The second stage of the BP Ultimate Rally Raid Portugal once again delivered a thrilling contest. On the route from Grândola to Badajoz, competitors faced 377 kilometers against the clock, where mere seconds made the difference between victory and defeat. Both in the bike and car categories, the stage was decided in the final kilometers, while Dutch competitors experienced a challenging day.
Schareina takes victory by just 2 seconds
In the bike category, victory went to Tosha Schareina, who managed to overtake Bruno Santos in the closing kilometers. The gap at the finish was just 2 seconds, making it one of the closest specials in recent years. Adrien Van Beveren finished third at 47 seconds.
Daniel Sanders had to open the stage and limited the damage with a fourth place at 53 seconds. He retains the overall lead, with Schareina and Van Beveren chasing closely behind.
Bruno Santos once again stood out. The Portuguese rider, competing in Rally2, held the lead for a long time and ultimately finished second overall. He confirmed his strong form and strengthened his lead in the Rally2 category.
Jeremy Knuiman had a solid day in Spain. The Dutch rider finished sixteenth overall and eighth in Rally2, just over nineteen minutes behind the winner.
Loeb takes control after close battle
In the car category, Sébastien Loeb claimed the stage win, beating Guy Botterill by just 9 seconds. Seth Quintero finished third.
Loeb also moved into the overall lead. Botterill follows at 53 seconds, while Quintero is just over a minute behind. Lucas Moraes and João Ferreira remain close, while Nasser Al Attiyah is still within striking distance.
Ferreira, winner of the opening stage, had to start first today and lost time. The Portuguese driver dropped to fourth in the standings but remains firmly in contention for the podium.
Setbacks for Van den Brink and other Dutch crews
For Mitchel van den Brink and Bart van Heun, it initially looked like another strong day in the Challenger class. The duo found a good rhythm and overtook several competitors, but engine issues forced them to slow down significantly and lose valuable time.
They finished 49th overall and twelfth in the Challenger class, more than 35 minutes behind the winner. Paul Spierings and Mark Salomons also lost time, finishing 38th overall and ninth in Challenger.
Kees Koolen and Wouter Rosegaar secured 36th overall in the Ultimate category, holding their ground in a demanding stage.
Puck Klaassen also had a more difficult day. Together with navigator Augusto Sanz, she finished 24th overall and fourth in the Challenger class.
Standings remain wide open
Small gaps and demanding conditions mean that mistakes are punished immediately. With several tough stages still to come toward Loulé, everything remains possible. While Sanders holds the lead in the bike category and Loeb has taken control among the cars, consistency and error free driving will be decisive in the days ahead.
