Crunch time is just around the corner for the World Rally-Raid Championship (W2RC) as the planet’s best off-roaders arrive in Grândola for the fourth stop of the season. The 2025 bp Ultimate Rally Raid Portugal gets underway this Tuesday when rubber hits the road with a 5km Prologue Stage.
Following the Prologue there’s a further 1,400 kilometres split into five timed special stages hosted by Portugal and neighbouring Spain. Extreme distances and varied terrain will need to be overcome by any competitor wanting to claim precious championship points. Fresh W2RC leaderboards will be drawn up at the conclusion of Rally Raid Portugal on Sunday, September 28.
Nasser Al-Attiyah is currently in pole position to win an unprecedented fourth consecutive W2RC Drivers’ Championship in the Ultimate class. The Qatari holds a 20 point advantage over second place Henk Lategan in the W2RC standings. However, with 30 points up for grabs for a race win – plus stage win bonuses – that situation could quickly change. This week Al-Attiyah will race his Dacia Sandrider alongside new co-driver Fabian Lurquin for the first time in W2RC competition.
« After a really good collaboration on Baja Aragón, I’m happy to continue the adventure with Fabian as my new navigator. Rally Raid Portugal is a great event, and we are really looking forward to it. The target is always very clear: to keep the lead in the championship by scoring good points. » – Nasser Al-Attiyah
Joining Al-Attiyah for this Iberian adventure are two more Dacia race crews: Sébastien Loeb/Édouard Boulanger and Cristina Gutiérrez/Pablo Moreno. Gutiérrez is back behind the wheel of her Sandrider machine for the first time since racing the Dakar Rally in January. Meanwhile, Loeb will look to build upon his podium result at the South African Safari Rally in May.
« It feels great to be getting back into the Dacia Sandrider after quite a long break since South Africa. I can’t wait to get back to the racing feeling and to meet the Portuguese and Spanish fans, who are always so passionate and create an incredible atmosphere on every stage. » – Sébastien Loeb
Four-time Dakar Rally winner Carlos Sainz will be running the latest evolution of his team’s Ford Raptor T1+ in Portugal and Spain. Various updates have been made to the Ford Performance vehicle since Sainz last raced it in South Africa alongside co-driver Lucas Cruz.
« The evolution of our new Raptor has been driven by our learnings at our first trip to the Dakar together. In short, the car has been fine-tuned in the best possible way, but above all, we’ve worked hard on weight distribution. » – Carlos Sainz
Leading the charge for Toyota Gazoo Racing as they chase down a fourth W2RC Manufacturers’ Championship are the race crews of Seth Quintero/Andrew Short and Lucas Moraes/Armand Monleón. Moraes is only 25 points behind Al-Attiyah on the W2RC’s current leaderboard for Ultimate class drivers. Meanwhile, Quintero’s crew is now an all-American duo with former Dakar biker Short onboard for the ride.
« I’ve got Andrew Short alongside for me for his W2RC co-driving debut. We’ll be on a steep learning curve together this week. » – Seth Quintero
The Drivers’ Championship in the Challenger class this year will be hard-fought over the final two races of the season, starting in Portugal on Tuesday. Dakar winner Nicolás Cavigliasso has led the rankings since January, but the Taurus T3 Maxes of both Pau Navarro and Dania Akeel remain hot on his heels. Saudi Arabian racer Akeel could make even more history this season after becoming the first female driver to win a round of the W2RC with her victory at the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge.
« It’s been a long break and I feel very well rested, with a lot of pent up energy. I tested the car last week and it was such a pleasure to be back behind the wheel, it felt like being at home. » – Dania Akeel
Mattias Ekström will be maintaining his milage while taking a break from the Ultimate class to race the bp Ultimate Rally Raid Portugal in a Challenger machine. Ekström has temporarily traded in his Ford Raptor T1+ for a Can-Am XRS for the week ahead.
There’s also a return to W2RC competition for Gonçalo Guerreiro. The Portuguese driver will be calling on home support as he sets out to replicate his runners-up result at the Dakar… or maybe go one better. He’ll be at the controls of a Taurus Evo Max.
« I’m happy to be back at a round of the W2RC, this time in Portugal in front of my fans. I’m looking forward to the race and aiming for a strong result. » – Gonçalo Guerreiro
On the bikes it’s already been a history-making season for Daniel Sanders of Red Bull KTM Factory Racing. The Australian is the only W2RC rider to ever win all three opening rounds of the year. However, more points are needed to secure the World Championship and Sanders can do it with a fourth W2RC victory of the season.
Sanders will be joined on the Iberian Peninsula by fellow Red Bull KTM Factory Racing riders Luciano Benavides and Edgar Canet. Benavides is the closest rival to Sanders for W2RC glory this year with 35 points separating the team-mates. 20-year-old Canet is locked in a tight battle for supremacy in the Rally2 category with only three points between him and Tobias Ebster.
« It’s nearly a home race for me; not too much travelling and lots of family and friends here to support me. I’m feeling ready to race. I want a strong Prologue to set me up for a good week ahead. » – Edgar Canet
Also lining up in the Bike race is Harith Noah as part of the Sherco Rally Factory team. Winner of the Rally2 title at the 2024 Dakar, this Indian rider has proved he has what it takes to race up front against the best.
Over the weekend W2RC competitors have been arriving at the Parque de Feiras e Exposições in Grândola ahead of the 2025 bp Ultimate Rally Raid Portugal. With a full week of racing through perilous Portuguese and Spanish terrain we’re sure to witness world class rally-raid action all the way. When the dust settles on Sunday we’ll see who has driven their way to the top of the W2RC leaderboards ahead of October’s season finale in Morocco.
2025 World Rally-Raid Championship Standings
ULTIMATE – Top 5
1. N. Al-Attiyah (QAT) – DACIA – 114 points
2. H. Lategan (ZAF) – TOYOTA – 94
3. L. Moraes (BRA) – TOYOTA – 89
4. S. Quintero (USA) – TOYOTA – 79
5. Y. Al-Rajhi (SAU) – TOYOTA – 73…
CHALLENGER – Top 5
1. N. Cavigliasso (ARG) – TAURUS – 147 points
2. P. Navarro (ESP) – TAURUS – 116
3. D. Akeel (KSA) – TAURUS – 98
4. Y. Seaidan (SAU) – TAURUS – 76
5. A. Kus (POL) – TAURUS – 72…
BIKE – Top 5
1. D. Sanders (AUS) – KTM – 88 points
2. L. Benavides (ARG) – KTM – 53
3. R. Brabec (USA) – HONDA – 53
4. A. Van Beveren (FRA) – HONDA – 48
5. T. Schareina (ESP) – HONDA – 46…
QUOTES
Nasser Al-Attiyah: « After a really good collaboration on Baja Aragón, I’m happy to continue the adventure with Fabian as my new navigator. Rally Raid Portugal is a great event, and we are really looking forward to it. We can expect a lot of fans and a really great atmosphere because the passion for motorsport is real in Portugal and Spain. The target is always very clear: to keep the lead in the championship by scoring good points and to have a great event. »
Sébastien Loeb: « It’s great to be getting back into the Dacia Sandrider after quite a long break since South Africa. I’m really looking forward to starting this new chapter with Edouard. We’ve already done some testing together in Morocco and everything went very well, so I’m confident our collaboration will be a good one. I can’t wait to get back to the racing feeling and to meet the Portuguese and Spanish fans, who are always so passionate and create an incredible atmosphere on every stage. »
Cristina Gutiérrez: « We are really looking forward to restarting our rally-raid season and kicking off our preparations for Dakar Rally. I’m happy to be competing on Rally Raid Portugal, as racing at home is always special and we have great memories from this event. The goal is to get back into the rhythm and to feel good in the car. We want to make the most of these last two races of the championship to arrive fully prepared for the Dakar Rally, the biggest challenge of all. »
Carlos Sainz: « The evolution of our new Raptor has been driven by our learnings at our first trip to the Dakar together. We’ve continued working on the suspension, we’re gradually fine-tuning the engine, and, apart from all this, we’ve also worked on visibility. In short, the car has been fine-tuned in the best possible way, but above all, we’ve worked hard on weight distribution. »
Seth Quintero: « We’re racing against some true greats here in Portugal, but we’ll do our best to take the win ourselves. I’ve got Andrew Short alongside for me for his W2RC co-driving debut. We’ll be on a steep learning curve together this week. »
Pau Navarro: « We’re coming to Portugal with high expectations of doing a good job. We want to keep our hopes of winning the World Championship alive until the final race in Morocco. The most important thing for us at this race is finding a strong rhythm so we can start to push from kilometre zero. »
Dania Akeel: « I’m really excited to be back racing rally-raid. It’s been a long break and I feel very well rested, with a lot of pent up energy. I tested the car last week and it was such a pleasure to be back behind the wheel, it felt like being at home. This race has a lot of strong competition and I’m excited to be with all these top professionals. We’re all here to race and it’s going to be a lot of fun. »
Gonçalo Guerreiro: « I’m happy to be back at a round of the W2RC, this time in Portugal in front of my fans. A big thank you to the Nasser Racing Team for giving me the opportunity to compete at the highest level with the new Taurus Evo Max. I’m looking forward to the race and aiming for a strong result. »
Luciano Benavides: « During this break in the season I’ve been training super hard. I feel I’ve stepped things up physically and also mentally I’m feeling strong. I think the terrain at this rally will suit my style so I’m targeting good World Championship points at this race. »
Edgar Canet: « It’s my second time at this race in Portugal, but my first time as a W2RC competitor. It’s nearly a home race for me; not too much travelling and lots of family and friends here to support me. I’m feeling ready to race. I want a strong Prologue to set me up for a good week ahead. »
Christine Fial,