Rally-Raid: Ferreira im Mini P2 behind Al-Attiyah / Rallye Raid Auto

Second victory for Nasser Al-Attiyah in the third round of the World Rally Raid Championship in Portugal ahead of compatriot João Ferreira, pipping X-raid interim pilot Carlos Sainz to P4 after problems on Sunday.

Nasser Al Attiyah took his second consecutive victory in the third round of the World Rally Raid Championship (W2RC) in Portugal. The Qatari finished 2:49 minutes ahead of João Ferreira (Mini JCW Rally Plus) in the Prodrive Hunter. Lucas Moraes in Toyota Hilux came third (+ 3:36). In the final minute, Moraes pushed Carlos Sainz (+ 6′12″) off the podium to P4. It was the Spaniard’s first time out of the Mini T1+ after three seasons with Audi, crowned by his fourth win at the Dakar last January.

Portuguese duo Joao Ferreira and Filipe Palmeiro achieved an impressive second place in their home rally in the Mini JCW Rally Plus. After five days through Portugal, including a short detour to Spain, they finished the rally behind five-time Dakar winner Nasser Al-Attiyah. In the third round of the World Rally Raid Championship, the Spanish duo Carlos Sainz and Alex Haro in the Mini JCW Rally Plus secured fourth place after problems on the final day. Both drivers were enthusiastic about the Mini JCW Rally Plus, which showed its reliability in the demanding rally.

The Portuguese Rally-Raid did not go according to Ferreira’s plan and initially he had to give up eighth place in the final classification. But the young Portuguese regained his form overnight and continued to attack. With his consistently fast performance, he took second place overall on the third day of the rally and defended this position until the end.

As the current Dakar winner and local hero, Sainz was clearly in the media and thousands of fans along the way. The Spaniard, who won the Dakar in 2020 in a Mini JCW Buggy, finished the first four stages in the top five and was on his way to the podium in third place. But bad luck befell him on the last day of all days and he lost third place to Lucas Moraes. In the fifth stage he had to contend with brake problems and reached the finish line in ninth place in the Ultimate classification. So he fell back to the thankless fourth place.

Joao Ferreira (Mini JCW Rally Plus): «It’s great that I was able to get second place among many great drivers. That leaves me speechless. Many thanks to the organization for this wonderful meeting. The fans were amazing. I think all the drivers enjoyed this meeting. Many thanks also to the X-raid team for a great mini.

Carlos Sainz: «Driving the Mini JCW Rally Plus was a great and great experience. Many thanks to Sven and the X-raid team for this opportunity. I enjoyed the car more and more every day. I also really enjoyed the meeting itself – despite the problem on the last day. This meant that we couldn’t do more than fourth place. My big thanks also go to Alex Haro, who did a great and professional job.” (X invasion)

Overall ranking of Rally-Raid Portugal

1. Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah/Edouard Boulanger (QA/F) Prodrive Hunter, 10:02:57 h
2. Joāo Ferreira/Filipe Palmeiro (P) Mini John Cooper Works Rally Plus, 10:05:46 h
3. Lucas Moraes/Armand Monleón (BZ/E), Toyota GR DKR Hilux, 10:06:33 h
4. Carlos Sainz/Alex Haro (E), Mini John Cooper Works Rally Plus, 10:09:09 h
5. Yazeed Al-Rajhi/Timo Gottschalk (SAU/D), Toyota Hilux Overdrive, 10:20:08 h

FIA World Rally Raid Championship after 3 rounds:

1. Nasser Al Attiyah (Nasser Racing by Prodrive): 112
2. Carlos Sainz (X-Raid Mini JCW Team): 100
3. Yazeed Al Rajhi (Overdrive Racing): 79