The competition in the SSV category is “on fire”. The competitive level in the Baja Portalegre 500 is very high and the instability of weather conditions is contributing to make the race even more unpredictable. At the end of the first stage, Ricardo Domingues (Can-Am) is in front, but has only 19.2 seconds of advantage for the pair Alexandre Pinto / Fábio Belo, who occupies the second position. Championship leader and SS1 winner João Dias is third, 48.6 seconds away.
With the heavy rain from last night and this morning, the riders found the tracks in very different conditions than they might have thought. The terrain became more slippery and muddy and promoted greater uncertainty in the course of the race. João Dias, who arrived in Portalegre ahead of the championship and the world cup, started in the best way and established the best time in the 3.4 kilometers of the first selective sector.
The Can-Am driver confesses that he found the most difficult conditions he has ever seen in competition and was not surprised to lose the lead. In turn, Ricardo Domingues did not hide his satisfaction at closing the inaugural stage in front of the classification.
“I am very happy, very happy. I knew I was coming at a strong pace, but the race is really difficult. It's Portalegre from a few years ago. We will try to keep pace during tomorrow's stage, but it´s a big question ”, admitted the leader of the Baja Portalegre 500.
The fight for victory will be very close. The meteorology points to that the climatic conditions remain unstable and the classification is tight. The first three are separated by 48.6 seconds and the top ten fall within less than three minutes.
The second stage takes place during the day of tomorrow and the pilots will compete in a selective sector only, but that is more than 300 kilometers long.