sanders claimed victory, with the Portuguese rider finishing second, just 59 seconds behind.
After the stage, Tosha Schareina (Honda) is second overall, while Santos is third, tied on time with Adrien Van Beveren (Honda) after more than seven hours of racing.
At the finish, Sanders explained his approach: “It was another tricky day, sliding everywhere, but fun. Yesterday I was too slow, today I pushed a bit more.”
Regarding tyre choice, he added: “I think everyone except my teammates chose soft tyres, so we knew they would push hard. This was the stage where I destroyed my tyre last year, but this time everyone had the same, so it was fair.”
Bruno Santos, after briefly leading, was satisfied with second place: “It was good that it rained — the terrain was great, with high grip in some areas and very fast sections, mixed with slower, technical parts through the olive groves. I felt good on the bike, but I was getting tired towards the end.”
Santos extended his lead in Rally2, now more than 12 minutes ahead of Martim Ventura (Honda) and 14 minutes over Neels Theric (Kove).
In Rally3, Mongolian rider Murun Purevdorj claimed a surprise victory, taking advantage of the Amaral brothers’ setbacks to secure his first W2RC stage win. Gonçalo Amaral (Honda) still leads the category.
In the Quads, Antanas Kanopkinas (CFMoto) won the stage, while Adomas Gancierius (CFMoto) remains in the overall lead.
March 21 marks the return to Portugal, with a long 315-kilometre special stage leading competitors to Loulé. The first bike starts at 07:00 and the first car at 09:30.
Arrival in Loulé is expected at 11:49 for bikes and 14:44 for cars. For spectators, free access to the bivouac will be available between 18:00 and 22:00.
Source: ACP Motorsport
Photos: Rally-Raid Network / ImagensDesportivas.pt
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