Baja Portalegre 500 2020:  Portugal's most important race is just one month away

Originally scheduled to take place from 29 to 31 of October, Baja Portalegre 2020 will now be raced from 5 to 7 of November in the Alentejo region.  The change in the dates was due to the Covid-19 Pandemic, which forced some rearrangements in the Portuguese calendar.  Baja Portalegre usually marks the ending of local and international championships, and most of the times is "the race" where all is decided, but the lastest change in the calendars moved Baja TT Idanha-a-Nova to the end of November, after Baja Portalegre, meaning that this year after the checkered flag of ACP's race, the Portuguese championship participants will still have plenty of kilometers to race until the end of their season.
As for FIA Baja World Cup, Baja Portalegre is still the final event and one of the lastest chances for the international teams to test their cars and gain rhythm for the 2021 Dakar Rally.   

The Portuguese Race will also have many changes due to the Covid Pandemic, with the organizers drawing a safety plan in collaboration with health and security forces to minimize as much as possible the risk of spreading the virus.

The competitive plan is similar to previous years, starting with the traditional 5Km prologue (SS1) near the city of Portalegre on Friday 6 of November.  On the same day, all the categories will still have to dispute SS2 with 85km of length.
Saturday will be the "big day" of competition in Alentejo's demanding roads.   The cars will have 2 longs stages to race, first SS3 with 170km and then and even longer SS3 with 180km, making a total of 350km against the clock.   
As for the motorbikes, quads, and SSV's, their program will feature only one sector, but an extra long sector with 330km long.

As usual, before all the action, the participants will have to pass by scrutineering on november 5, a necessary formality which will ensure complete compliance with technical and safety rules for teams and their vehicles.

The 2020 edition of Baja Portalegre will also have some changes regarding the route, returning to some areas that were not used for some years.  This years the participants will visit the  municipalities of Abrantes, Alter do Chão, Crato, Fronteira, Gavião, Monforte, Nisa, and Sousel.

You can view some of last's years best images here: BAJA PORTALEGRE 2019 IMAGE GALLERY

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