Borgward Rally Team announces Ricardo Porem as second driver and will enter Baja Portalegre 500 with two Borgward BX7 EVOs!
– Borgward Rally Team announces Ricardo Porem as the second driver for the 2020 Dakar in Saudi Arabia.
– Borgward Rally Team pleased with an excellent 6th place overall finish in Rallye du Maroc.
– Borgward Rally Team enters Baja Portalegre 500 with two Borgward BX7 EVO as preparation for the 2020 Dakar.
Borgward Rally Team is pleased to add Portuguese driver Ricardo Porem to its driver line up. Ricardo Porem is a very experienced driver; multiple Portuguese rally raid champion, 4-time winner of Baja Portalegre 500 and he made his debut in 2019 Dakar. The team will enter this weekend’s Baja Portalegre 500 and the 2020 edition of the Dakar with the drivers Nani Roma and Ricardo Porem.
« I am very happy to be in Borgward Rally Team! I am very motivated to bring my experience to the team. I know Nani and know he is a very experienced driver. I am sure that I can contribute to the team with my knowledge from Baja Portalegre and hope we can get a good result, » Ricardo Porem said.
With the current driver line up the Borgward Rally Team enters Baja Portalegre 500 with the winners of the last five editions! Nani Roma won last year and Ricardo Porem won the preceding four.
Borgward Rally Team just achieved an excellent sixth overall position in Rallye du Maroc. Rallye du Maroc was preceded by an extensive testing session and the aim of the rally was to gain as much experience as possible. Baja Portalegre 500 will also be used to gain as many kilometers of experience before the start of the 2020 Dakar.
After Rallye du Maroc Nani Roma said, « I leave Rallye du Maroc with a feeling that we are on the right track. We have already improved a lot and the car is much closer to my liking, but we need to continue improving. »
Borgward Rally Team will enter Dakar in Saudi Arabia with two identical cars of the Borgward BX7 EVO. The Borgward BX7 EVO is an evolution of the previous car and is the result of the continuous development during the year by Borgward Rally Team and the information gained by Nani Roma’s testing days before Rallye du Maroc.
« We are very happy with the team we formed for the 2020 Dakar; we have a combination that makes us feel comfortable. A reliable car and excellent pilots who have a lot of experience and are able to compete with the very best in the world, » said Erik Wevers, owner of Wevers Sport, the team that prepares the Borgward BX7 EVO for the Borgward Rally Team.
Baja Portalegre 500 will be held from October the 24th until the 26th and will cover more than 500 kilometers of stages. This race is regarded as the last opportunity for teams to test their cars before the 2020 Dakar Rally. Baja Portalegre is also the last race of the 2019 FIA World Cup for Cross-Country Bajas where Russian Vladimir Vasilyev (112 points) could become champion.
Baja Portalegre starts on October 24th with technical and administrative checks. By the end of the day there will be a ceremonial start in the city center. On Friday 25th the race starts with SS1 that has 5.35 km. On Friday afternoon 99.22 km will be run in SS2 from Ponte de Sor back to Portalegre. Saturday 26th is a big day with more than 400 km in racing distance: SS3 with 191.75 km and SS4 with 211.78.
Baja Portalegre schedule:
October 25th – SS1: 5.35 km & SS2: 99.22 km
October 26th – SS3: 191.75 km & SS4: 211.78 km
TOTAL: 508.1 km
Arturio Ruiz,