The opening two stages of the bp Ultimate Rally-Raid Portugal have been packed with incidents. Injury redemption, high-profile retirements plus a wet and wild course full of surprises have kept the entire World Rally-Raid Championship (W2RC) convoy on their toes. As the route brings us into Spain before returning for the final stages in Portugal, let’s run through the major storylines occurring at the rally.
Daniel ‘Chucky’ Sanders has shown superhuman powers of recovery to lead the rally after two stages. The Red Bull KTM Factory Racing biker finished January’s Dakar Rally with broken bones and a muscle tear in his leg. Just two months later the Australian has picked up wins on both the Prologue and Stage 1 in Portugal and after today’s 377-kilometre stage he holds the overall lead in the bike race.
“The day started off really wet and cold. It was hard to know if the terrain was grippy or slippy while opening the road.” – Daniel Sanders
Sanders is joined in the chase for victory at Round 2 of the W2RC by KTM team-mates Edgar Canet and Luciano Benavides. Reigning Dakar champion Benavides is out to score as many points as possible in Portugal to maintain top spot in the championship.
“I can feel myself improving day-by-day and I want to be fighting until the final kilometre of this rally.” – Luciano Benavides
In the Ultimate class a stage win on the journey from Portugal to Spain for Sébastien Loeb has put the Frenchman in pole position for overall victory. Loeb blasted through the mud in his Dacia Sandrider to end the day leading the rally with three stages left to race.
“The start of the stage was really wet with high-speed sections in the forest. There were some big water splashes, but overall the grip was OK.” – Sébastien Loeb
Staying close to Loeb at the business end of the Ultimate class rankings are his fellow Dacia drivers Nasser Al-Attiyah and Lucas Moraes. There’s a spread of just six minutes separating all three Dacia crews after two days of racing on the Iberian Peninsula as the team look to follow-up Al-Attiyah’s Dakar victory.
“A tree jumped in front of our car, I don’t how that happened! The pace is so crazy in these narrow, twisty and muddy conditions.” – Lucas Moraes
Seth Quintero is less than a minute behind Loeb in the overall Ultimate class rankings after challenging throughout Stage 2 for the win. The Toyota Gazoo Racing driver flew to Europe to race this week after making his debut in the USA’s premier stage rally series last weekend. Doing things quickly clearly suits 23-year-old Quintero.
“We settled into a nice smooth pace for the first 30km and we ramped things up from there.” – Seth Quintero
Quintero’s Toyota Gazoo Racing team-mate Henk Lategan suffered damage to his rear axle on Stage 1. The South African was grateful to enjoy a smoother run on Stage 2 of the bp Ultimate Rally-Raid Portugal, setting the day’s fifth fastest time.
“Stage 1 put us out of the running for a good result here so today we just wanted to pull ourselves back to a decent road position.” – Henk Lategan
It was a tough start to the week for both Ford M-Sport crews entered into the rally. Neither Carlos Sainz or Mattias Ekström were able to start Stage 2 after both drivers suffered mechanical difficulties with the Ford Raptor T1+ on the opening day of the rally. Sainz ran into engine troubles while Ekström smashed his front axle in a crash with a low wall.
“We have to say goodbye to Portugal earlier than expected. We’ll keep working to come back stronger.” – Carlos Sainz
Stage 1 was complicated for Laia Sanz by a collision with a lamppost. The Spaniard was able to find a better rhythm on Stage 2 as the route crossed over into her homeland. Sanz put her EBRO s800-XRR T1+ comfortably into the Top 20 on Stage 2.
Things are incredibly tight at the front of the Stock class between the Defender Dakar D7X‑R machines of Rokas Baciuška and Stéphane Peterhansel. After two stages the Defender team-mates are separated by just 15 seconds with reigning Dakar champion Baciuška keeping his nose in front.
“It’s different conditions to Dakar, it was slippery on the brakes today, but we're ready for Stage 3 tomorrow – it’s a big one and we’ll push again.” – Rokas Baciuška
Dania Akeel made a rapid start to the rally in Portugal and was leading the Challenger class on Stage 1 until engine trouble struck her Taurus T3 Max. Unfortunately for the Saudi Arabian driver the mechanical issue proved insurmountable and her rally came to an end prematurely.
Former Dakar winning biker Matthias Walkner is on a steep learning curve this week as he makes his rally-raid debut on four wheels. The Austrian is behind the wheel of a Can-Am Maverick in the SSV class after a two-year fightback from serious injury. Walkner was on the pace during Stage 2 to record a seventh place finish in the SSV category.
“Yesterday wasn’t much fun, but today I really enjoyed a lot. The car is doing a pretty good job as I get more and more used to it. I still have a lot to learn, but I can feel myself getting closer to the top guys.” – Matthias Walkner
Those competitors who remain in the rally will lineup for Stage 3 tomorrow morning. A 300-kilometre timed special stage will take the convoy on a tour of Spain’s Extremadura region before finishing back in Portugal. Everybody in the Badajoz bivouac will be keeping a close eye on their weather apps as more rainfall could further complicate matters. Even if Stage 3 has been successfully navigated, two more stages will still stand in the way before the chequered flag flies on Sunday, March 22 at Loulé's Vilamoura Marina.
Source: Red Bull Desert Wing
Photo: todoterreno.pt/Imagens Desportivas
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