The 1990s

The 1990s were decisive for a Baja Portalegre still in formation. In 1990, the motorbike race was run by a single rider, which led António Lopes to become the first rider to win twice. Years later, Tomas Mello repeated the feat, switching from two to four wheels. At the same time, the race began to open up to the world and foreign entries became more and more frequent. In 1995, Richard Saint became the first international winner of the Baja; the following year, it was the turn of Frenchman Alain Perez.

From 1997 onwards, the race was briefly called the Baja Galp 500 Portalegre. Later, with the entry of Adega Cooperativa do Redondo, which, along with Portalegre City Council, was one of the main sponsors, the name changed again to Baja Porta da Ravessa 500 Portalegre. At the end of the decade, the name wasn't the only thing that was different: the traditional layout of the race was abandoned and it was divided into two selective sectors with a neutralisation between them.