The fourth stage of the BP Ultimate Rally Raid Portugal once again caused shifts in the standings. On the fast and technical special around Badajoz, Lucas Moraes was the quickest among the cars, while Sébastien Loeb further strengthened his leading position. In the bike category, Daniel Sanders continued to dominate. For the Dutch competitors, however, it remained a difficult rally.
Moraes wins, Loeb extends his lead
Lucas Moraes set the fastest time over the 314 kilometer special and claimed the stage win in the car category. His teammate Sébastien Loeb followed at 1 minute and 46 seconds, maintaining a solid lead in the overall classification.
Yazeed Al Rajhi finished third, just ahead of Seth Quintero and João Ferreira. The top positions remained close, but Loeb once again managed to gain time on his direct rivals and appears to have firm control over the rally.
The top ten was further completed by drivers such as Eryk Goczal and Guy Botterill, while Alexandre Pinto impressed once again as the best Challenger, finishing ninth overall and taking the class win.
Sanders remains the benchmark among the bikes
In the bike category, little changed. Daniel Sanders once again took the stage victory and remains the dominant force in this rally. He was nearly a minute faster than Bruno Santos and once again kept Tosha Schareina behind him.
Santos continues to excel in Rally2 and finished an impressive second overall again, while Schareina placed third and retains his second position in the standings. Adrien Van Beveren and Edgar Canet completed the top five.
Dutch rider Jeremy Knuiman once again showed his pace in the strong Rally2 field. The debutant finished fifteenth overall and eighth in his class, holding his own among the factory riders.
Dutch competitors struggle again
For the Dutch participants, it was another tough stage. Mitchel van den Brink and Bart van Heun finished 44th overall and twelfth in the Challenger class. After the technical issues in earlier stages, luck was again not on their side. The duo lost significant time and now seem out of contention for a top result.
Paul Spierings and Mark Salomons had a difficult day and received a substantial time penalty, putting them out of contention for the stage results.
Puck Klaassen, together with Augusto Sanz, delivered a strong performance and finished 22nd overall and fourth in the Challenger class, keeping her firmly in the upper midfield of the category.
Kees Koolen and Wouter Rosegaar finished 38th overall in the Ultimate category and managed to hold their ground in a challenging stage.
Standings begin to take shape
With one stage remaining before the finish in Loulé, the overall picture is becoming clearer. Loeb holds a solid lead in the car category, while Sanders dictates the pace among the bikes.
However, the gaps remain small enough for mistakes to be heavily punished. In a rally where mud, fast tracks and tricky lines alternate, a single moment can still change everything.
