FIM: CAN SCHAREINA STOP THE SANDERS JUGGERNAUT?

Tosha Schareina (Monster Energy Honda HRC) won the maiden edition in April 2024, but the returning champion faces a wholly different scenario this time round. Unlike last season, when some of his opponents had to sit out the rally, he will have to contend with all his rivals (see his quote), chief among them the championship leader, who has completed a clean sweep of the three rounds held so far this year. Daniel Sanders (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) has never raced here before, but he already proved in the South African Safari Rally that he has no trouble conquering uncharted lands. A podium finish in Lisbon would net him the title regardless of where his adversaries end up in the standings. Yet the reigning world champion, Ross Branch (Hero MotoSports), is aware of how things can change in this rally, where he almost let the title slip through his fingers in 2024 (see his quote).

In Rally2, Edgar Canet (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) made his championship debut in the 2024 bp Ultimate Rally Raid Portugal, claiming the prologue in his class and third place overall. The Spaniard, now 20, will line up tomorrow clad in the KTM factory kit he has been wearing since the Dakar. His meteoric rise illustrates the effervescence of the current Rally2 scene. He trails Tobias Ebster (Hero MotoSports) in the championship after sustaining an injury in the second round of the season.

Honda have not appeared in the Rally2 ranking since the Dakar, but that ends now. Ruben Faria has hand-picked two 26-year-old talents who will make their first appearance with the HRC Rally2 team under the direction of their newly appointed manager, Rui Gonçalves (see his quote). The current Portugal Bajas number one, Martim Ventura, got his first taste of the W2RC series here last season (see his quote). Preston Campbell will get to grips with the championship following his Baja victories in America.

FIA: AL ATTIYAH, SAINZ AND LOEB WANT THE KIDS OFF THEIR LAWN

Sporting his signature grin, Nasser Al Attiyah (The Dacia Sandriders) went through administrative scrutineering today in his twin roles as bp Ultimate Rally Raid Portugal title holder and championship leader. The Qatari will have to adapt to two major changes: his first W2RC outing with the navigator Fabian Lurquin (after Édouard Boulanger joined his teammate Sébastien Loeb) and the rise of a new generation.

Henk Lategan (Toyota Gazoo Racing W2RC), 31, has been breathing down the old rocker’s neck in the championship ranking since the previous round. The Dacia factory driver, who turned 54 this year, outmuscled the local star João Ferreira (Toyota Gazoo Racing) to claim the trophy last season. Carlos Sainz (Ford M-Sport), well into his sixties, is the oldest of the factory drivers and sees the Portuguese ace as one of the favourites to clinch the win (see his quote). Ferreira recently inked a deal with Toyota Gazoo Racing at the tender age of 26 and is gearing up for his first championship round behind the wheel of a Hilux Evo.

Over in the Challenger class, Gonçalo Guerreiro (Nasser Racing) will be turning 25 next month. Second in his first Dakar in the class, the Portuguese is keen on snatching the win from Nicolás Cavigliasso, the man to beat in the championship, as well as taking the fight to the Ultimate drivers (see his quote) and carving a niche as soon as possible among the likes of Saood Variawa (Toyota Gazoo Racing) and Eryk Goczał (Energylandia), the two under-20 drivers in the Ultimate race this week. Records for precocity are being smashed left, right and centre in the W2RC, heralding a changing of the guard. The countdown has begun. Follow tomorrow’s prologue live on the W2RC social media accounts from 3 pm (motorbikes) and 4:25 pm (cars).

FIM QUOTES

Tosha Schareina (Monster Energy Honda HRC): “Before South Africa, things went badly with the surgery on the collarbone I broke at the Dakar. I ended up under the knife three times in as many days. I was unable to shake off that bad luck in the race, where I hurt my wrist. I was glad to have the summer break, but I also trained hard and came away with victory at Sertões in Brazil. It feels great to be back in the championship after all that, and so close to home. I have fond memories of my victory here last year, but I’m keeping my feet on the ground. There are plenty of riders capable of winning.”

Daniel Sanders (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing): “I was in Portugal last summer for the International Six Days of Enduro and the sand in some of the specials was similar to what I’ve seen here. It also reminds me of the terrain we race on in enduro back home, but it’s not going to be 100% sand, more of a mix with some harder sections. I’m expecting something along the lines of the Andalucía Rally, my first rally raid back in 2020. I know there’ll be trees, roots, shade… It’ll be a different kind of race again, but I feel confident. I’m going to focus on locking into my rhythm as early as possible.”

Ross Branch (Hero MotoSports): “Last year, I went down in stage 1 and bit my tongue open. I clenched my teeth and pushed through to finish sixth overall because I knew I had to if I wanted any chance of holding on to the championship lead. This summer, I clocked up three thousand kilometres of testing in Namibia and spent a month flying over the Okavango Delta. I can’t wait to get back on the saddle!”

Rui Gonçalves (Honda HRC): “The goal for the Honda HRC Rally2 team is to catapult two new riders into the Dakar in the short term. They’ve only just started getting to grips with the bike. One of them has a long history with the brand, the other is discovering it for the first time. Their mission here is to find their pace before heading to Morocco, where they’ll face a race much closer to the Dakar in terms of organisation and desert terrain.”

Martim Ventura (Honda HRC): “My race here last year was tough. I wanted to do well, but it was also my very first rally raid. I was getting to know the bike during the race itself and ran into electrical issues. I’ve prepared much better this year. I spent time in Morocco working on navigation and achieved my goal of winning the Portuguese Bajas Championship. Then, a once-in-a-lifetime chance to ride for Honda came along.”

FIA QUOTES:

Nasser Al Attiyah (The Dacia Sandriders): “I’m returning to a rally-style terrain I enjoyed. I have experience in this race, but the level of competition is going to be very high this year. The new torque meter has tightened up performance across the cars, and everyone is here, including some young guns. It’s going to be a fierce and wide open fight for everyone.”

Sébastien Loeb (The Dacia Sandriders): “I came here last year and saw that the terrain is very much about pure driving, but it’s often narrow and demands precision, with a few tricky spots. Finding the right rhythm straight away will be key. We haven’t done much mileage yet with Édouard, just a short test in Morocco, so we’ll need to settle in quickly. Driving conservatively makes no sense here. You need to avoid losing time at the beginning because these aren’t the kinds of specials where you see ten-minute gaps.”

Henk Lategan (Toyota Gazoo Racing): “My knowledge of this race is limited to what I‘ve been told about it. From what I’ve heard, it’s nothing like South Africa, but going by what I’ve seen here, it could resemble a race in Botswana among the trees and vegetation. I know the others will be faster. I like following a track instead of having traces all over the place, I like rally-style races, so I ought to enjoy this. Does not taking part last year put me at a disadvantage? A bit, probably, but I hope we can make up for this with our past experiences.“

Carlos Sainz (Ford M-Sport): “Just like in South Africa, we have strong cars, strong drivers, and I’m expecting some very close battles. João Ferreira is at home here, he just won the Baja last weekend on similar terrain and I think this is going to be an interesting race.”

João Ferreira (Toyota Gazoo Racing): “It’s a privilege to hear Carlos Sainz talk about me like that. Last year, it was an honour to team up with him here. I learned a huge amount from this legend who, in my eyes, is the best driver in the sport. Yes, I have the home advantage, and I understand people might see that as an edge, but anything can happen. I just want to take it stage by stage. This will be only my third international race with the car. I won the first two, but this one is longer and is also my first W2RC outing with the team.”

Gonçalo Guerreiro (Nasser Racing): “We want to win the Challenger class and I think we can also get a strong result among the Ultimate vehicles. This is Portugal, my home country, with my fans, so I won’t be leaving anything in the tank. Cracking the top 10 with our Challenger would be a solid result. I know the Taurus well, and this one is brand new. Nasser Racing have given me the opportunity to come back, take on the best drivers in the world and try and catch lightning in a bottle.”