FIM: SANDERS AND KTM COME OUT SWINGING
Tosha Schareina got prologues down to a science in 2024, but Daniel Sanders appears to have perfected the formula this season. „Chucky“ hit the ground running in the Iberian rally, adding a prologue win in Grândola to those he nabbed in the Dakar and the South African Safari Rally. The RallyGP championship leader, who will be mathematically out of reach of his rivals if he finishes on the final podium on Sunday, is running ahead of the Honda factory riders Tosha Schareina (+10″) and Adrien Van Beveren (+13″). The Frenchman posted the same time as Ross Branch (Hero MotoSports). 35 seconds separate the nine W2RC entrants, with Skyler Howes (Monster Energy Honda HRC) bringing up the rear. The fastest riders in the prologue chose to start near the front tomorrow to avoid the worst of the dust. Schareina (second), Sanders (third) and Canet (fourth) will follow Branch, the first man on the road.
However, the men closest to Sanders in the overall are in Rally2! Edgar Canet finished 2 seconds behind the Australian and first in his class, ahead of Michael Docherty (BAS World KTM, +5″). Fifth overall, Alfredo Pellicer (Xraids Experience, +9″) completed the Rally2 Top 3. KTM got off on the right foot, with podium lock-outs in both the FIM overall and Rally2.
In a historic first, Thomas Zoldos, riding a Beta, came out on top in his maiden Rally3 appearance. The Frenchman crossed the line with 6 seconds to spare over Gonçalo Amaral and 14 over the other Amaral brother, Salvador, making him the 110th W2RC special winner. Antanas Kanopkinas took the quad special ahead of his brother in arms, Gaëtan Martinez. The two men, who are tied in the championship ranking, were separated by a whisker today. A taste of things to come!
FIA: FROM (A)L ATTIYAH TO SAIN(Z)
The championship leader, Nasser Al Attiyah, had the advantage of being the first to tackle the course of the prologue, held on sandy, tilled and watered earth, just outside the bivouac. His pursuers faced a changing situation in this picture-postcard landscape, as cars soon cut through the track and kicked up dust. Lucas Moraes and João Ferreira came up 3 seconds short, while Henk Lategan placed a third Hilux in the top 4, a mere 5 seconds down. Sébastien Loeb (The Dacia Sandriders) came in fifth, 7 seconds off the pace. The Frenchman later pointed out that he had eased up to avoid mistakes on the treacherous tilled earth. He was not the only heavyweight to tread carefully in the dust, with Carlos Sainz (Ford M-Sport) chugging across the line dead last, 1′28″ off the pace!
In light of the usual reshuffles in accordance with the rules, the Spaniard was all but guaranteed to open the special tomorrow following his super-cautious performance today. Was it an irrational move or a stroke of genius? The answer will come tomorrow evening or, perhaps, in Lisbon on Sunday. In the meantime, the start position selection held this evening confirmed that Sainz will be leading the charge in stage 1. Next up will be Loeb, Ferreira and Al Attiyah who, as the last entrant to choose, opted to start in fourth place.
The precocious Gonçalo Guerreiro, Dakar runner-up in his championship debut, picked up right where he had left off in the Challenger competition. The Portuguese driver has already proved Al Attiyah was right to offer him a slot on Nasser Racing for the week, taking the prologue in style and putting his Taurus Evo neck and neck with the team boss! Mattias Ekström, trying his hand at Challenger for the fifth time in his career, was a second slower in his Can-Am. Adam Kuś (Akpol Recykling) finished on the prologue W2RC podium at 12 seconds down. Alexandre Pinto also lived up to his role as championship leader in SSV, securing an impressive victory and placing his new Polaris RZR Pro R seventh overall, 7 seconds behind Al Attiyah. Enrico Gaspari, his new teammate at Old Friends Racing, conceded 24 seconds.
