The BP Ultimate Rally-Raid Portugal will witness the return of Carlos Sainz, who will be driving a Mini JCW Rally Plus from the X-Raid team, managed by Sven Quandt, former head of the Audi Sport program in the previous Dakar event. The current champion of Dakar 2024 is determined to protect his position at the top of the W2RC drivers’ rankings.
Toyota (108 pts) currently holds a dominant position in the manufacturers’ standings, leading Nasser Racing from Prodrive (76 pts). Although the Japanese brand is ahead of its British competitor in the drivers’ standings, the two-time world champion (67 pts) is just behind Sainz (76 pts).
After retiring from Dakar, Nasser Al Attiyah secured victory in the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge, reducing the gap between him and the Spaniard to just nine points.
Unfortunately, incidents involving Guillaume de Mevius and Guerlain Chicherit in the Abu Dhabi dunes led to the early exit of the Overdrive Racing teammates in the second round.
However, their solid performance before retirement, along with their impressive second and third places in the Dakar W2RC standings, put them right behind the Qatari driver. The Frenchman currently holds the third overall position (64 pts), with the Belgian in fourth place (62 pts). Just five points separate Nasser Al Attiyah in second place from Guillaume de Mevius in fourth.
After two rounds, the top four contenders are all within a range of 14 points. This level of competitiveness in the Ultimate category has never been seen before in the second half of the championship since the establishment of the W2RC.
Yazeed Al Rajhi, who secured second place in the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge, will feel at home on WRC-style tracks. The Saudi driver currently holds the fifth overall position (51 pts).
The three new recruits from TGR, Lucas Moraes, Seth Quintero, and Saood Variawa, will also be competing, alongside the regulars from Overdrive Racing – Denis Krotov, Juan Cruz Yacopini, Eugenio Amos, Lionel Baud, and female driver Aliyyah Koloc, representing Buggyra ZM Racing.
Under the Prodrive banner, brothers Marcos and Cristian Baumgart, from X-Rally Motorsport, will be present once again, with the impressive performances of the Brazilian drivers further strengthening the reputation of Nasser Al Attiyah and the Prodrive brand.
