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Portuguese championship
João Ferreira inherits the victory due to João Ramos' penalty
António Maio with an immaculate performance on the motorcycles
João Vale didn't give any chance in the quads
Roberto Borrego beats the competition in SSV
The last day of competition defined the winners of the second edition of Baja do Oeste. History will remember the triumph of João Ferreira, leader of the Portuguese TT Championship, António Maio, who didn't give any chance to his opponents on the motorcycles, João Vale, who was a reality apart from the quad, and Roberto Borrego, who imposed himself in the SSV.
With temperatures on the rise, the competitors discovered the tracks in the western region with dry ground, a lot of dust, and a course that alternated between very technical areas and other quite fast ones. In cars, João Ramos dominated the first day and everything indicated that he could achieve his first victory in 2022. However, a five-minute penalty, for not having one of the spare wheels in the Toyota at the end of the baja, made the driver from Oporto fall to fourth place.
"The race didn't start in the best way. We were sixth in the prologue and managed to recover to fourth in the first selective sector. Today we started to attack and we did so until the last meter. We benefited from Tiago's bad luck. He had a flat tire and we passed him. We had a clean race until the end," said the winner, João Ferreira.
António Maio wins for the first time in the West
The TT national champion in motorcycles, António Maio, made his debut in the Baja do Oeste and had an immaculate performance. The Yamaha pilot won the prologue and two of the three selective sectors to arrive in Torres Vedras in the first place of the classification. Martim Ventura tried to beat Maio and, at least in the second selective sector, managed to be the fastest. However, in the final classification, he finished second, more than seven minutes from the winner. Micael Simão completed the podium.
"It was a fun race. I managed to set a good pace. I ended up winning, which was the main goal. The terrain was very hard and slippery. We had to ride cautiously, with the bike slipping, which is something I like," said António Maio.
João Vale unchallenged in the quads
In the quads, there was a pilot who did a Baja do Oeste completely apart. João Vale was always ahead in this category and, in the end, he conquered the first place with 13 minutes ahead of Fernando Cardoso. Rafael Carvalho finished in the last place of the podium, but more than 20 minutes away from the winner.
"Today we set out with the sole objective of enjoying the circuit, which was five stars, and taking home the victory, which was what we wanted. Everything went well", exclaimed João Vale.
Roberto Borrego triumphs in the SSV category
The SSV national champion, Roberto Borrego, was the best and won the Baja do Oeste 2022. The Ponte de Sôr pilot had a growing race and took the first place in the last day of the competition to ensure the triumph. Sérgio Baptista got the second place and Hélder Rodrigues closed in the third position.
The race had Gonçalo Guerreiro as the leader in the first two days of the race. However, the Can-Am pilot had a breakdown in the last selective sector and fell in the classification. Borrego took advantage and, with great consistency, took command and won.
"The weekend was very difficult with heat, dust and a very slippery floor. The first stage went well and we won the second selective sector. Today we set a strong pace and knew we were already gaining time on Gonçalo. However, he had a problem and we passed him. From then on, we were able to manage the race", explained Roberto Borrego.
Escuderia Castelo Branco organized the Baja do Oeste and now it will start preparing the Castelo Branco Rally, which will take place in June.
Automatic translation from the original Portuguese version
Source Escuderia de Castelo Branco
Photos: Imagensdesportivas.com
