Al Attiyah sets fastest time in BP Ultimate Rally Raid Portugal qualifying prologue

Nasser Al Attiyah set the fastest time in the 5-kilometer qualifying session of the BP Ultimate Rally Raid Portugal, held in the surroundings of Grândola. The FIA championship leader set the benchmark time on sandy and loose terrain at this fourth round of the W2RC, repeating his 2024 performance in the same qualifying session.

Lucas Moraes and João Ferreira completed the top three times with their Toyotas, both just 3 seconds behind Al Attiyah's time. Henk Lategan finished fourth, 5 seconds back, followed by Sébastien Loeb in his Dacia Sandriders entry, 7 seconds off the fastest time.

Photo By A.S.O

Sainz Executes Deliberate Strategy to Open the Road

Carlos Sainz adopted a completely different approach in the qualifying session. The driver, navigated by Lucas Cruz, intentionally set the slowest time of all FIA entrants, finishing 1 minute and 28 seconds behind Al Attiyah's benchmark. This tactic secured him the first starting position for the opening stage, a crucial advantage in a rally where opening the road can be beneficial.

The subsequent selection of the starting order confirmed the driver's strategy; he will lead the caravan tomorrow followed by Loeb, Ferreira, and Al Attiyah, who will start from fourth position.

Loeb admitted to having taken a conservative approach, moderating his pace to avoid mistakes on the loose terrain that characterized the session.

Guerreiro Sets Fastest Time in Challenger Qualifying

Gonçalo Guerreiro made the most of his opportunity with Nasser Racing to set the fastest time in the Challenger category. The driver, navigated by Cadu Sachs (the Dakar runner-up on his category debut), recorded the best time in his Taurus Evo, matching his team boss Al Attiyah's time to the exact second on the clock.

The 24-year-old Guerreiro beat Mattias Ekström by one second; Ekström is competing in his fifth Challenger outing with his Can-Am. Adam Kus completed the top three times in Challenger, 12 seconds behind.

In SSV, Alexandre Pinto maintained his championship leader status with the fastest time in the category. The driver, navigated by Bernardo Oliveira, placed his new Polaris RZR Pro R seventh in the overall classification, just 7 seconds behind Al Attiyah's time. His Old Friends Racing teammate, Enrico Gaspari, finished 24 seconds back.

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Starting Order Reveals Strategies for Opening Stage

The final starting order distribution reflects the different strategic approaches of the teams. Sainz will open the road with the advantage of encountering no dust or ruts, followed by Loeb in second position. Ferreira, with local knowledge of the terrain, will start third, with Al Attiyah choosing the fourth starting position.

The presence of drivers under 30 in competitive positions marks a trend in the W2RC. Ferreira, 26 years old and newly signed by Toyota Gazoo Racing, will contest his first championship race at the wheel of a Hilux Evo. The driver, navigated by Filipe Palmeiro, won a local Baja last weekend on terrain similar to what he will face this week.

First Stage Includes 302 Timed Kilometers

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The opening stage will take participants to explore the surroundings of Grândola this Wednesday, September 25th. The route covers 425 kilometers in total, with 302 kilometers of timed special stage and 123 kilometers of liaison, returning to the base bivouac.

The event is the only European round of the World Rally-Raid Championship (W2RC) and runs until September 28th. The routes traverse the Alentejo and Ribatejo regions of Portugal, with an incursion into the province of Badajoz, Spain, before concluding in Lisbon.