The bp Ultimate Baja Portalegre 500 holds its fortieth edition from Thursday 15 to Saturday 17 October. The classic in the Alto Alentejo, in 1987 the very first off-road race organised in Portugal, counts as the sixth round of the FIA World Baja Cup and as the seventh and penultimate round of the FIA European Baja Cup. There is also plenty at stake in the Portuguese championships for cars, SSVs, motorcycles and quads, which conclude at the end of November in Lagos. Organiser Automóvel Club de Portugal (ACP) counts 441 entries across all categories, the largest field in twenty years.
Notable is who is not there. The number one and two of the World Baja Cup, Saood Variawa and Mansour Al-Helai, are skipping Portugal, as are the two leaders in the European Baja Cup. That turns the baja into an opportunity for the chasers, among them Mitchel van den Brink and Bart van Heun. The Dutch duo lead the Challenger standings of the World Baja Cup by two points and are the only Challenger crew in Portalegre racing for World Cup points. Erik van Loon and Wouter Rosegaar make their Portalegre debut, while Ronald van Loon with Erik Lemmen and Bert Mourik with Evert Boersma complete the Dutch presence on the FIA list.
Forty editions, largest field in twenty years
The motorcycles once again form the largest category with 115 entries, followed by the SSVs with 85. Among the cars, 65 crews are on the FIA list and another 36 in the national FPAK event. In addition, 42 quads take part and 42 competitors in the Promoção and Hobby classes. In the Mini Baja, a further 55 riders aged eight to sixteen take to the action.
Clerk of the course Orlando Romana sees in those numbers a confirmation of the event’s status in Portugal and beyond. According to him, there have not been this many competitors since the twentieth edition. In his words, the baja has grown into “a reference within the discipline”.
The anniversary also receives attention beyond the stages. In the service park there is an exhibition on the history of the race featuring a number of iconic vehicles, and there are separate competitions for classic cars and motorcycles. The first edition was run in April 1987 under the name Rali Maratona de Portalegre. Initiator José Megre was inspired by his own participations in the Paris-Dakar and set up the race with his friend and navigator Pedro Vilas Boas. In 1989 the entry record was set with 219 cars and 232 motorcycles. The only Dutch car winner is Bernhard ten Brinke, who in 2020 won a rain-shortened edition with the Belgian Tom Colsoul.
World Baja Cup: leaders stay home
Of the 65 FIA crews, 17 compete in the Ultimate class, 25 in Challenger, 19 in SSV and four in Stock. Only twelve of them are entered for the World Baja Cup and eleven for the European Baja Cup. The vast majority of the field therefore races primarily for the Portuguese championship, a pattern that has been taking shape in Portalegre for several years now.
In the overall drivers’ standings of the World Baja Cup, Variawa (Toyota Gazoo Racing) leads with 232 points from four events. He won in Jordan, but is now absent. The same goes for number two, Al-Helai (212 points), who leads the SSV class with his R-X Sport Can-Am. As a result, the way is open for Dania Akeel, who sits third with 210 points and will start first in Portugal. The Saudi former Middle East Baja champion races with Sébastien Delaunay in an Overdrive Racing Toyota Hilux Evo. Behind her, Van den Brink sits fourth with 207 points, with Hamed Al-Wahaibi (205 points) directly behind. The Omani Challenger driver is recovering from an injury and hopes to return in the final two rounds. Mathematically, Akeel needs 23 points to pass Variawa, Van den Brink 26.
In the Ultimate class, Akeel faces competition from father and daughter Lionel and Lucie Baud in a petrol-engined X-Raid Mini John Cooper Works Rally, from Francisco Barreto and Paulo Fiúza, winners of the Italian Baja, and from Khalid Al-Jafla with navigator Andrei Rudnitski. The biggest favourite for the day win is João Ferreira. The Portuguese won the World Cup round in Aragón with Filipe Palmeiro in September and has already claimed the Baja Portalegre three times, most recently last year, when he won the prologue and all three special stages.
In the SSV class, Norway’s Hedda Hosås, leader among the juniors, can make up points on the absent Al-Helai with navigator Pol Tibau. Tomasz Białkowski (Polaris) and Erik van Loon also race for World Cup points. In the Stock class, Al-Mashna Al-Shammari (186 points) leads by sixteen points over Majed Al-Thunayyan. Fernando Barreiros, who won two of the last three rounds, follows at 52 points. All three are on the start.
European Baja Cup: title fight without the leaders
In the European Baja Cup, too, the two leaders are absent. Lithuanians Benediktas Vanagas and Aisvydas Paliukenas (Gurtam Toyota Gazoo Racing Baltics) hold a 22-point lead over Poles Mariusz Wiatr and Łukasz Łaskawiec (Ford F-150 Evo), but both crews are skipping Portugal. That creates opportunities for Paulo Rodrigues. The Rio Seco Racing driver led the series earlier, but dropped back to third place after a disappointing Baja TT Sharish Gin. He holds a 23-point lead over teammate Rúben Rodrigues. The Portuguese duo are the benchmark in the SSV class, in which Filipe Lopes, Ernest Kus and Herlander Araújo also earn European points.
In the Ultimate class, João Ramos and Jorge Carvalho (Toyota Gazoo Racing Caetano Portugal) battle José Rogeira and Paulo Marques (Ford Ranger) for the points. In the Challenger class it becomes a two-way fight: Pole Marek Kubiczek took the lead from Dinis Rogeira after three consecutive wins in Poland, Spain and Portugal, and now holds a seven-point advantage. Rogeira is as good as certain of the junior title. Hungarians Lőrinc Mészáros and Albert Horn (G Rally Team G-Ecko) could influence the fight. In the Stock class, Andrei Halabarodzka and Aleksei Ignatov (Toyota Land Cruiser) are the only crew racing for European points.
Van den Brink is the only one racing for Challenger points
Van den Brink and Van Heun missed the first two World Cup rounds, but recovered with an overall victory in Greece and class wins in Italy and Aragón. With 207 points, they now hold a two-point lead over Al-Wahaibi, who is absent in Portugal. Because the duo in the South Racing Can-Am Maverick R are the only Challenger crew entered for the World Baja Cup, the class win is within easy reach. How many points that yields, however, also depends on their position relative to the other World Cup competitors. In Greece the win earned 81 points, in Aragón 51 points as the fourth World Cup crew. The baja is not unfamiliar terrain for the duo: last year they finished fifth in the final standings.
Erik van Loon chases SSV and Masters points
Erik van Loon and Wouter Rosegaar (Can-Am Maverick R, South Racing) compete in the SSV class with start number 401. The duo sit fourth in the SSV standings of the World Baja Cup with 121 points and fifth in the Masters. In Italy they were the best World Cup SSV crew and won the Masters class, but the rounds in Greece and Aragón were skipped.
“I’m really looking forward to it,” says Van Loon. He expects strong competition and knows that this weekend “no mistakes” can be made. According to Van Loon, the SSV class title is still achievable, as is the overall win in the Masters, and this race is of great importance for that. For him it is the first time in Portalegre.
Viewed objectively, the task is large. The deficit to SSV leader Al-Helai is 91 points, that to Masters leader Al-Wahaibi 84. Both are absent, which allows Van Loon to gain ground in Portugal, but Hosås and Białkowski are eyeing the same points too. In the Masters, Lionel Baud (193 points) is also on the start. A notable detail: Akeel’s navigator Delaunay was still sitting next to Van Loon at the 2023 Dakar.
Ronald van Loon and Bert Mourik in the Ultimate class
Ronald van Loon from Son en Breugel, who has competed in the Dakar several times, starts with navigator Erik Lemmen in a Toyota Hilux Evo (T1+) with start number 210. On the FIA list, the technical passport of his car is listed as new. Its issue depends on a positive scrutineering carried out in advance. Bert Mourik and Evert Boersma race a Red-Lined VK56 in the T1.1 class (start number 216). Boersma finished second in his class in the Morocco Desert Challenge in 2023 with Rients Hofstra. Both crews are not entered for any of the FIA cups and therefore race for the overall and class classification.
Portuguese front-runners and record chasers
The riders competing only for the Portuguese championship also count for the overall win. Reigning champion Gonçalo Guerreiro (Polaris RZR Pro R) and championship leader Luís Cidade (Can-Am Maverick R), second in Portalegre last year, both race in an SSV. That says something about the balance of power in the national field: last year Ferreira’s Hilux was the only top-class car in the top ten.
A record is also within reach. Filipe Campos is the record holder among the cars with five wins, but both Miguel Barbosa and Ricardo Porém stand at four. Barbosa, who won with a Taurus in 2024, now races a Polaris RZR Pro R. Porém, winner of four consecutive editions between 2014 and 2017, starts in a Taurus Evo Max of the Dutch Daklapack Rallysport. Also taking part are Tiago Reis and Daniel Silva (both MMP) and Spaniard Luis Recuenco (Toyota Hilux Evo), among others. British brothers Sean and Kevin Haran (Polaris) and Italian Eugenio Amos (Can-Am) are on the start as well, without entry for any of the FIA cups.
Among the motorcycles, Micael Simão (KTM, Santag Racing) defends his win from last year. He also leads the national championship. Record winner António Maio, with eight victories in Portalegre, is entered this year in the Trail class on a Yamaha Ténéré 700. Bernardo Megre (KTM) finished third last year. André Sérgio (Yamaha) was the fastest over both stages in 2025, but dropped to fourth place due to a 3m26s time penalty for an infringement on a connecting section. Among the quads, title defender Tomás Paulo (Yamaha) takes on, among others, Luís Fernandes, winner in 2021 and 2024. There are no Dutch competitors on the entry lists for motorcycles and quads.
Programme and route
Thursday features the administrative checks and scrutineering, followed by the ceremonial start at 21:30 in the Jardim do Tarro in Portalegre. The programme for Friday has been brought forward via a bulletin from the organisation. The 5.02-kilometre prologue on the Herdade das Coutadas now begins at 09:40 and determines the starting order for the afternoon. This is followed by the first special stage of 72.01 kilometres between Ponte de Sor and Crato, with the first car on the stage at 12:45.
Unlike most bajas, the decision falls on Saturday. That day features two long stages: 172.08 kilometres from Ponte de Sor towards Portalegre and 186.18 kilometres from Gafete to Portalegre. The first car leaves the service park at NERPOR as early as 06:15. In total, 435.29 kilometres are run against the clock, on a route of 699.20 kilometres. After Portalegre, the World Baja Cup heads to the Middle East for the closing rounds in Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, while the European Baja Cup is decided next month in Hungary.
