The opening stage of the BP Ultimate Rally Raid Portugal immediately delivered spectacle and major gaps. The 180-kilometer special around Grândola turned into a treacherous opener due to rain and mud, where clean driving proved more important than outright speed. While Daniel Sanders once again set the benchmark in the bike category, João Ferreira made the most of his home advantage in the cars. At the same time, the stage was marked by significant խնդիր for several top contenders, alongside a strong Dutch performance in the Challenger class.
Sanders fastest again among the bikes
In the bike category, Daniel Sanders confirmed his top form. The reigning world champion set the fastest time of 1 hour 32 minutes and 1 second, immediately creating a gap to the competition. Tosha Schareina followed at 2 minutes and 10 seconds, while Adrien Van Beveren finished third at 2 minutes and 18 seconds.
Behind them, Bruno Santos stood out with fourth place overall and victory in Rally2. Ross Branch completed the top five, while riders such as Ricky Brabec, Skyler Howes and Luciano Benavides already dropped several minutes. The slippery surface and deep ruts made it difficult to find rhythm, meaning even small mistakes were heavily punished.
Knuiman loses time but stays solid
For the Netherlands, Jeremy Knuiman had a tougher day than his strong prologue suggested. The young debutant finished seventeenth overall and eighth in Rally2, nearly fifteen minutes behind the winner. Despite the time loss, Knuiman delivered a controlled stage, which is just as important in these conditions. His focus remains on gaining experience and maintaining consistency in a rally that has only just begun.
Ferreira leads Toyota to success
In the car category, João Ferreira created a Portuguese celebration. Together with navigator Filipe Palmeiro, he drove a flawless stage to take victory in 1 hour 33 minutes and 58 seconds. Seth Quintero followed just 17 seconds behind, while Sébastien Loeb finished third at 28 seconds.
Guy Botterill and Yazeed Al Rajhi completed the top five. The gaps at the front remained relatively small, but further down the order they quickly increased. The conditions made consistency and avoiding mistakes the decisive factors.
Big names hit trouble early
The opening stage immediately took its toll on several top contenders. Martin Prokop, Henk Lategan and Saood Variawa ran into trouble, followed by Mattias Ekström and Carlos Sainz who saw their stages unravel almost simultaneously. Several crews were forced to stop due to mistakes or technical issues, despite this being a relatively short stage.
For Toyota, the damage remained somewhat limited. Lategan managed to repair his rear axle after a heavy impact and continued, although it cost him significant time. Thanks to the team’s depth, Toyota still remains strongly represented at the front of the standings.
For Ford, it was a disastrous day. The manufacturer arrived in Portugal with a strong lineup, but the factory Raptors were heavily affected. Prokop and Sainz suffered engine issues, while Ekström damaged his front axle after a crash. As a result, three key contenders were immediately ruled out of the fight for victory, a major setback after Ford’s strong Dakar performance.
Dutch contenders hold their ground in tough conditions
In the Challenger class, Paul Spierings and Mark Salomons delivered a strong performance. They finished third in class and 21st overall, immediately placing themselves among the front-runners. Mitchel van den Brink and Bart van Heun followed closely with fourth in Challenger and 22nd overall. Puck Klaassen also faced a tough opening day. The South African driver with Dutch roots finished together with her team in 53rd place overall and 14th in the Challenger class, after a stage in which significant time was lost due to the treacherous conditions.
In the Ultimate class, Kees Koolen and Wouter Rosegaar reached the finish in 35th overall. In a stage where many crews made mistakes or dropped out, simply finishing was already an achievement.
Tough start sets the tone for the rally
The first stage made it clear how treacherous the rally in Portugal can be. Sanders delivered an early blow in the bike category, while Ferreira fully capitalized on his knowledge of the terrain in the cars. At the same time, several top teams have already taken heavy hits, shaking up the standings early in the rally. In Portugal, it is not just about speed, but above all about control, precision and avoiding mistakes.
