João Ferreira would have certainly preferred for the FIA World Baja Cup‘s return to his native Portugal at the Baja Portalegre 500 to go a little cleaner, but at least he made it home with points and a class win even if not entirely in one piece.
After clearing Francisco Barreto by over two and a half minutes to be the fastest Ultimate car (second overall) on Friday, a myriad of mechanical issues plagued his Mini John Cooper Works Rally Plus the following day. He had to stop to change a broken engine belt during the first Selective Section of Saturday, which cost him five minutes, then SS3 saw a flat tyre and malfunctioning killswitch that lost him even more time. By the time he arrived at the finish, his Mini was missing much of its front panelling and bonnet.
Despite the chaos, Ferreira managed to finish third, 3:36 behind winner Alexandre Franco and José Luis García. While he still cleared Franco by four minutes for the overall Ultimate victory, he was fifth among FIA entrants behind three Challenger cars and an SSV.
Although certainly not the outing he would have liked, Ferreira could at least be happy to make some headway in the World Baja Cup’s all-class standings. The four who finished ahead of him are not competing for the WBC, thereby earning Ferreira maximum points in the overall trophy. Fernando Álvarez, who entered the race leading him by twenty-eight points, missed the WBC with a fourth (twenty-first among all drivers) and second for in SSV. Unofficially, their contrasting outings have allowed Ferreira to slice the gap down to nineteen points with three races to go.
“Not the race that we expected but racing is like this,” said Ferreira. “We had a lot of problems today: we had the killswitch problem, the bonnet, in the morning we had the belt. It’s part of racing. We scored good points for the championship.”
The race also counted for the Portuguese Cross-Country Championship (CPTT), where Ferreira was able to gain some breathing room. João Dias, who trailed Ferreira by just nine points for the overall, was leading in Challenger until mechanical issues dropped him to the bottom of the order on the last leg. Dias still clinched the CPTT’s T3 championship, though the margin to Ferreira in the general standings has ballooned with one race to go.
The course took a heavy toll on competitors as early as the Prologue, where heavy rainfall earlier in the week caused mud and water crossings that they had not anticipated. While the rest of the race was in dry conditions, this meant dust was heavier and reduced visibility.
The elements played a heavy role in why Ultimate only saw nine of nineteen cars running at the end. Barreto was forced to retire when the radiator sprung a leak in SS2, while water got into João Ramos‘ engine and knocked him out of the race. Nuno Madeira had a myriad of issues that included breaking both the front and rear transmissions in one leg. Dave Klaassen‘s Nissan Red-Lined exited when a bolt on the tensioner snapped off while heading to the start of SS3.
While the top category struggled, the UTVs of Challenger and SSV had more luck as they swept the podium. The Taurus T3 Max, on the heels of a wildly successful outing at the Rallye du Maroc where they swept the top five positions in Challenger, became the first UTV to win the Baja Portalegre overall as Miguel Barbosa set the only sub-five hour time. Gonçalo Guerreiro and Paulo Rodrigues followed in their Polaris RZR Pro R and Can-Am Maverick X3, respectively, with the latter narrowly holding off Edgar Reis by eighteen seconds for third.
The win was Barbosa’s fourth at Portalegre.
“It was here that I became national champion for the first time, and it was a very difficult race,” recalled Barbosa in his post-race conference. “So it’s fantastic to be back here and win again. This is a truly historic victory because it’s the first time a Challenger, or any car like it, won an overall in the CPTT.”
While Barbosa credited the weather with helping the Challengers and SSVs thrive, he was certainly not going to write off the Ultimates in their uncharacteristically poor outing.
“I think what really made a difference (this year) was the mud and a lot of water,” he continued. “It was also a race with some incidents, as was the case with João Ferreira, who is always a candidate for the victory. Everything came together to make this possible, and we know these cars can jump a bit further in these conditions.
“However, I still think the real stars of the race are the T1+. Every category has its own winner, and that’s how it should be seen. We’re talking about cars with completely different characteristics: weight, power, everything. Nowadays I race with a Challenger, so I look at the Challenger classification.
“Of course, am I happy to win the overall? Absolutely.”
While UTVs occupied the top three for FIA, Pierer Mobility AG enjoyed a podium sweep of their own in the motorcycle class: Martim Ventura and Bruno Santos completed a 1–2 finish for the Husqvarna FE 501 followed by Micael Simão on a GasGas MC 450F. Simão beat António Maio‘s Yamaha WR450F Rally for third by just 1.3 seconds, marking just the second time in the race’s 38-year history that no Japanese manufacturers appeared on the bike podium; the only other instance was in 2020 with Sebastian Bühler on a Hero followed by Joaquim Rodrigues and Santos on a Husqvarna.
Overall results
FIA
Ultimate
| Finish | Overall Finish | Number | Driver | Co-Driver | Team | Vehicle | Class | Time | Margin |
| 1 | 5 | 200 | João Ferreira | Filipe Palmeiro | X-raid Mini JCW Team | Mini John Cooper Works Rally Plus | T1+ | 5:08:30.2 | Leader |
| 2 | 7 | 208 | Alexandre Franco* | Rui Franco | Alexandre Franco | Mercedes-Benz C 230 | T1.1 | 5:12:37.0 | + 4:06.8 |
| 3 | 11 | 204 | João Lourenço* | Jorge Monteiro | João Lourenço | Mitsubishi Racing Lancer | T1.1 | 5:15:24.9 | + 6:54.7 |
| 4 | 13 | 218 | José Luis García* | Samanta Montel | Escudería Villa de Llanes | Mini John Cooper Works | T1.1 | 5:17:00.7 | + 8:30.5 |
| 5 | 16 | 202 | Edgar Condenso* | Nuno Silva | Edgar Condenso | Ford MO EXR05 Proto | T1.1 | 5:18:26.2 | + 9:56.0 |
| 6 | 18 | 212 | Marco Cardoso* | André Barras | Marco Cardoso | Mercedes-Benz A 140 Proto | T1.1 | 5:21:08.7 | + 12:38.5 |
| 7 | 33 | 209 | Luis Recuenco* | Sergio Peinado | GPR Sport | Toyota Hilux | T1+ | 6:35:16.4 | + 1:26:46.2 |
| 8 | 34 | 215 | Evangelos Bersis* | Konstantinos Exarchos | Evangelos Bersis | Mitsubishi L200 | T1.1 | 10:26:22.6 | + 5:17:52.4 |
| 9 | 37 | 216 | Alberto Morganti* | Cesare Rickler | Alberto Morganti | Mitsubishi Pajero WRC+ | T1.1 | 14:35:23.4 | + 9:26:53.2 |
| DNF | DNF | 201 | João Ramos* | Jorge Carvalho | João Ramos | Toyota Hilux EVO | T1+ | DNF | N/A |
| DNF | DNF | 203 | Lino Carapeta* | Fábio Carapeta | Lino Carapeta | Ford Ranger | T1.1 | DNF | N/A |
| DNF | DNF | 205 | Francisco Barreto* | Carlos Silva | Barata Racing Team | Toyota Hilux | T1+ | DNF | N/A |
| DNF | DNF | 206 | Alejandro Martins* | David Monteiro | Alejandro Martins | Mini John Cooper Works Rally Plus | T1+ | DNF | N/A |
| DNF | DNF | 210 | César Sequeira* | Tânia Sequeira | César Sequeira | Mercedes-Benz 350 SLC | T1.1 | DNF | N/A |
| DNF | DNF | 211 | Paulo Casaca* | NelsonRamos | Paulo Casaca | Volkswagen Amarok | T1.1 | DNF | N/A |
| DNF | DNF | 213 | Jose Rogeira* | Paulo Marques | Jose Rogeira | Ford Ranger | T1.1 | DNF | N/A |
| DNF | DNF | 214 | Nuno Madeira* | André Lopes | Nuno Madeira | Ford Ranger | T1.1 | DNF | N/A |
| DNF | DNF | 217 | Dave Klaassen* | Tessa Klaassen | DaklaPack Rallysport | Red-Lined Nissan Navara VK56 | T1.1 | DNF | N/A |
| DNF | DNF | 219 | Ronald Schoolderman* | Mark Salamons | 4×4 Centrum Ermelo | Mitsubishi ASX | T1.1 | DNF | N/A |
Challenger
| Finish | Overall Finish | Number | Driver | Co-Driver | Team | Vehicle | Time | Margin |
| 1 | 1 | 311 | Miguel Barbosa* | Paulo Fiúza | Miguel Barbosa | Taurus T3 Max | 4:57:23.9 | Leader |
| 2 | 3 | 308 | Paulo Rodrigues* | Sebastian Cesana | Paulo Rodrigues | Can-Am Maverick X3 | 5:09:56.7 | + 9:32.8 |
| 3 | 4 | 313 | Edgar Reis* | Fábio Ribeiro | Edgar Reis | Taurus T3 Max | 5:07:14.6 | + 9:50.7 |
| 4 | 9 | 310 | Ricardo Sousa* | Jorge Henriques | Ricardo Sousa | Can-Am Maverick X3 | 5:15:11.8 | + 17:47.9 |
| 5 | 10 | 306 | Alexandre Pinto* | Bernardo Oliveira | Alexandre Pinto | Can-Am Maverick X3 | 5:15:16.7 | + 17:52.8 |
| 6 | 14 | 318 | Filipe Cameirinha* | Jérémy Dubois | Filipe Cameirinha | Can-Am Maverick X3 | 5:17:33.3 | + 20:09.4 |
| 7 | 17 | 302 | Eduard Pons | Oriol Mena | Pons Rallysport | Taurus T3 Max | 5:19:05.7 | + 21:41.8 |
| 8 | 20 | 330 | Rui Silva* | Francisco Albuquerque | Rui Silva | Can-Am Maverick X3 | 5:25:16.3 | + 27:52.4 |
| 9 | 23 | 334 | Mark Mustermann* | Michael Zajc | Mark Mustermann | Can-Am Maverick X3 | 5:33:29.6 | + 36:05.7 |
| 10 | 25 | 304 | Khalid Aljafla | Andrei Rudnitski | Khalid Aljafla | Taurus T3 Max | 5:36:39.9 | + 39:16.0 |
| 11 | 26 | 326 | Jose Monroy* | João Serôdio | Jose Monroy | PH Sport Zephyr | 5:46:24.3 | + 49:00.4 |
| 12 | 28 | 317 | Nuno Faria* | João Martins | Nuno Faria | Can-Am Maverick X3 | 5:47:05.9 | + 49:42.0 |
| 13 | 29 | 320 | Pedro Ruivo* | Filipe Rasteiro | Pedro Ruivo | Can-Am Maverick X3 | 5:55:03.2 | + 57:39.3 |
| 14 | 30 | 329 | Pim Klaassen* | Mark Laan | DaklaPack Rallysport | Taurus T3 Max | 5:59:29.7 | + 1:02:05.8 |
| 15 | 31 | 333 | Flip Vic* | Gerhard Schmiedberger | Flip Vic | Can-Am Maverick X3 | 6:13:49.2 | + 1:16:25.3 |
| 16 | 35 | 305 | João Dias | João Miranda | Santag Racing | Can-Am Maverick X3 | 13:42:14.8 | + 8:44:50.9 |
| DNF | DNF | 300 | Diego Martinez | Sergio Lafuente | South Racing Can-Am | Can-Am Maverick X3 | DNF | N/A |
| DNF | DNF | 301 | Ghislain de Mévius | Johan Jalet | G Rally Team | G Rally OT3 | DNF | N/A |
| DNF | DNF | 303 | Tiago Reis* | Candido Carrera | Tiago Reis | Taurus T3 Max | DNF | N/A |
| DNF | DNF | 307 | Armindo Araújo* | Luis Ramalho | Santag Racing | Can-Am Maverick X3 | DNF | N/A |
| DNF | DNF | 309 | Marco Pereira* | Eurico Adão | Santag Racing | Can-Am Maverick X3 | DNF | N/A |
| DNF | DNF | 315 | Nuno Matos* | Ricardo Claro | Nuno Matos | Volkswagen Amarok PROTO | DNF | N/A |
| DNF | DNF | 321 | Otávio Leite* | Jorge Brandão | Santag Racing | G Rally OT3 | DNF | N/A |
| DNF | DNF | 322 | Mário Ferreira* | Gonçalo Ferreira | Santag Racing | Can-Am Maverick X3 | DNF | N/A |
| DNF | DNF | 323 | Miguel Barbas* | Nuno Guilherme | Santag Racing | G Rally OT3 | DNF | N/A |
| DNF | DNF | 324 | Daniel Oliveira e Silva* | Gonçalo Magalhães | Daniel Oliveira e Silva | Taurus T3 Max | DNF | N/A |
| DNF | DNF | 325 | Pedro Carvalho* | Romeu Martins | Pedro Carvalho | Can-Am Maverick X3 | DNF | N/A |
| DNF | DNF | 327 | Gerald Blanco* | Frederic Rubio | Gerald Blanco | Can-Am Maverick X3 | DNF | N/A |
| DNF | DNF | 331 | Roberto Rodríguez Gamboa* | Herman Rodríguez Gamboa | Herrador Factory Team | Herrator Inzane 901 | DNF | N/A |
| DNF | DNF | 335 | John Knight* | André Leyh | G Rally Team | G Rally OT3 | DNF | N/A |
| DNF | DNF | 336 | Gerben Heisterkamp* | Wesley Aaldering | South Racing Can-Am | Can-Am Maverick X3 | DNF | N/A |
| DNF | DNF | 337 | Thomas Bell* | Dmytro Tsyro | Thomas Bell | Taurus T3 Max | DNF | N/A |
| DNF | DNF | 338 | Lasne Romuald* | Delphine Delfino | Lasne Romuald | Can-Am Maverick X3 | DNF | N/A |
SSV
| Finish | Overall Finish | Number | Driver | Co-Driver | Team | Vehicle | Time | Margin |
| 1 | 2 | 409 | Gonçalo Gurreiro* | José Sá Pires | JB Racing | Polaris RZR Pro R | 5:02:037.9 | Leader |
| 2 | 6 | 405 | João Monteiro* | Filipe Alves | South Racing Can-Am | Can-Am Maverick XRS Turbo RR | 5:10:30.5 | + 7:52.6 |
| 3 | 8 | 408 | Rui Serpa* | Rui Pitas | Santag Racing | Can-Am Maverick XRS Turbo RR | 5:13:31.5 | + 10:53.6 |
| 4 | 12 | 407 | José Óscar Nogueira* | Arcélio Couto | José Óscar Nogueira | Can-Am Maverick XRS Turbo RR | 5:16:18.7 | + 13:40.8 |
| 5 | 15 | 403 | Amerigo Ventura | Erika Mingozzi | Quaddy Racing | Yamaha YXZ1000R | 5:18:20.5 | + 15:42.6 |
| 6 | 19 | 410 | Filipe Lopes* | Fábio Santos | Filipe Lopes | Can-Am Maverick XRS Turbo RR | 5:23:02.5 | + 20:24.6 |
| 7 | 21 | 400 | Fernando Álvarez | Xavier Panseri | South Racing Can-Am | Can-Am Maverick XRS Turbo RR | 5:29:34.0 | + 26:56.1 |
| 8 | 22 | 406 | Rúben Rodrigues* | Rui Paulo | Rúben Rodrigues | Can-Am Maverick XRS Turbo RR | 5:30:53.7 | + 28:15.8 |
| 9 | 24 | 401 | Miguel Toril | Jan Rosa Viñas | Escudería JMP Racing | Can-Am Maverick XRS Turbo RR | 5:35:52.9 | + 33:15.0 |
| 10 | 27 | 412 | Afonso Oliveira* | Pedro Cação | Afonso Oliveira | Can-Am Maverick XRS Turbo RR | 5:46:43.7 | + 44:05.8 |
| 11 | 32 | 404 | Claude Fournier | Max Delfino | MMP Compétition | Can-Am Maverick XRS Turbo RR | 6:22:25.8 | + 1:19:47.9 |
| 12 | 36 | 402 | Alexander Toril | Pedro López Chaves | Escudería JMP Racing | Can-Am Maverick XRS Turbo RR | 13:55:05.9 | + 8:53:28.0 |
| DNF | DNF | 411 | Cristiano Batista* | Fausto Mota | Santag Racing | Can-Am Maverick XRS Turbo RR | DNF | N/A |
Moto class winners
Moto
| Class | Overall Finish | Number | Rider | Team | Vehicle | Total Time |
| MTT1 | 6 | 34 | Pedro Oliveira | Old Friends Rally Team | KTM 250 EXC-F | 4:53:38.3 |
| MTT2 | 3 | 8 | Micael Simão | Micael Simão | GasGas MC 450F | 4:41:40.4 |
| MTT3 | 1 | 84 | Martin Ventura | Old Friends Rally Team | Husqvarna FE 501 | 4:36:59.8 |
| MTT4 | 45 | 111 | Gregorio Hernandez Vazquez | Gregorio Hernandez Vazquez | Yamaha Ténéré 700 Rally | 5:45:57.1 |
| Moto Junior | 1 | 84 | Martin Ventura | Old Friends Rally Team | Husqvarna FE 501 | 4:36:59.8 |
| Moto Veteran | 6 | 34 | Pedro Oliveira | Old Friends Rally Team | KTM 250 EXC-F | 4:53:38.3 |
| Moto Promo | 14 | 54 | Pedro Carrilho | Pedro Carrilho | Yamaha WR450F | 5:02:07.0 |
| Moto Women | 28 | 55 | Bruna Antunes | Bruna Antunes | GasGas EC 250F | 5:27:03.1 |
| Moto Trail | 45 | 111 | Gregorio Hernandez Vazquez | Gregorio Hernandez Vazquez | Yamaha Ténéré 700 Rally | 5:45:57.1 |
Quad
| Class | Overall Finish | Number | Rider | Team | Vehicle | Total Time |
| Quad | 1 | 151 | Luis Fernandes | Bitracing | Yamaha YFZ450R | 5:01:11.4 |
| Quad Junior | 3 | 154 | Rodrigo Alves | Moto Gardunha | Yamaha YFZ450R | 5:08:39.9 |
| Quad Veteran | 7 | 171 | Carlos Reguinga | Bitracing | Can-Am Renegade XXC 1000R | 5:26:15.2 |
| Quad Pro | 4 | 183 | Tiago Gomes | OFT Racing | KTM XC 450 | 5:14:58.7 |
SSV
| Class | Overall Finish | Number | Driver | Co-Driver | Team | Vehicle | Total Time |
| SSV | 1 | 804 | Hélder Rodrigues | Old Friends Rally Team | Can-Am Maverick X3 | 4:51:17.6 | |
| Polaris | 2 | 819 | Tiago Gurreiro | Carlos Paulino | JB Racing | Polaris RZR Pro R | 4:52:05.6 |
| Segway | 36 | 855 | Nuno Mendes Silva | Pedro Valentim | Yesauto Racing Team | Segway Villain SX10 | 5:27:34.6 |
| Yamaha YXZ1000R Cup | 29 | 869 | Teofilo Viñaras Gallart | Roberto Viñaras Gallart | Teofilo Viñaras Gallart | Yamaha YXZ1000R | 5:18:17.8 |
| Stock | 5 | 844 | Arnaldo Monteiro | José Duarte | Mundimat Racing Team | Polaris RZR Pro R | 4:54:59.6 |
| TT2 | 29 | 869 | Teofilo Viñaras Gallart | Roberto Viñaras Gallart | Teofilo Viñaras Gallart | Yamaha YXZ1000R | 5:18:17.8 |
| Junior | 8 | 883 | Gonçalo Guerra | Maria Carvalho | Benimoto Racing | Can-Am Maverick X3 | 4:57:30.1 |
| Veteran | 4 | 809 | Nélson Caxias | João Rodrigues | SGS Car Racing | Can-Am Maverick X3 | 4:54:51.5 |
| Promotion | 18 | 853 | Rogrido Melancia | João Diogo | Rogrido Melancia | Can-Am Maverick X3 | 5:09:06.3 |
| Women | 43 | 824 | Dorothée Ferreira | Ricardo Pereira | JB Racing | Can-Am Maverick R | 5:35:44.4 |