João Ferreira (Toyota Hilux T1+ Evo) dominated the 39th bp Ultimate Baja Portalegre 500 and claimed his third win in the great classic of Portuguese cross-country rallying. The driver from Leiria won the prologue and all three selective sectors, finishing with a 10m18.4s advantage over Luís Cidade (Can Am), the best among the SSVs. Daniel Silva (Taurus) completed the podium and took victory in the Challenger category. Micael Simão (Gas Gas) won in bikes and was crowned national champion.
The second stage of the event, organised by the Automóvel Club de Portugal (ACP), included two selective sectors totalling 375 timed kilometres. The longest was also the most demanding, as the arrival of rain created additional challenges for the competitors across the rough tracks of Alto Alentejo and Ribatejo.
As in the first stage, no one managed to contest the dominance of João Ferreira (Toyota Hilux T1+ Evo). “In the first selective sector it was difficult to keep the car on the road. The surface was very slippery, so we chose a more conservative pace. But I’m very happy with my performance. The SVR team did an amazing job. Toyotas had the reputation of not performing well in these conditions, and we proved otherwise,” said the winner.
It marked the return of traditional cross-country machines to victory, following last year’s win by a side-by-side, driven by Miguel Barbosa. Notably, the Toyota Hilux T1+ Evo was the only car from the main category to finish inside the top ten. This was Toyota’s fifth victory in the ACP event — and came 27 years after the brand’s first, achieved by Filipe Campos driving a diesel-powered Land Cruiser.
Luís Cidade (Can Am Maverick R) set the third-best time in the stage and climbed to second overall, also benefiting from the retirements of João Ramos and Gonçalo Guerreiro.“It was the easiest edition I’ve ever raced. We did an excellent job, and I dedicate this result to my family, who always supported me,” said the driver, who claimed his first international SSV victory.
Daniel Silva (Taurus T3 Max) was on the attack from start to finish, securing the final podium spot and victory in the Challenger category. “We had a good day. We lost some time to the T1+ cars on the fast sections but managed to be competitive in the twisty parts. It’s a traditionally tough race, and you have to manage your pace well to make it to the end,” he emphasised.
The second selective sector caused havoc among the frontrunners: João Ramos (Toyota Hilux T1+ Evo) retired with a broken suspension arm while running second overall, and Gonçalo Guerreiro (Polaris RZR) was forced to abandon with a broken suspension joint while lying third and leading the SSVs.
With this result, the battle for the overall national title will go down to the final round — the Baja de Lagos (21–23 November).
Victory and title for Micael Simão
In the bikes, Bruno Santos (Husqvarna FE450), Micael Simão (Gas Gas EC 500F) and André Sérgio (Beta 480 Race) fought closely for the win throughout the 287 timed kilometres. Bruno Santos was the fastest early on, but in the final kilometres, Micael Simão took the lead, won the stage, and was crowned absolute national cross-country champion. “The bike is incredible, but it was hard to manage the pace because the goal was to finish and secure the title. It’s going to be an amazing feeling to have the number one plate next year. We have the best Baja championship in Europe, and after this title, my plan is to compete in rally-raid next year and race the Dakar in 2027,” he said.
Over the combined two stages, André Sérgio (Beta 480 Race) was the provisional winner of the bp Ultimate Baja Portalegre 500, but a penalty dropped him to fourth place. “I missed a braking point, went straight, and hit a tree — even so, it was the race of my life,” explained the rider, who received a 3m26s penalty for exceeding the liaison time limit imposed by the organisers.
As a result, Bruno Santos moved up to second place. “I had great fun. The beginning was tough, but I adapted and managed to keep a fast pace,” he said. Bernardo Megre completed the podium.
Tomás Paulo (Yamaha YFZ450R) took victory among the quads, while José Hélio (Can Am Maverick R) won the SSV category under the Portuguese Motorcycling Federation.
In the Baja Promotion & Hobby class, competitors faced a 166 km selective sector. Fábio Matos (Yamaha YZ450F) won among the bikes, Rúben Rodrigues (Yamaha YFZ 450) triumphed in the quads (3rd overall), and Victor Lopes (Segway Villain SX10) was the best SSV (4th overall).
Final Classification – Cars
1st João Ferreira / Filipe Palmeiro (Toyota Hilux T1+ Evo), 5h37m07.2 2nd Luís Cidade / Valter Cardoso (Can Am Maverick R), +10m18.4 (1st SSV) 3rd Daniel Silva / Gonçalo Magalhães (Taurus T3 Max), +12m10.1 (1st Challenger) 4th Luís Portela de Morais / Carlos Mendes (Polaris RZR), +13m38.6 5th Michel Van Den Brink / Bart Van Heun (Can Am Maverick R), +13m38.7
Final Classification – Bikes
1st Micael Simão (Gas Gas EC 500F), 5h24m11.2 2nd Bruno Santos (Husqvarna FE450), +17.3s 3rd Bernardo Megre (KTM EXC 450), +1m07.7 4th André Sérgio (Beta 480 Race), +3m07.1 5th José Hélio / Pedro Velosa (Can Am Maverick R), +5m27.5 (1st SSV) 9th Tomás Paulo (Yamaha YFZ450R), +13m07.6 (1st Quad)