The bp Ultimate Rally Raid Portugal 2025 kicked off in spectacular fashion with a thrilling opening stage around Grândola. The first day immediately delivered head-to-head battles among the front-runners in both the FIM and FIA categories, with Red Bull KTM’s Daniel Sanders and Toyota driver Henk Lategan setting the early pace.
Meanwhile, the Dutch rally delegation made their mark on the dusty gravel tracks of Alentejo, facing mixed fortunes but showing plenty of fighting spirit as they head into the long liaison toward Spain.
RallyGP: Sanders unstoppable, Honda chasing hard
On familiar ground, dry, fast, and treacherous, Daniel “Chucky” Sanders delivered a commanding performance. The Australian took the stage win with a 58-second gap over Adrien Van Beveren, who was the top Honda rider in a strong second place. Local hero and reigning champion Tosha Schareina claimed third (+1’22”), just ahead of Ross Branch (Hero) and KTM teammate Luciano Benavides.
Monster Energy Honda’s Ricky Brabec and Skyler Howes also stayed within five minutes of the leader despite starting far back and dealing with heavy dust. Brabec commented, “I was in the dust all day, but tomorrow I start with more clean air. Time to strike back.”
Rally2: heartbreak for Ventura, victory for Canet
Portuguese champion Martim Ventura seemed poised for his maiden Rally2 win until a broken clutch ruined his charge. That opened the door for Edgar Canet to snatch his tenth career victory, ahead of Tobias Ebster (Hero) and Michael Docherty (KTM). Bruno Santos finished as the best home rider in P4.
Dutchman Joël van Mechelen (BAS World KTM) crossed the line in ninth place in Rally2, over 25 minutes behind Canet. Van Mechelen struggled with the high-speed Portuguese terrain but could bounce back on the more technical stages heading toward Badajoz.
Ultimate (T1+): Lategan takes control, Al Attiyah penalized
Toyota came out swinging on the opening day, with Henk Lategan claiming a dominant stage victory, his first in a W2RC event on European soil. The South African led a full-on Toyota parade, followed by Lucas Moraes, João Ferreira, Saood Variawa, and Yazeed Al Rajhi.
Top favorite Nasser Al Attiyah initially finished second but dropped to eighth after receiving three time penalties (false start, speeding, and a late arrival to the liaison). Carlos Sainz and Sébastien Loeb also paid the price of opening the stage, finishing in P10 and P6 respectively.
Dutchies battling through the pack
Several Dutch teams competed in the T1+ and Prototype categories. Best result came from the DaklaPack duo Pim Klaassen & Mark Laan, who impressed with a P19 finish in the Challenger class amidst fierce international competition.
Other Dutch results in FIA categories:
- Jo Senders & Yvet Senders – P47 (Fiat Fullback Proto, ULT)
- Richard Timmerman & Kala Senders – P48 (Toyota Hilux, ULT)
- Rik van den Brink & Gydo Heimans – P49 (Century CR7, ULT)
- Robert Voor de Poorte & Bert Mourik – P61 (Red-Lined VK56, ULT)
- Arjan van Tiel (navigator for Thijs Vincent) – P52 (Toyota Hilux, ULT)
- Wouter Rosegaar (navigator for Richard Aczel) – P43 (Can-Am Maverick, SSV)
The gaps are significant, but the rally adventure has only just begun. Notably, all Dutch teams reached the finish of the first real stage—a crucial milestone in this notoriously tricky rally.
Categories with character: from Quads to SSVs
In Rally3, Thomas Zoldos snatched the win with a stroke of luck after Gonçalo Amaral received a time penalty. The quad category was once again dominated by the CFMoto duo Martinez and Kanopkinas, marking their eighth consecutive win for the Chinese brand.
Swedish driver Mattias Ekström secured his sixth W2RC victory in the Challenger class and now leads the standings. Dutchman Pim Klaassen currently holds third place in the overall Challenger rankings.
In the SSV category, Alexandre Pinto took the stage win and extended his lead over teammate Enrico Gaspari to nearly fifteen minutes.
Stage 2: The longest day
On Wednesday, September 25, the rally caravan heads into Spain for the longest stage of the rally: 655 kilometers in total, including a punishing 429-kilometer special stage. The route from Grândola to Badajoz is expected to push both man and machine to their limits. The first riders and drivers are scheduled to hit the start podium at 07:30 local time.
