RALLYGP: SANDERS BEATS SCHAREINA BY A NOSE
Riders who can win a stage after opening the road from beginning to end are few and far between. Daniel Sanders, who had already pulled it off in the 2023 Sonora Rally and the 2025 South African Safari Rally, did it again on Thursday despite the best efforts of Tosha Schareina, who had dreamed of a victorious return to Badajoz, where he had claimed a home win last year. The gap between the two men peaked at a meagre 36 seconds (km 105) and had dwindled to a razor-thin 4 seconds by the time „Chucky“ and his rival crossed the finish line. The Australian’s third consecutive win is one of the closest in the history of the W2RC. Ricky Brabec placed a second Honda on the stage podium, 2′10″ from the leader.
Sanders increased his overall lead to 1′36″ over Schareina, with Brabec over 7 minutes adrift. The American overtook his teammate Adrian Van Beveren and Ross Branch (Hero MotoSports), who had crashed out after departing Grândola in second and fourth place in the standings. The Frenchman had not failed to finish a rally raid since the 2021 Dakar, nor had he had a DNF with HRC yet. Meanwhile, the reigning world champion from Botswana continues to struggle, having crashed out of the Dakar, sat out the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge and finished eighth in South Africa.
RALLY2: CANET TAKES HOME WIN
Last season, Edgar Canet came up short in the stage to Spain, so he was determined to set the record straight this time round. Mission accomplished: he beat Michael Docherty (BAS World KTM) by 1′58″ and Bruno Santos (BS Frutas Patrícia Pilar) by 2′51″. The rookie Preston Campbell (Honda HRC) placed his CRF in fourth and continued his progression. Canet increased his overall lead to 4′58″ over Santos and 5′22″ over Docherty. The championship leader, Tobias Ebster (Hero MotoSports), had to quit the special due to a damaged oil cooler and is no longer in contention.
RALLY3: ¡UNO, ZOL-DOS, TRES!
Thomas Zoldos could not have dreamt of a better W2RC debut. Undefeated since the start, the Frenchman pressed his advantage with another dominant triumph over Gonçalo Amaral (Wingsport), his third success of the week. The Portuguese driver saw his deficit to the leader balloon from 1′26″ to 8′54″. Carlo Cabini (RS Moto) rounded out the podium at 41′28″. Mechanical gremlins knocked Salvador Amaral (Wingsport) out of contention for the win in Badajoz, where he had prevailed in 2024.
QUADS: MARTINEZ OUTRUNS THE YAMAHAS
Gaëtan Martinez emerged victorious from his duel with his CFMoto teammate Antanas Kanopkinas, thanks to a mistake from the Lithuanian in the dust of the French rider. Martinez picked up a new win ahead of the Yamaha riders Marek Łój (Poland National Team) and Alexis Varagne (Drag’on Distribution) and put clear daylight between himself and his adversaries in the general standings, where he now leads Kanopkinas by 40′34″ and Varagne by 51′38″.
ULTIMATE: FERREIRA VAULTS INTO THE LEAD
The longest stage in the race was a Dakar-like slog with the drama to match. Dacia were routed, while Toyota put three Hiluxes on the provisional overall podium. Like Tosha Schareina, „El Matador“ did not manage to bring the trophy home in Spain. João Ferreira played his cards right to romp home with 1′03″ to spare over a surging Carlos Sainz. Toyota Gazoo Racing’s Saood Variawa (+2′13″) and Toyota Gazoo Racing W2RC’s Seth Quintero (+3′05″) and Lucas Moraes (+3′47″) rounded out the top spots. His teammate Henk Lategan, who was opening the road after taking the previous stage, finished eighth at +7′19″ and relinquished control of the race.
Ferreira, the first-ever leader of the Ultimate competition, sits at the top of an all-Toyota podium, 3′24″ ahead of Variawa and 3′46″ clear of Moraes. Sainz (+5′20″) will find solace in the fact that he is now back in contention for the trophy, 7 seconds ahead of Lategan in fifth place. Sébastien Loeb and Nasser Al Attiyah suffered the same fate, with mistakes causing them to spend over 15 minutes patching up their cars. The Frenchman received a part from Cristina Gutiérrez in a show of team spirit that will come as cold comfort to Dacia. Loeb sits ninth at 16′27″, with Al Attiyah right behind him at 17 minutes. Tomorrow, their late starts will put them in the ideal position to exact revenge.
CHALLENGER / SSV: BIG CELEBRATION FOR PORTUGAL
The winner of stage 1, Mattias Ekström, suffered a mechanical today, leaving the victor of the prologue, Gonçalo Guerreiro, a clear run to glory. The Portuguese driver took the Challenger stage win despite the relentless attacks of the BBR Motorsport duo of Pau Navarro (+3′22″), who was eyeing a home win, and Dania Akeel (+6′07″), who led for some time. Guerreiro padded his overall lead to 8′55″ over Navarro, 11′42″ over Pim Klaassen and 13′22″ over Nicolás Cavigliasso. Alexandre Pinto, victorious in SSV, completed the first-ever Portuguese hat-trick in the FIA classes.
