Fans disappointed with the entry list for the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge should be cheered up by the grid for the World Rally-Raid Championship‘s return to Europe for the inaugural BP Ultimate Rally-Raid. 169 teams, the largest field for a W2RC round outside of the Dakar Rally, comprise the provisional entry list with 87 in FIA categories, 64 for the FIM, 17 in the non-FIA National division for Portuguese Cross-Country Championship competitors, and a single Open car.
The Ultimate class leads the way on the FIA side with 35 cars ahead of Challenger’s 32, SSV’s 19, and the lone Stock entrant. Rally2 also has 35 for the most in FIM followed by eleven Quads and nine apiece in RallyGP and Rally3.
Many who did not race Abu Dhabi will return for Portugal, most notably Dakar champion Carlos Sainz and third-placed Sébastien Loeb, albeit in different rides from what they ran in the season opener. With Team Audi Sport shutting down their rally division weeks before the ADDC due to a lack of parts (and getting fined for it), Sainz has opted to reunite with X-raid Team and race a Mini John Cooper Works Rally Plus, with which he won the Dakar in 2020; X-raid’s manager Sven Quandt previously oversaw Audi’s operations via Q Motorsport. Despite not racing the ADDC, Sainz remains the points leader by nine over winner Nasser Al-Attiyah.
While the Prodrive Hunter is still being raced post-Dakar, Loeb has opted to drop down to the Challenger class where he will race a Taurus T3 Max for Red Bull Off-Road Junior Team. Opposite his switch, João Ferreira trades in his Can-Am SSV for a Mini and will team up with Sainz at X-raid. Ferreira is more than familiar with the Mini as he currently races it in the World and European Baja Cups, but this will be just his second time entering a W2RC event in it after his début at the 2022 Andalucía Rally. Eduard Pons is also moving from SSV to Ultimate and will race a Ford Ranger for Past-Racing.
With Pau Navarro unavailable as he focuses on the Rallye Sierra Morena, Sainz’s arrival means X-raid will still have an all-Iberian driver lineup. Vaidotas Žala, another Mini driver, returns though his car is being prepared by Unique Racing Team rather than X-raid; Unique previously did the same for his Mini début at the 2022 Baja Aragón in neighbouring Spain.
Guerlain Chicherit, leading the Toyota Hilux assault, will have Al-Attiyah’s former navigator Mathieu Baumel by his side as his usual co-driver Alex Winocq is out due to injury.
As expected for the series’ return to Europe, many teams and regulars in the FIA European Baja Cup will take part like Ghislain de Mévius and Tiago Reis, who placed second and third in the 2023 European Cup. De Mévius’ family-run GRallyTeam, led by Ultimate driver Guillaume de Mévius, will be well represented with four OT3 cars in Challenger; one of these is driven by Rui Carneiro, whose co-driver Ola Fløene finished third in the 2015 World Rally Championship with Andreas Mikkelsen.
Unique Racing Team boasts experience in the Spanish Cross-Country Rally Championship, while its Portuguese counterpart has racers in both FIA and National classes. The seventeen in the latter include five T1 cars (Ultimate in the FIA), six T3 (Challenger), three T2 (Stock), two T4 (SSV), and a T8 (another prototype-based class like T1). Gunther Hinkelmann is the only non-Portuguese National driver as the reigning T1 FIA champion in the Brazilian championship.
The Dutchman Johan Senders is racing a Toyota Hilux in the Open class as it meets neither FIA nor CPTT regulations.
While RallyGP is still scant with just nine riders, it is far more than the Hero MotoSports-only battle in Abu Dhabi as the marque renews their championship battle with Monster Energy Honda Rally Team. ADDC winner Aaron Marè, who filled in at Hero for the injured Sebastian Bühler, is not entered. The race comes on the heels of major shake-ups in the class as José Ignacio Cornejo left Honda, Toby Price departed Red Bull KTM Factory Racing amidst a dialled-down rally programme, and Hero’s Joaquim Rodrigues announced his retirement.
Rally2 championship competitors who missed Abu Dhabi but are back for Portugal include Romain Dumontier and Bradley Cox. Dakar winner Harith Noah also returns, though he is not racing for points.
The Rally3 class for enduro bikes appears at a W2RC round for the first time in 2024. Reigning FIM Bajas World Cup Veterans Trophy winner Pedro Bianchi Prata headlines the nine-rider division.
Manuel Andújar rejoins the championship after winning the Dakar in Quad then skipping the ADDC. CFMOTO Thunder Racing Team also returns, having been forced to miss the second round due to logistical snares created by the Red Sea crisis.
Seventeen riders are part of the Road to Dakar, where being the best finisher in that group will earn them free registration for the 2025 or 2026 Dakar Rally.
The rally begins on 3 April and runs through 7 April.
FIA entry list
Ultimate
| Number | Driver | Co-Driver | Team | Vehicle | Class |
| 200 | Carlos Sainz | Alex Haro Bravo | X-raid Mini JCW Team | Mini John Cooper Works Rally Plus | T1+ |
| 201 | Nasser Al-Attiyah | Édouard Boulanger | Nasser Racing | Prodrive Hunter | T1+ |
| 202 | Guerlain Chicherit | Mathieu Baumel | Overdrive Racing | Toyota Hilux Overdrive | T1+ |
| 203 | Guillaume de Mévius | Xavier Panseri | Overdrive Racing | Toyota Hilux Overdrive | T1+ |
| 204 | Yazeed Al-Rajhi | Timo Gottschalk | Overdrive Racing | Toyota Hilux Overdrive | T1+ |
| 205 | Lucas Moraes | Armand Monleón | Toyota Gazoo Racing | Toyota GR DKR Hilux | T1+ |
| 206 | Seth Quintero | Dennis Zenz | Toyota Gazoo Racing | Toyota GR DKR Hilux | T1+ |
| 207 | Denis Krotov | Konstantin Zhiltsov | Overdrive Racing | Toyota Hilux Overdrive | T1+ |
| 208 | Saood Variawa | François Cazalet | Toyota Gazoo Racing | Toyota GR DKR Hilux | T1+ |
| 209 | Cristian Baumgart | Gustavo Gugelmin | X Rally Team | Prodrive Hunter | T1+ |
| 210 | Marcos Baumgart | Kleber Cincea | X Rally Team | Prodrive Hunter | T1+ |
| 211 | Juan Cruz Yacopini | Daniel Oliveiras | Overdrive Racing | Toyota Hilux Overdrive | T1+ |
| 212 | Aliyyah Koloc | Sébastien Delaunay | Buggyra ZM Racing | Red-Lined REVO | T1+ |
| 213 | Eugenio Amos | Paolo Ceci | Overdrive Racing | Toyota Hilux Overdrive | T1+ |
| 214 | João Ferreira | Filipe Palmeiro | X-raid Mini JCW Team | Mini John Cooper Works Rally Plus | T1+ |
| 215 | Lionel Baud | Lucie Baud | Overdrive Racing | Toyota Hilux Overdrive | T1+ |
| 216 | Vaidotas Žala* | Paulo Fiúza | Unique Racing Team | Mini John Cooper Works Rally Plus | T1+ |
| 217 | Tiago Reis* | Valter Cardoso | Tiago Reis | Toyota Hilux | T1+ |
| 218 | João Ramos* | Jorge Carvalho | João Ramos | Toyota Hilux | T1+ |
| 219 | Alejandro Martins* | David Monteiro | Alejandro Martins | Mini John Cooper Works Rally Plus | T1+ |
| 220 | Isidre Esteve* | José Maria Villalobos Valcarcel | Overdrive Racing | Toyota Hilux Overdrive | T1+ |
| 221 | Eduard Pons* | Candido Carrera | Past-Racing | Ford Ranger | T1+ |
| 222 | Jose Luis Garcia* | Manuel Navarro | Escudería Villa de Llanes | Mini John Cooper Works Rally | T1.1 |
| 223 | Francisco Barreto* | Carlos Silva | Francisco Barreto | Toyota Hilux | T1+ |
| 224 | Benoit Fretin* | Cédric Duplé | Benoit Fretin | Century CR6 | T1.2 |
| 225 | Magdalena Zajac* | Marcin Pasek | Proxcars TME Rally Team | Toyota Hilux | T1.1 |
| 226 | Tomasz Baranowski* | Konrad Dudziński | Finarto Racing | Toyota Hilux | T1.1 |
| 227 | José Rogeira* | Paulo Marques | José Rogeira | Ford Ranger | T1.1 |
| 228 | Ronald Schoolderman* | Mark Salomons | 4×4 Centrum Ermelo | Mitsubishi ASX | T1.1 |
| 229 | Rients Hofstra* | Wouter de Graaf | Rients Hofstra | Red-Lined VK56 | T1.1 |
| 230 | Stefan Carmans* | Arjan van Tiel | Stefan Carmans | Red-Lined REVO | T1+ |
| 231 | Rik van den Brink* | Gydo Heimans | Rik van den Brink | Mitsubishi ASX | T1.1 |
| 232 | Maria Luís Gameiro* | José Marques | Maria Luís Gameiro | Mini John Cooper Works Rally Plus | T1+ |
| 233 | Pim Klaassen* | Teun van Dal | DaklaPack Rallysport | Red-Lined Nissan VK50 | T1.1 |
| 234 | Dave Klaassen* | Tessa Rooth | DaklaPack Rallysport | Red-Lined Nissan VK56 | T1.1 |
Challenger
| Number | Driver | Co-Driver | Team | Vehicle |
| 300 | Rokas Baciuška | Oriol Vidal | Can-Am Factory Team | Can-Am Maverick XRS Turbo |
| 301 | Austin Jones | Oriol Mena | Can-Am Factory Team | Can-Am Maverick XRS Turbo |
| 302 | Nicolás Cavigliasso | Valentina Pertegarini | Wevers Sport | Taurus T3 Max |
| 303 | Marcelo Gastaldi | Carlos Sachs | BBR Motorsport | Taurus T3 Max |
| 304 | Dania Akeel | Stéphane Duplé | Wevers Sport | Taurus T3 Max |
| 305 | Ricardo Porém | Luís Marques | MMP Compétition | Taurus T3 Max |
| 306 | Mário Franco | João Serôdio | Franco Sport | Yamaha YXZ1000R Turbo Prototype |
| 307 | Sébastien Loeb* | Fabian Lurquin | Red Bull Off-Road Junior Team | Taurus T3 Max |
| 308 | Cristina Gutiérrez* | Pablo Moreno Huete | Red Bull Off-Road Junior Team | Taurus T3 Max |
| 309 | Hernán Garcés* | Juan Pablo Latrach | South Racing Can-Am | Can-Am Maverick XRS Turbo |
| 310 | Ghislain de Mévius* | Johan Jalet | GRallyTeam | GRally OT3 |
| 311 | João Dias* | João Miranda | Santag Racing | Can-Am Maverick X3 |
| 312 | Armindo Araújo* | Pedro Ré | Santag Racing | Can-Am Maverick X3 |
| 313 | Alexandre Pinto* | Bernardo Oliveira | Alexandre Pinto | Can-Am Maverick X3 |
| 314 | Francisco Guedes* | Joel Lutas | Francisco Guedes | Can-Am Maverick X3 |
| 315 | Miguel Barbosa* | Luís Ramalho | Miguel Barbosa | Taurus T3 Max |
| 316 | Luís Portela Morais* | David Megre | GRallyTeam | GRally OT3 |
| 317 | Rui Carneiro* | Ola Fløene | GRallyTeam | GRally OT3 |
| 318 | William Buller* | Daniel Jordão | William Buller | Yamaha YXZ1000R Turbo Prototype |
| 319 | Hélder Rodrigues* | Gonçalo Reis | Hélder Rodrigues | Can-Am Maverick X3 |
| 320 | Luís Cidade* | Pedro Mendonça | Santag Racing | Can-Am Maverick X3 |
| 321 | Jordi Segura* | Sergi Brugue | FN Speed Team | Can-Am Maverick X3 |
| 322 | Paulo Jorge Rodrigues* | Miguel Salvador | Paulo Jorge Rodrigues | Can-Am Maverick X3 |
| 323 | Adroaldo Weisheimer* | Albert Andreotti | GRallyTeam | GRally OT3 |
| 324 | Ricardo Sousa* | Jorge Brandão | Ricardo Sousa | Can-Am Maverick X3 |
| 325 | Óscar Ral Verdu* | Xavier Blanco | Buggy Masters Team | Can-Am Maverick X3 |
| 326 | Pedro Gonçalves* | Rui Fraco | Pedro Gonçalves | Yamaha YXZ1000R Turbo Prototype |
| 327 | Sérgio Vitorino* | André Marçal Lopes | Sérgio Vitorino | Can-Am Maverick X3 |
| 328 | Nuno Rogério* | Pedro Santos | Nuno Rogério | Can-Am Maverick X3 |
| 329 | Marco Pereira* | Eurico Adão | Santag Racing | Can-Am Maverick X3 |
| 330 | Roberto Rodriguez Gamboa* | Herman Rodriguez Gamboa | Roberto Rodriguez Gamboa | Herrador HRX-3 |
| 331 | Puck Klaassen* | Augusto Sanz | Wevers Sport | Taurus T3 Max |
SSV
| Number | Driver | Co-Driver | Team | Vehicle |
| 400 | Yasir Seaidan | Michaël Metge | Race World Team | Can-Am Maverick XRS Turbo RR |
| 401 | Sebastián Guayasamín | Fernando Acosta | FN Speed Team | Can-Am Maverick XRS Turbo RR |
| 402 | Rebecca Busi | Sergio Lafuente | OnlyFans Racing | Can-Am Maverick XRS Turbo RR |
| 403 | Ricardo Ramilo | Fausto Mota | Ricardo Ramilo | Can-Am Maverick XRS Turbo RR |
| 404 | Claude Fournier | Serge Gounon | Claude Fournier | Can-Am Maverick XRS Turbo RR |
| 405 | João Monteiro* | Nuno Morais | South Racing Can-Am | Can-Am Maverick XRS Turbo RR |
| 406 | Gonçalo Guerreiro* | José Sá Pires | Gonçalo Guerreiro | Polaris RZR Pro R |
| 407 | Alexander Josef Toril Boquoi* | Pedro Gabriel Lopez Chavez | Escudería JMP Racing | Can-Am Maverick XRS Turbo RR |
| 408 | José Óscar Nogueira* | Arcélio Couto | José Óscar Nogueira | Can-Am Maverick XRS Turbo RR |
| 409 | Miguel Toril Boquoi* | Rosa Romero Font | Escudería JMP Racing | Can-Am Maverick XRS Turbo RR |
| 410 | João Paula* | Nuno Mota Ribeiro | João Paula | Can-Am Maverick XRS Turbo RR |
| 411 | Jérémie Renou* | Antoine Sanchez | Jérémie Renou | Can-Am Maverick XRS Turbo RR |
| 412 | José Morgado* | Gonçalo Magalhães | José Morgado | Can-Am Maverick XRS Turbo RR |
| 413 | Filipe Manuel Aniceto Lopes* | Fáio João Simões dos Santos | Filipe Manuel Aniceto Lopes | Can-Am Maverick XRS Turbo RR |
| 414 | Reinaldo Varela* | Felipe Bianquine | Reinaldo Varela | Can-Am Maverick XRS Turbo RR |
| 415 | Ruben Jorge Rodrigues* | Rui Jorge Moreira Paulo | Ruben Jorge Rodrigues | Can-Am Maverick XRS Turbo RR |
| 416 | Vitor da Silva Moutinho* | Max Delfino | Vitor da Silva Moutinho | Can-Am Maverick XRS Turbo RR |
| 417 | Adrien Choblet* | Laurent Magat | Adrien Choblet | Can-Am Maverick XRS Turbo RR |
| 418 | Rui Serpa* | Rui Pita | Santag Racing | Can-Am Maverick XRS Turbo RR |
Stock
| Number | Driver | Co-Driver | Team | Vehicle |
| 500 | Carlos Jorge Mendes* | Rui Silva | Carlos Jorge Mendes | Isuzu D-Max |
FIM entry list
RallyGP
| Number | Rider | Team | Bike |
| 7 | Pablo Quintanilla | Monster Energy Honda Rally Team | Honda CRF 450 Rally |
| 9 | Ricky Brabec | Monster Energy Honda Rally Team | Honda CRF 450 Rally |
| 10 | Skyler Howes | Monster Energy Honda Rally Team | Honda CRF 450 Rally |
| 14 | Sebastian Bühler | Hero MotoSports | Hero 450 Rally |
| 15 | Lorenzo Santolino* | Sherco TVS Rally Factory Team | Sherco 450 SEF Rally |
| 30 | António Maio* | Yamaha Portugal | Yamaha WR450F Rally |
| 42 | Adrien Van Beveren | Monster Energy Honda Rally Team | Honda CRF 450 Rally |
| 46 | Ross Branch | Hero MotoSports | Hero 450 Rally |
| 68 | Tosha Schareina | Monster Energy Honda Rally Team | Honda CRF 450 Rally |
Rally2
| Number | Rider | Team | Bike |
| 16 | Romain Dumontier | Team Dumontier Racing | Husqvarna 450 Rally Replica |
| 18 | Bradley Cox | BAS World KTM Racing Team | KTM 450 Rally Replica |
| 20 | Harith Noah* | Sherco TVS Rally Factory Team | Sherco 450 SEF Rally |
| 26 | Konrad Dąbrowski | DUUST Rally Team | KTM 450 Rally Replica |
| 28 | Mathieu Dovèze | BAS World KTM Racing Team | KTM 450 Rally Replica |
| 32 | David Casteu* # | David Casteu | KTM 450 Rally Replica |
| 33 | Jan Brabec | Strojrent Racing | KTM 450 Rally Replica |
| 40 | Bruno Santos* | Bruno Santos | Husqvarna 450 Rally |
| 41 | Nicolas Horeaux* | Nomade Racing | KTM 450 Rally |
| 43 | Ferran Zaragoza* # | Pedrega Team | KTM 450 Rally Replica |
| 44 | Matthieu Cauvin* | Nomade Racing | KTM 450 Rally |
| 45 | Jatin Jain* | Jatin Jain | Kove 450 Rally |
| 47 | José Ramón Colomar Pallarés* | Joyride Race Service | KTM 450 Rally Replica |
| 48 | Joan Viñals Jul* | Joyride Race Service | KTM 450 Rally Replica |
| 49 | Rémy Moreau* | Nomade Racing | KTM 450 Rally Replica |
| 52 | Marshall Méplon* # | Marshall Méplon | KTM 450 Rally Replica |
| 53 | Adriá Pascuet Compte* # | Joyride Race Service | KTM 450 Rally Replica |
| 54 | Dwain Barnard* # | Nomade Racing | KTM 450 Rally |
| 55 | Carlos Lopez Belloso* # | Pedrega Team | Fantic XEF Rally 450 |
| 56 | Paul Costes* | Nomade Racing | Husqvarna 450 Rally Replica |
| 57 | Adrien Costes* | Nomade Racing | KTM 450 Rally Replica |
| 58 | Christopher Jautard* # | Nomade Racing | KTM 450 Rally Replica |
| 59 | Pedro Pinheiro* # | Pedro Pinheiro | Husqvarna 450 Rally |
| 60 | Sergio Fernandez Garcia* # | Pedrega Team | Husqvarna 450 Rally |
| 61 | Vaughn Roux* | BAS World KTM Racing Team | KTM 450 Rally Replica |
| 62 | Alexandre Vaudan* # | Alexandre Vaughn | KTM 450 Rally Replica |
| 63 | Jeremías Pascual* # | Pedrega Team | Husqvarna 450 Rally Replica |
| 64 | Romain Souvignet* # | Romain Souvignet | KTM 450 Rally |
| 65 | Josep Pedró Subirats* | Pedrega Team | GasGas RX 450F Replica |
| 69 | Edgar Canet Ardevol* | Edgar Canet Ardevol | KTM 450 Rally Replica |
| 71 | Jorge Escobedo* | Pedrega Team | Husqvarna FR 450 Rally |
| 76 | Jean-Loup Lepan | DUUST Rally Team | KTM 450 Rally Replica |
| 84 | Martim Ventura* # | Martim Ventura | KTM 450 Rally |
| 127 | Ronald Venter* | Ronald Venter | KTM 450 Rally |
| 129 | Sébastien Herbet # | Sébastien Herbet | Husqvarna 450 Rally |
Italics – Veteran Trophy
# – Road to Dakar
Rally3
| Number | Rider | Team | Bike |
| 50 | Gonçalo Amaral* | Gonçalo Amaral | Honda CRF450RX |
| 51 | Salvador Amaral* | Salvador Amaral | Honda CRF450RX |
| 67 | John Medina Salazar* | John Medina Salazar | KTM 450 EXC-F |
| 72 | Richárd Hodola* | Richárd Hodola | KTM 450 EXC-F |
| 73 | José Flores García* | José Flores García | Beta RR 4T 430 |
| 77 | Pedro Bianchi Prata* | Pedro Bianchi Prata | Honda CRF450RX |
| 78 | Francisco España* | Francisco España | Honda CRF450RX |
| 79 | Gustavo Vila* | Gustavo Vila | Honda CRF450RX |
| 80 | Rafic Eid* | Rafic Eid | RedMoto 450RX |
Quad
| Number | Rider | Team | Quad |
| 171 | Juraj Varga | Varga Motorsport | Yamaha Raptor 700 |
| 174 | Manuel Andújar | 7240 Team | Yamaha Raptor 700 |
| 175 | Antanas Kanopkinas | CFMOTO Thunder Racing Team | CFMOTO CFORCE 1000 |
| 176 | Gaëtan Martinez | CFMOTO Thunder Racing Team | CFMOTO CFORCE 1000 |
| 177 | Kamil Wiśniewski | ORLEN Team | Yamaha Raptor 700 |
| 178 | Mikołaj Krysik* | Martin Rally Team | Yamaha Raptor 700 |
| 179 | Hani Al-Noumesi | Hani Al-Noumesi | Yamaha Raptor 700 |
| 180 | Ayelén Bogado* # | Ayelén Bogado* | Yamaha Raptor 700 |
| 181 | Alberto Prieto Ruiz* # | Alberto Prieto Ruiz | Polaris Scrambler 850 |
| 182 | Suany Martinez | Suany Martinez | Polaris Scrambler 850 |
| 193 | Marcin Wilkołek* # | Marcin Wilkołek | Yamaha Raptor 700 |
Open entry list
| Number | Driver | Co-Driver | Team | Vehicle |
| 700 | Johan Senders* | Kala Senders | Johan Senders | Toyota Hilux |
National entry list
| Number | Driver | Co-Driver | Team | Vehicle | Class |
| 701 | Lino Carapeta* | Fábio Carapeta | Lino Carapeta | Ford Ranger | T1 |
| 702 | João Lourenço* | Nuno Sousa | João Lourenço | Mitsubishi Racing Lancer | T1 |
| 703 | Edgar Condesso* | Nuno Silva | Edgar Condesso | Ford MO ERX05 PROTO | T1 |
| 704 | Nuno Madeiro* | José Janela | Nuno Madeiro | Ford Ranger | T1 |
| 705 | Sérgio Matos* | Sébastião Domingues | Sérgio Matos | Toyota Hilux | T1 |
| 706 | Bernardo Sousa* | Hugo Magalhães | Benimoto Racing | Can-Am Maverick X3 | T3 |
| 707 | Daniel Silva* | Hugo Lopes | Daniel Silva | Can-Am Maverick X3 | T3 |
| 708 | Filipe Cameirinha* | Jérémy Dubois | Benimoto Racing | Can-Am Maverick X3 | T3 |
| 709 | Nelson Beiró* | Ricardo Brito | Nelson Beiró | Can-Am Maverick X3 | T3 |
| 710 | Nuno Faria* | João Martins | Benimoto Racing | Can-Am Maverick X3 | T3 |
| 711 | Gunther Hinkelmann* | Maykel Justo | South Racing Can-Am | Can-Am Maverick X3 | T3 |
| 712 | João Carvalho* | António Carvalho | Santag Racing | Can-Am Maverick X3 | T4 |
| 713 | Ricardo Oliveiro* | Pedro Cação | Benimoto Racing | Can-Am Maverick X3 | T4 |
| 714 | Tomás Gameiro* | António Saraiva | Tomás Gameiro | Toyota Land Cruiser 200 | T2 |
| 715 | Eduardo Rodrigues* | António Nunes | Eduardo Rodrigues | Toyota Land Cruiser 200 | T2 |
| 716 | Francisco Dias* | Gonçalo Cunha | Francisco Dias | Nissan Pick-Up | T2 |
| 717 | Joel Marrazes* | José Motaco | Joel Marrazes | Nissan Navara | T8 |