João Ferreira (Toyota Hilux T1+ Evo) dominated the first day of the bp Ultimate Baja Portalegre 500. The driver won the prologue and the first selective sector and holds a one-minute advantage over Gonçalo Guerreiro (Polaris RZR). Tomorrow, the final stage takes place, and a close fight for victory is expected, as the top seven are separated by just two minutes, with 375 timed kilometres still to be contested. João Dias (in SSVs), André Sérgio (in Bikes) and Tomás Paulo (in Quads) will start in the lead of their respective categories.
The competitive section began with the prologue (5 km), held on the outskirts of Portalegre, where João Ferreira (Toyota Hilux T1+ Evo) set the fastest time. One of the title contenders, Tiago Reis (Taurus Evo Max), finished on three wheels and was forced to retire: “The bearing of the front hub broke,” explained the driver.
In the first stage (70 km) of the oldest and most prestigious cross-country event in Portugal, there was a battle between the Toyota Hilux T1+ Evo of the driver from Leiria and the smaller, more agile SSV and Challenger vehicles. It was an intense fight that promises to continue tomorrow (Saturday), once again on the demanding tracks of Alto Alentejo and Ribatejo, framed by thousands of spectators.
João Ferreira was the fastest at both intermediate time checks and won the stage, with an impressive average of 80.2 km/h. “Although there were few muddy areas, it was a tricky stage. The ruts left by the SSVs were very narrow for our car, and it was difficult to keep a strong pace. I was surprised to have gained a minute over the second-placed driver in just 70 km. But tomorrow is when the Baja Portalegre truly begins. It’s going to be a long day. I expect a fast stage with some slippery sections, and everything can change quickly. We have to do our job and fight for the victory,” said the Toyota Hilux T1+ Evo driver.
Gonçalo Guerreiro set the second-best time and holds the same position overall, but he was not satisfied: “We did a good stage under the circumstances. The route was difficult and very fast, and the car’s suspension setup was not ideal. We’re going to change a few things, and tomorrow I’ll give it my all,” said the driver, who leads the SSV category with a 1m41s advantage over Luís Cidade (Can Am Maverick R).
Daniel Silva (Taurus T3 Max) was the third fastest in the selective sector and holds the same position overall: “It was a difficult stage, with a very hard surface. We did our best. I’m ready to attack tomorrow,” he said. The driver leads the Challenger classification by 52.3 seconds over the Frenchman Romuald Lasne (Can Am Maverick R).
Miguel Barbosa (Taurus T3 Max), winner of the 2024 event, stopped one kilometre from the finish with a fuel pump failure, and Ricardo Porém (Kaizen S1) also retired. Both were contenders for victory in the Challenger category.
In the bikes, Luís Oliveira (Yamaha WR 450) started by winning the prologue, while André Sérgio (Beta 480 Race) was the fastest in the selective sector and took the overall lead, with a 50.7s advantage over Bernardo Megre (KTM EXC 450) and 51.1s over Bruno Santos (Husqvarna FE450). “I didn’t train much, and the bike doesn’t have the best top speed, but I’m happy because it’s the first time I’ve won a stage. I had a very good feeling, and tomorrow I’ll push,” said the rider of the Italian bike, who won the stage with an impressive average of 79.8 km/h, while the fastest car averaged 80.2 km/h. The top six are separated by 1m58s, with 300 timed kilometres still to go — meaning they are all in contention for victory. Meanwhile, Sebastian Bühler, one of the favourites, had problems with his KTM 450 EXC-F and lost a lot of time.
João Dias (Polaris RZR) was clearly the fastest among the SSVs competing under the Portuguese Motorcycling Federation. “I wish the stage had been more slippery, but it went well, and we didn’t make any mistakes,” he said.
Tomás Paulo (Yamaha YFZ450R) leads in the quads. “Halfway through the stage I was second, and the goal wasn’t to be the fastest, but it went well, and I’m happy. Tomorrow is the big day, and I hope to win,” he said.
The Baja Promotion & Hobby riders competed only in the prologue, where Luís Chavado (Husqvarna FE 450) was the fastest in bikes, Victor Lopes (Segway Villain SX10) won among the SSVs, and Rúben Rodrigues (Yamaha YFZ 450) was the best quad. Tomorrow, they return to the track for a 166 km selective sector.
Alongside the bp Ultimate Baja Portalegre 500, the Mini Baja took place — a competition for young riders aged between 8 and 14 years old. The event featured 28 future stars of motorcycling, who raced over a 5 km course (the same as the prologue). Gabriel Xavier won in the children’s race, Martim Alves won among the juniors, Manuel Baptista was the best junior quad, Maria Piedade Cortes won the children’s quad class, and Manuel Ruivo triumphed in the junior SSV category.
The second and final stage takes place tomorrow, with competitors leaving Portalegre early (6:15 a.m.). The car drivers will face two selective sectors of 180 km and 195 km, respectively, while the bike riders will complete a single 300 km stage.
Classification after the 1st Stage – Cars 1st João Ferreira / Filipe Palmeiro (Toyota Hilux T1+ Evo), 53m06.4 2nd Gonçalo Guerreiro / Pablo Moreno (Polaris RZR), +1m00.7 (1st SSV) 3rd Daniel Silva / Gonçalo Magalhães (Taurus T3 Max), +1m18.2 (1st Challenger) 4th Luís Cidade / Valter Cardoso (Can Am Maverick R), +1m41.1 5th João Ramos / Jorge Carvalho (Toyota Hilux T1+ Evo), +1m43.6
Classification after the 1st Stage – Bikes 1st André Sérgio (Beta 480 Race), 57m23.9 2nd Bernardo Megre (KTM EXC 450), +50.7s 3rd Bruno Santos (Husqvarna FE450), +51.1s 4th Micael Simão (Gas Gas EC 500F), +1m15.4 5th João Dias / Rui Pita (Polaris RZR), +1m52.3 (1st SSV) 8th Tomás Paulo (Yamaha YFZ450R), +2m19.9 (1st Quad)