By RaceScene Publisher on Monday, 21 October 2024
Category: The Checkered Flag

Joao Ferreira survives, UTVs reign in Baja Portalegre 500

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

FinishOverall FinishNumberDriverCo-DriverTeamVehicleClassTimeMargin
15200João FerreiraFilipe PalmeiroX-raid Mini JCW TeamMini John Cooper Works Rally PlusT1+5:08:30.2Leader
27208Alexandre Franco*Rui FrancoAlexandre FrancoMercedes-Benz C 230T1.15:12:37.0+ 4:06.8
311204João Lourenço*Jorge MonteiroJoão LourençoMitsubishi Racing LancerT1.15:15:24.9+ 6:54.7
413218José Luis García*Samanta MontelEscudería Villa de LlanesMini John Cooper WorksT1.15:17:00.7+ 8:30.5
516202Edgar Condenso*Nuno SilvaEdgar CondensoFord MO EXR05 ProtoT1.15:18:26.2+ 9:56.0
618212Marco Cardoso*André BarrasMarco CardosoMercedes-Benz A 140 ProtoT1.15:21:08.7+ 12:38.5
733209Luis Recuenco*Sergio PeinadoGPR SportToyota HiluxT1+6:35:16.4+ 1:26:46.2
834215Evangelos Bersis*Konstantinos ExarchosEvangelos BersisMitsubishi L200T1.110:26:22.6+ 5:17:52.4
937216Alberto Morganti*Cesare RicklerAlberto MorgantiMitsubishi Pajero WRC+T1.114:35:23.4+ 9:26:53.2
DNFDNF201João Ramos*Jorge CarvalhoJoão RamosToyota Hilux EVOT1+DNFN/A
DNFDNF203Lino Carapeta*Fábio CarapetaLino CarapetaFord RangerT1.1DNFN/A
DNFDNF205Francisco Barreto*Carlos SilvaBarata Racing TeamToyota HiluxT1+DNFN/A
DNFDNF206Alejandro Martins*David MonteiroAlejandro MartinsMini John Cooper Works Rally PlusT1+DNFN/A
DNFDNF210César Sequeira*Tânia SequeiraCésar SequeiraMercedes-Benz 350 SLCT1.1DNFN/A
DNFDNF211Paulo Casaca*NelsonRamosPaulo CasacaVolkswagen AmarokT1.1DNFN/A
DNFDNF213Jose Rogeira*Paulo MarquesJose RogeiraFord RangerT1.1DNFN/A
DNFDNF214Nuno Madeira*André LopesNuno MadeiraFord RangerT1.1DNFN/A
DNFDNF217Dave Klaassen*Tessa KlaassenDaklaPack RallysportRed-Lined Nissan Navara VK56T1.1DNFN/A
DNFDNF219Ronald Schoolderman*Mark Salamons4×4 Centrum ErmeloMitsubishi ASXT1.1DNFN/A
* – Not competing for FIA World Baja Cup points

Challenger

FinishOverall FinishNumberDriverCo-DriverTeamVehicleTimeMargin
11311Miguel Barbosa*Paulo FiúzaMiguel BarbosaTaurus T3 Max4:57:23.9Leader
23308Paulo Rodrigues*Sebastian CesanaPaulo RodriguesCan-Am Maverick X35:09:56.7+ 9:32.8
34313Edgar Reis*Fábio RibeiroEdgar ReisTaurus T3 Max5:07:14.6+ 9:50.7
49310Ricardo Sousa*Jorge HenriquesRicardo SousaCan-Am Maverick X35:15:11.8+ 17:47.9
510306Alexandre Pinto*Bernardo OliveiraAlexandre PintoCan-Am Maverick X35:15:16.7+ 17:52.8
614318Filipe Cameirinha*Jérémy DuboisFilipe CameirinhaCan-Am Maverick X35:17:33.3+ 20:09.4
717302Eduard PonsOriol MenaPons RallysportTaurus T3 Max5:19:05.7+ 21:41.8
820330Rui Silva*Francisco AlbuquerqueRui SilvaCan-Am Maverick X35:25:16.3+ 27:52.4
923334Mark Mustermann*Michael ZajcMark MustermannCan-Am Maverick X35:33:29.6+ 36:05.7
1025304Khalid AljaflaAndrei RudnitskiKhalid AljaflaTaurus T3 Max5:36:39.9+ 39:16.0
1126326Jose Monroy*João SerôdioJose MonroyPH Sport Zephyr5:46:24.3+ 49:00.4
1228317Nuno Faria*João MartinsNuno FariaCan-Am Maverick X35:47:05.9+ 49:42.0
1329320Pedro Ruivo*Filipe RasteiroPedro RuivoCan-Am Maverick X35:55:03.2+ 57:39.3
1430329Pim Klaassen*Mark LaanDaklaPack RallysportTaurus T3 Max5:59:29.7+ 1:02:05.8
1531333Flip Vic*Gerhard SchmiedbergerFlip VicCan-Am Maverick X36:13:49.2+ 1:16:25.3
1635305João DiasJoão MirandaSantag RacingCan-Am Maverick X313:42:14.8+ 8:44:50.9
DNFDNF300Diego MartinezSergio LafuenteSouth Racing Can-AmCan-Am Maverick X3DNFN/A
DNFDNF301Ghislain de MéviusJohan JaletG Rally TeamG Rally OT3DNFN/A
DNFDNF303Tiago Reis*Candido CarreraTiago ReisTaurus T3 MaxDNFN/A
DNFDNF307Armindo Araújo*Luis RamalhoSantag RacingCan-Am Maverick X3DNFN/A
DNFDNF309Marco Pereira*Eurico AdãoSantag RacingCan-Am Maverick X3DNFN/A
DNFDNF315Nuno Matos*Ricardo ClaroNuno MatosVolkswagen Amarok PROTODNFN/A
DNFDNF321Otávio Leite*Jorge BrandãoSantag RacingG Rally OT3DNFN/A
DNFDNF322Mário Ferreira*Gonçalo FerreiraSantag RacingCan-Am Maverick X3DNFN/A
DNFDNF323Miguel Barbas*Nuno GuilhermeSantag RacingG Rally OT3DNFN/A
DNFDNF324Daniel Oliveira e Silva*Gonçalo MagalhãesDaniel Oliveira e SilvaTaurus T3 MaxDNFN/A
DNFDNF325Pedro Carvalho*Romeu MartinsPedro CarvalhoCan-Am Maverick X3DNFN/A
DNFDNF327Gerald Blanco*Frederic RubioGerald BlancoCan-Am Maverick X3DNFN/A
DNFDNF331Roberto Rodríguez Gamboa*Herman Rodríguez GamboaHerrador Factory TeamHerrator Inzane 901DNFN/A
DNFDNF335John Knight*André LeyhG Rally TeamG Rally OT3DNFN/A
DNFDNF336Gerben Heisterkamp*Wesley AalderingSouth Racing Can-AmCan-Am Maverick X3DNFN/A
DNFDNF337Thomas Bell*Dmytro TsyroThomas BellTaurus T3 MaxDNFN/A
DNFDNF338Lasne Romuald*Delphine DelfinoLasne RomualdCan-Am Maverick X3DNFN/A

SSV

FinishOverall FinishNumberDriverCo-DriverTeamVehicleTimeMargin
12409Gonçalo Gurreiro*José Sá PiresJB RacingPolaris RZR Pro R5:02:037.9Leader
26405João Monteiro*Filipe AlvesSouth Racing Can-AmCan-Am Maverick XRS Turbo RR5:10:30.5+ 7:52.6
38408Rui Serpa*Rui PitasSantag RacingCan-Am Maverick XRS Turbo RR5:13:31.5+ 10:53.6
412407José Óscar Nogueira*Arcélio CoutoJosé Óscar NogueiraCan-Am Maverick XRS Turbo RR5:16:18.7+ 13:40.8
515403Amerigo VenturaErika MingozziQuaddy RacingYamaha YXZ1000R5:18:20.5+ 15:42.6
619410Filipe Lopes*Fábio SantosFilipe LopesCan-Am Maverick XRS Turbo RR5:23:02.5+ 20:24.6
721400Fernando ÁlvarezXavier PanseriSouth Racing Can-AmCan-Am Maverick XRS Turbo RR5:29:34.0+ 26:56.1
822406Rúben Rodrigues*Rui PauloRúben RodriguesCan-Am Maverick XRS Turbo RR5:30:53.7+ 28:15.8
924401Miguel TorilJan Rosa ViñasEscudería JMP RacingCan-Am Maverick XRS Turbo RR5:35:52.9+ 33:15.0
1027412Afonso Oliveira*Pedro CaçãoAfonso OliveiraCan-Am Maverick XRS Turbo RR5:46:43.7+ 44:05.8
1132404Claude FournierMax DelfinoMMP CompétitionCan-Am Maverick XRS Turbo RR6:22:25.8+ 1:19:47.9
1236402Alexander TorilPedro López ChavesEscudería JMP RacingCan-Am Maverick XRS Turbo RR13:55:05.9+ 8:53:28.0
DNFDNF411Cristiano Batista*Fausto MotaSantag RacingCan-Am Maverick XRS Turbo RRDNFN/A

Moto class winners

Moto

ClassOverall FinishNumberRiderTeamVehicleTotal Time
MTT1634Pedro OliveiraOld Friends Rally TeamKTM 250 EXC-F4:53:38.3
MTT238Micael SimãoMicael SimãoGasGas MC 450F4:41:40.4
MTT3184Martin VenturaOld Friends Rally TeamHusqvarna FE 5014:36:59.8
MTT445111Gregorio Hernandez VazquezGregorio Hernandez VazquezYamaha Ténéré 700 Rally5:45:57.1
Moto Junior184Martin VenturaOld Friends Rally TeamHusqvarna FE 5014:36:59.8
Moto Veteran634Pedro OliveiraOld Friends Rally TeamKTM 250 EXC-F4:53:38.3
Moto Promo1454Pedro CarrilhoPedro CarrilhoYamaha WR450F5:02:07.0
Moto Women2855Bruna AntunesBruna AntunesGasGas EC 250F5:27:03.1
Moto Trail45111Gregorio Hernandez VazquezGregorio Hernandez VazquezYamaha Ténéré 700 Rally5:45:57.1

Quad

ClassOverall FinishNumberRiderTeamVehicleTotal Time
Quad1151Luis FernandesBitracingYamaha YFZ450R5:01:11.4
Quad Junior3154Rodrigo AlvesMoto GardunhaYamaha YFZ450R5:08:39.9
Quad Veteran7171Carlos ReguingaBitracingCan-Am Renegade XXC 1000R5:26:15.2
Quad Pro4183Tiago GomesOFT RacingKTM XC 4505:14:58.7

SSV

ClassOverall FinishNumberDriverCo-DriverTeamVehicleTotal Time
SSV1804Hélder RodriguesOld Friends Rally TeamCan-Am Maverick X34:51:17.6
Polaris2819Tiago GurreiroCarlos PaulinoJB RacingPolaris RZR Pro R4:52:05.6
Segway36855Nuno Mendes SilvaPedro ValentimYesauto Racing TeamSegway Villain SX105:27:34.6
Yamaha YXZ1000R Cup29869Teofilo Viñaras GallartRoberto Viñaras GallartTeofilo Viñaras GallartYamaha YXZ1000R5:18:17.8
Stock5844Arnaldo MonteiroJosé DuarteMundimat Racing TeamPolaris RZR Pro R4:54:59.6
TT229869Teofilo Viñaras GallartRoberto Viñaras GallartTeofilo Viñaras GallartYamaha YXZ1000R5:18:17.8
Junior8883Gonçalo GuerraMaria CarvalhoBenimoto RacingCan-Am Maverick X34:57:30.1
Veteran4809Nélson CaxiasJoão RodriguesSGS Car RacingCan-Am Maverick X34:54:51.5
Promotion18853Rogrido MelanciaJoão DiogoRogrido MelanciaCan-Am Maverick X35:09:06.3
Women43824Dorothée FerreiraRicardo PereiraJB RacingCan-Am Maverick R5:35:44.4
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