The prologue and stage 1 of the inaugural edition of the BP Ultimate Rally-Raid Portugal took place between Grândola and Santiago do Cacém today.
Tosha Schareina (Monster Energy Honda) scored a double whammy in the Rally GP motorbike race, grabbing both the prologue and the stage. The Spaniard vaulted into the overall lead. His teammates Skyler Howes and Pablo Quintanilla round out the provisional podium among the championship entrants. A Honda hat-trick.
Mathieu Dovèze (BAS World KTM Racing) beat Romain Dumontier (Dumontier Racing) and Jean-Loup Lepan (Duust Rally) to the line among the W2RC entrants in the Rally 2 motorbike race. A French hat-trick.
Over in Rally 3, the Amaral Bros, Gonçalo and Salvador, finished ahead of José Flores García.
In the quad category, the championship leader, Manuel Andújar, scooped up the prologue and the stage. The CFMoto riders Antanas Kanopkinas and Gaëtan Martinez climbed onto the overall podium.
Guerlain Chicherit (Overdrive Racing) led the pack in the car race, inching out his teammate Yazeed Al Rajhi and Lucas Moraes (Toyota Gazoo Racing). A Toyota hat-trick.
Over in the Challenger category, the W2RC front-runner, Rokas Baciuška (Can-Am Factory) secured the top spot among those vying for the championship. The Lithuanian took over the reins of the rally ahead of Mario Franco (Franco Sport) and Marcelo Gastaldi (BBR).
In the SSV competition, Ricardo Ramilo outgunned Yasir Seaidan (MMP) and Sebastián Guayasamín (FN Speed) to open his W2RC account.
SCHAREINA HITS ALL THE RIGHT NOTES
Tosha Schareina took the prologue, just like in the last Dakar, but this time he followed it up with another triumph in the first special. The fastest of the six Rally GP riders who registered for the championship, he now leads his teammates Skyler Howes by 4′27″ and Pablo Quintanilla by 4′41″. Adrien Van Beveren (Monster Energy Honda) got slapped with a 12-minute penalty for jumping the gun on their starting times following a transfer. The two Hero MotoSports factory riders, Sebastian Bühler and Ross Branch, were handed down 4- and 2-minute penalties for missing waypoints. The other three HRC riders kept their noses clean, securing a red podium sweep for the Japanese maker. It was a similar story over in Rally 2. Bradley Cox (BAS World KTM Racing) was lightning-fast, but he fell into the same trap as VBA, racking up a 20-minute penalty. Romain Dumontier, who won the class in 2023, picked up a 2-minute penalty for missing a waypoint. Mathieu Dovèze emerged as today's top dog among the championship contenders. He now holds a 1′30″ lead over "Dudu" and a 1′59″ cushion over Jean-Loup Lepan. A French trifecta in the W2RC. The Rally 3 riders burst onto the championship scene. The Portuguese brothers Gonçalo and Salvador Amaral and their Hondas got the better of José Flores García and his Beta. The overall leader is over 15 minutes clear of his brother and more than 23 minutes ahead of the Spaniard. In the quad arena, Manuel Andújar pulled a Tosha Schareina and clinched both the prologue and the special. The Argentinian now leads the pack, leaving the Chinese CFMoto quads of Antanas Kanopkinas and Gaëtan Martinez trailing by 2′39″ and 3′51″, respectively.
CHICHERIT SETS THE PACE
Nasser Al Attiyah kicked off the day with a blistering run in the prologue, claiming the top spot. However, when the special rolled around, it was the short-lived partnership of Guerlain Chicherit and Mathieu Baumel that stole the limelight, clocking the quickest times throughout. As they crossed the line, the French duo left their teammate Yazeed Al Rajhi trailing by 28 seconds, with Lucas Moraes in his factory Hilux following at 48 seconds back. Carlos Sainz and his JCW Rally Plus Mini romped home after the Toyota hat-trick. The W2RC leader sits just 1′17″ behind the winner of the day. Nasser Al Attiyah came in fifth among the W2RC entrants. The Qatari trails the overall leader by just 1′19″, but took only one stage point, letting Carlos Sainz gain an additional point and bring his lead in the championship from 9 to 10. It is neck and neck between these two stars vying for the top spot in the W2RC standings. It was a good day at the office for Chicherit, who pocketed 5 points for the stage win and bumped Al Attiyah from second place in the ranking by a single point. No-one was faster than the championship leader, Rokas Baciuška, among the W2RC entrants in the Challenger class. He beat Mario Franco by 1’11 seconds and Marcelo Gastaldi by 1′54″. His counterpart in the SSV competition, Yasir Seaidan, was not as lucky. The Saudi bent the knee to the Spaniard Ricardo Ramilo, who picked up his maiden stage win in the W2RC and built up a 2′04″ overall lead. Sebastián Guayasamín is 5′17″ from the top spot.
Programme
- 4 April: Stage 2: Grândola–Grândola (total: 201 km / SS: 166 km).
- 5 April: Stage 3: Grândola–Badajoz (FIM total: 616 km / SS: 374 km) (FIA total: 747 km / SS: 388 km).
- 6 April: Stage 4: Badajoz–Grândola (total: 539 km / SS: 251 km).
- 7 April: Stage 5: Grândola–Grândola (total: 144 km / SS: 103 km).
