More than 250 competitors registered for the 34th Baja Portalegre 500, which, in a very difficult year for everyone, not only is confirmed to happen, but is also the stage for all decisions at the FIM World Cup in Bajas and in the National TT Championship.
On the bikes, António Maio arrives in Portalegre as the championship leader and with six victories in his curriculum. The Yamaha rider is looking for a seventh win to become national champion for the sixth time.
“I want to fight for the championship and the victory is welcome. There are 19 years of racing, 14 podiums and six victories in Portalegre ”, exclaimed António Maio.
If internally, the focus is on António Maio and Martim Ventura, who can still achieve the champion title, in the international competition, Sebastian Buhler prepares to lift the cup. The Hero rider will ride on a bigger bike, more adapted to events like the Dakar, but he does not give up looking at the first place. “I want to test but I also want to win. The bike is very competitive, ”said Buhler.
SSV with the most filled fleet
In the closed park, the biggest area is the SSVs zone. The organization received 102 applications for registration. Among these, we highlight João Dias who leads the national championship and the World Cup. The CanAm X3 driver will face Luís Cidade and Alexandre Pinto, the runners-up in their respective competitions. In the capital of Alto Alentejo, there are other opponents who stand out for having already won the Baja Portalegre 500. Such are the cases of Ruben Faria, Marco Pereira or Pedro Carvalho. Aware of the competitiveness in this category, João Dias praises the fact that “there are 15 drivers with conditions to reach the end as winners”.
“Luíses” duels on the quads
The Baja Portalegre 500 will be the stage for a duel between the two best in the national championship, Luís Engeitado, currently seating in first place, and Luís Fernandes, second. Both drivers are separated by nine points but only Engeitado has already entered his name on the winners list on the Portugues classic off-road event. Also note the fact that Engeitado left for this edition with the victory in the FIM World Cup of Bajas in the crosshairs.