The world’s premier off-road racers and their machines have touched down in Grândola to test themselves at the bp Ultimate Rally-Raid Portugal. Round 2 of the World Rally-Raid Championship (W2RC) follows on from a bruising edition of the Dakar in January. Expect no let up in speed or difficulty on this week’s five-stage rally spread across Portugal and Spain.
A Ceremonial Start on Tuesday, March 17 sets up a 215-kilometre loop around the Grândola bivouac for Stage 1 on Wednesday. Then comes four more perilous days of competition, concluding with the fifth and final stage finishing in Loulé in the Algarve on Sunday, March 22. There’s a total of 1,320 kilometres of racing for the convoy of two- and four-wheeled machines to complete. Terrain will switch between sand and loose rocks as well as plenty of fast-paced sections over flat plains.
Nasser Al-Attiyah arrives in Portugal after his historic ride at the 2026 Dakar Rally. In the process of winning his sixth Dakar title in the Ultimate class, the Qatari also handed Dacia their maiden victory at the world’s toughest rally. Al-Attiyah has got his latest W2RC campaign off to the best possible start as he targets a fourth drivers’ title in five years.
« After a great Dakar Rally victory, staying in the lead of the world championship is our focus. It won’t be easy because the competition is very tough. » – Nasser Al-Attiyah
Al-Attiyah is sure to face stiff competition from his team-mates Sébastien Loeb and Lucas Moraes as all three Dacia drivers target maximum points in Portugal. Both Loeb and Moraes scored podium finishes six months ago at this race, proving that the bp Ultimate Rally-Raid Portugal is a happy hunting ground for the pair. Moraes’s race win was crucial for the Brazilian as he went on to secure last season’s W2RC crown for Ultimate class drivers.
« Portugal is special for me, it’s where I took my first overall W2RC victory in my career. We’ll go for full attack to climb the championship standings. » – Lucas Moraes
After taking both podium spots at the 2026 Dakar behind Al-Attiyah, Ford M-Sport have all the tools they need to score a win this week. Carlos Sainz will tackle the route through Portugal and his native Spain alongside co-driver and compatriot Dani Oliveras. Also racing the Ford Raptor T1+ at Round 2 of the W2RC will be Mattias Ekström. The Swede currently trails Al-Attiyah by 21 points in the overall W2RC rankings.
« Test done in Portugal, ready to start the rally now! » – Mattias Ekström
Toyota Gazoo Racing are also sending a pair of drivers to Portugal with ambitions of competing at the business end of the rally. Seth Quintero arrives fresh from making his debut in the ARA National Championship in the States while Henk Lategan will want to go one better than his runner-up result at last year’s Portuguese round of the W2RC.
« We’re here to push and try to fight with the guys at the top. » – Henk Lategan
Laia Sanz debuted her EBRO s800-XRR T1+ at the Dakar earlier this year and drove the brand-new car to a Top 20 finish in the Ultimate class. With plenty of mileage now clocked up, an even better result could be waiting for the biker-turned-driver in Portugal.
« Our main goal is to accumulate mileage, carry on adapting to the car and keep growing with the team. » – Laia Sanz
Defender Rally are out to dominate the Stock category again, just as they did two months ago at the Dakar. Rokas Baciuška has a healthy lead in the W2RC rankings thanks to his Dakar victory at the wheel of his Defender Dakar D7X‑R. Among his greatest rivals for a follow-up triumph this week in Europe is his 14-time Dakar winning team-mate Stéphane Peterhansel.
« It’s amazing to return to Portugal for round two of the W2RC, this time for Defender Rally’s European debut. It is a technical race for sure, but we’re well equipped to tackle the course. » – Stéphane Peterhansel
In the Challenger class we’ll be keeping a close eye on the progress of Dania Akeel and her Taurus T3 Max. Akeel currently leads this year’s FIA World Baja Cup, driving Toyota’s Hilux Evo T1+. At last season’s Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge, the Saudi Arabian became the first female driver to win a round of the W2RC. Can she double her tally of series wins in Portugal this week?
This week’s bp Ultimate Rally-Raid Portugal represents a fresh start for former Dakar bike race winner Matthias Walkner. The Austrian’s entry into this rally is a major milestone in an inspirational journey that has seen Walkner recover from serious injury to get back to W2RC competition. The two-time Rally-Raid World Champion will race a Can-Am Maverick X3 XRS Turbo RR in the SSV class.
« I’m here as a rookie so let’s see where I end up. I want to enjoy this experience to the maximum and learn a lot as I go. » – Matthias Walkner
Find royalty-free assets covering Matthias Walkner’s Mission 2 To 4 on Red Bull Content Pool, including text, images and newscuts in English and German
Walkner enjoyed tremendous success with Red Bull KTM Factory Racing while competing on two wheels and his former team are laying the foundations for another successful season. Luciano Benavides’s 2026 Dakar win by just two seconds ahead of Ricky Brabec gave us one of the most memorable finishes in the rally’s near 50-year history. The starting pistol has now been fired on a season that promises plenty more fireworks.
« I’ve always enjoyed my time in Portugal. The terrain at this rally suits my style of racing. » – Luciano Benavides
Daniel ‘Chucky’ Sanders was leading the Dakar until a heavy crash in the dunes left
him with a broken collarbone and sternum. Remarkably, the Australian managed to ride the remaining three stages and finish the rally. Sanders returns to W2RC competition this week along with third Red Bull KTM Factory Racing rider Edgar Canet.
« We had a 48-hour stop in Austria with the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing team on the way here. It’s always good to reconnect with the people behind the scenes who make this whole racing program possible. » – Daniel Sanders
The bp Ultimate Rally-Raid Portugal is guaranteed to push each and every member of the race convoy to the absolute limit. All five stages are filled with potential pitfalls as the 1,320km racing distance goes from Grândola to Loulé, via Badajoz in Spain’s Extremedura region. With precious championship points on the line, the rally running March 17-22 is sure to serve up an intense test of endurance racing from start to finish. Stay tuned to Red Bull Desert Wings channels for updates along the way.
World Rally-Raid Championship standings
ULTIMATE – Top 5
1. N. Al-Attiyah (QAT) – The Dacia Sandriders – 73 points
2. M. Ekström (SWE) – Ford Racing – 52
3. N. Roma (ESP) – Ford Racing – 45
4. S. Loeb (FRA) – The Dacia Sandriders – 39
5. C. Sainz (ESP) – Ford Racing – 27
STOCK – Top 5
1. R. Baciuška (LTU) – Defender Rally – 107 points
2. S. Price (USA) – Defender Rally – 87
3. S. Peterhansel (FRA) – Defender Rally – 69
4. R. Basso (FRA) – Toyota Auto Body – 56
5. A. Miura (JPN) – Toyota Auto Body – 42
BIKE RallyGP – Top 5
1. L. Benavides (ARG) – Red Bull KTM Factory Racing – 38
2. R. Brabec (USA) – Honda HRC – 30
3. T. Schareina (ESP) – Honda HRC – 24
4. S. Howes (USA) – Honda HRC – 20
5. D. Sanders (AUS) – Red Bull KTM Factory Racing – 17
QUOTES
Nasser Al-Attiyah: « After a great Dakar Rally victory, staying in the lead of the world championship is our next focus. It won’t be easy because the competition is very tough and Rally-Raid Portugal brings many challenges, including changes to the route. The different time of year will also make a difference as we can expect wet ground compared to the dry conditions we experienced when the event took place in September. But we have a great team, and the Dacia Sandrider is a very strong car. »
Sébastien Loeb: « I’m always happy to be back competing in Portugal and it’s a rally I really enjoy. You have to push and be on the pace right from the start of the event. It’s less about endurance and race management than the Dakar was and more about precision. The stages are narrow for cars like ours, which makes it technically demanding but very interesting from a driving perspective. »
Lucas Moraes: « I’m happy to get back in the car and I can’t wait to see the whole team again. Of course, Portugal is very special for me, it’s where I took my first overall victory in my career last year and a very special country because, coming from Brazil, we speak the same language. The fans are usually really nice. Last year was a very important race for us and I hope we can defend our win. We go for full attack for sure and try to score some points to climb the championship standings a little more. »
Henk Lategan: « We’re here to push and try to fight with the guys at the top. We can only control what we can control, that’s making our car as fast as possible and racing the best race we can. We have our main goal of developing the car throughout the year and making it even better than what we already have. Our car still has a lot of potential to grow. »
Laia Sanz: « Our main goal is to accumulate mileage. Competing in this race at the beginning of the season is an opportunity to see what we need to improve as we carry on adapting to the car and keep growing with the team. »
Rokas Baciuška: « Dakar was sand, dunes and endless horizons. Portugal will be very different – narrow, technical stages, mountains, a lot of braking and hard acceleration. The goal stays the same – clean driving, protecting the car and fighting for the win. »
Stéphane Peterhansel: « It’s amazing to return to Portugal for round two of the W2RC, this time for Defender Rally’s European debut. It is a technical race for sure, but we’re well equipped to tackle the course. At Dakar, we encountered some difficult challenges, but we’re back and ready to showcase the D7X‑R’s incredible capability once again. »
Matthias Walkner: « Two years ago I had a really bad accident and I almost lost my leg. That was the end of my career racing motorbikes. Now I’m ready for a new challenge. I think the SSV class is the best category for me to start my new adventure on four wheels. I’m here as a rookie so let’s see where I end up. I want to enjoy this experience to the maximum and learn a lot as I go. »
Luciano Benavides: « My goal for this year is to become world champion in the same year as my Dakar win. I’ve always enjoyed my time in Portugal. The terrain at this rally suits my style of racing. I’m expecting a tight race between the Top 5 positions and hopefully I can take away a lot of championship points. »
Daniel Sanders: « We had a 48-hour stop in Austria with the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing team on the way here. It’s always good to reconnect with the people behind the scenes who make this whole racing program possible. »
Christine Fial,