Ferreira leads with a 17-second advantage over Quintero
Sainz and Ekström’s Fords were the most penalized of the stage
João Ferreira and Filipe Palmeiro (Toyota) lead the overall standings of the bp Ultimate Rally-Raid Portugal, with Americans Seth Quintero and Andrew Short (Toyota) in second and Frenchmen Sébastien Loeb and Edouard Boulanger (Dacia) in third. The first special stage, “Grândola-Grândola,” was contested on the muddy trails of the Alvalade area, bordered by the Sado River, over a total distance of 180 kilometers. In addition to the traditional natural obstacles, choosing the best lines became a challenge due to the mud.
In the Ultimate category, Carlos Sainz (Ford) had less luck, experiencing engine trouble. Mattias Ekström (Ford) and Henk Lategan (Toyota) lost significant time after going off-course, which caused mechanical issues with their cars—though they managed to resolve them during the stage.
In the motorcycle category, Daniel Sanders (KTM) was the fastest in the first special stage. He took 1h32m01s to complete it, followed by Tosha Schareina (Honda) 2m10s behind, and Adrien Van Beveren (Honda) in third. In fifth place overall—and first in the Rally2 category—was Portugal’s Bruno Santos (Husqvarna), while Gonçalo Amaral (Honda) finished the day leading the Rally3 category.
The second special stage was held in the afternoon on the same course used the previous day for the motorcycle prologue, but this time run in the opposite direction. At just three kilometers long, the stage had little to no impact on the overall standings. In the motorcycle category, the picture was similar.
At the end of the first day, João Ferreira was quite pleased with his performance: “It was a good start for us, with a very difficult, very slippery course, but we did our best to get through it. It was very easy to make mistakes; we saw many riders stopped with problems. Our car handled quite well, and we didn’t make any mistakes, but there’s still a long way to go,” said the driver from Leiria.
Regarding the conditions on the first special stage, which was dominated by mud, the Portuguese driver was emphatic in reaffirming his overarching goal: “In these conditions, we can’t push too hard, because otherwise mistakes happen, and that’s not what we want. We’re not here to compete for stage wins. I know I won the stage, but we have to stay focused and keep our eyes on the bigger goal, and we’ll see what we can achieve,” declared Ferreira.
In the Stock category, the duo Rokas Baciuska/Oriol Vidal, in a Defender, maintained the strong form they showed at the Dakar, dominating the day ahead of the duos Stéphane Peterhansel/Michaël Metge and Sara Price/Sean Berriman. While the Frenchman conceded just one minute to his teammate, the American driver fell behind due to a steering issue with her Defender.
Following João Ferreira’s example, Ricardo Porém and Nuno Sousa were the day’s winning duo in the Challenger category, securing the top spot in the standings ahead of Juan Gasso/Ion del Cid and Paul Spierings/Mark Salomons. Finally, in the SSV category, the podium was made up entirely of Portuguese duos: Luís Cidade/Valter Cardoso, Luís Portela Morais/David Megre, and Miguel Barbosa/Joel Lutas.
From four wheels to two, the Portuguese at the top
The highlight of the day was the performance of Portuguese rider Bruno Santos, who, even after receiving a two-minute penalty for speeding in a controlled zone, remains at the top of the standings. At the controls of the Husqvarna FR 450 Rally, Santos not only kept pace with the factory riders but also finished the day leading the Rally2 category. According to him, “the first part of the special stage was a lot of fun, even though it was wet, but I really enjoyed it. I’m used to riding on courses with a lot of water, which are common in the national championship. And I feel physically good,” he added.
Santos’ participation in the bp Ultimate Rally-Raid Portugal is a bit different, as he is the one providing service for his own bike: “Until now, it was just me and my wife. We’re used to competing alone, but now we have the help of some friends,” he said.
In Rally3, Portuguese brothers Gonçalo and Salvador Amaral (Honda) were the fastest of the day, outpacing Frenchman Steve Pasco. In the Quad category, Antanas Kanopkinas (CFMOTO) leads.
Spectacle and excitement on another day of competition
Tomorrow, the 19th, the second stage will be contested on a selective sector that will take the drivers from Grândola to Badajoz, covering a timed distance of 377 kilometers. The first motorcycle will hit the track at 7:05 a.m. and the first car at 9:35 a.m. Arrival in Badajoz is scheduled for 12:53 p.m. for motorcycles and 3:22 p.m. for cars. As in Grândola, the bivouac will be open to the general public, with free admission, between 6:00 p.m. and 11:00 p.m.
Source: Motorsport
Photo: todoterreno.pt/Imagens Desportivas
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