Cidade edges Ferreira by just six tenths
Luís Cidade and Valter Cardoso, driving a Can-Am Maverick R, set the fastest time in the FIA Prologue with a run of 4m12.2s.
Only 0.6 seconds separated them from João Ferreira and Filipe Palmeiro in the Toyota Hilux EVO, while Tiago Reis and Nuno Morais, aboard the MMP T3 Rally Raid, completed the top three in 4m19.3s, 7.1 seconds behind the leaders.
Herlander Araújo followed just one tenth behind Reis, underlining how close the opening timed action was between the different categories.
Among the classes, Luís Cidade was quickest in SSV1, João Ferreira led T1+, Tiago Reis headed the Challenger field, Herlander Araújo was fastest in T4 and Tiago Patrocínio led CHG1. José Rogeira set the best time among the T1.1 competitors, while Fernando Barreiros led T2.1.
Click here to Download Classification_Prologue_Baja_TT_Sharish_2026-FIA
Alexandre Cardoso leads the National field
In the separate National classification, Alexandre Cardoso and Jaime Cortes took their Kaizen S1 T3 to the fastest Prologue time of 4m26.5s.
Lino Carapeta and Fábio Carapeta, in a Ford Ranger, finished second, 7.4 seconds behind, while Sérgio Matos and Sebastião Dominguez, driving a Toyota Hilux, completed the top three, 9.0 seconds off the lead.
Cardoso therefore headed the T3 field, with Carapeta fastest in T1. Jenne Jasper and Pedro Santos led the T8 category in their Bowler Nemesis, while Américo Santos and Jorge Monteiro set the best time in T2.
Steven Rotsaert, the only T1+ competitor in this classification, did not record a Prologue time.
Click here to Download Classification_Prologue_Baja_TT_Sharish_2026-FPAK
A long Saturday lies ahead
Following Friday's Prologue and opening special stage, the Baja TT Sharish Gin moves into a much longer day of competition on Saturday, when the battle for the overall classification should begin to take a clearer shape.
Stage 2 is scheduled to start at 09:00 on Saturday, September 19, with the first car expected to complete the stage at approximately 19:25.
The starting order will be defined after Friday's competitive action, meaning the Prologue results provide only the first indication in a Baja that still has plenty of racing ahead.
Top 10 — FIA Prologue
| Pos. | Driver / Navigator | Vehicle | Group / Class | Time | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Luís Cidade / Valter Cardoso | Can-Am Maverick R | SSV / SSV1 | 4:12.2 | — |
| 2 | João Ferreira / Filipe Palmeiro | Toyota Hilux EVO | ULT / T1+ | 4:12.8 | +0.6 |
| 3 | Tiago Reis / Nuno Morais | MMP T3 Rally Raid | CHG | 4:19.3 | +7.1 |
| 4 | Herlander Araújo / Tiago Magalhães | Polaris RZR Pro R | SSV / T4 | 4:19.4 | +7.2 |
| 5 | Pim Klaassen / Joel Lutas | DKR EVO GTR | ULT / T1+ | 4:20.0 | +7.8 |
| 6 | Daniel Silva / Gonçalo Magalhães | MMP T3 Rally Raid | CHG | 4:20.7 | +8.5 |
| 7 | João Dias / Nuno Sousa | Polaris RZR Pro R | SSV / T4 | 4:20.8 | +8.6 |
| 8 | João Lourenço / David Monteiro | Can-Am Maverick R | SSV / SSV1 | 4:22.0 | +9.8 |
| 9 | Miguel Barbosa / Carlos Mendes | Polaris RZR Pro R | SSV / T4 | 4:22.6 | +10.4 |
| 10 | Tiago Patrocínio / Paulo Fiúza | Can-Am Maverick X3 | CHG / CHG1 | 4:22.7 | +10.5 |
Top 10 — National Prologue
| Pos. | Driver / Navigator | Vehicle | Class | Time | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alexandre Cardoso / Jaime Cortes | Kaizen S1 | T3 | 4:26.5 | — |
| 2 | Lino Carapeta / Fábio Carapeta | Ford Ranger | T1 | 4:33.9 | +7.4 |
| 3 | Sérgio Matos / Sebastião Dominguez | Toyota Hilux | T1 | 4:35.5 | +9.0 |
| 4 | Ronald Schoolderman / Sá Pires | Mitsubishi ASX | T1 | 4:36.0 | +9.5 |
| 5 | Tomás Lopes / Ivo Prieto | Can-Am Maverick X3 | T3 | 4:36.7 | +10.2 |
| 6 | Herman Jasper / Mark Laan | Red-Lined VK50 | T1 | 4:37.0 | +10.5 |
| 7 | Jenne Jasper / Pedro Santos | Bowler Nemesis | T8 | 4:37.3 | +10.8 |
| 8 | Richard Timmerman / Hendrik Van Geest | Toyota Hilux | T8 | 4:37.9 | +11.4 |
| 9 | Marco Cardoso / André Barras | Mercedes A 140 Proto | T8 | 4:40.0 | +13.5 |
| 10 | José Morgado / Ruben Delgado | Can-Am Maverick | T3 | 4:42.3 | +15.8 |
Photo SVR
