Monster Energy Honda Team rider Tosha Schareina increased his lead in the motorcycle category at the bp Ultimate Rally-Raid Portugal to 4min 34sec after clocking the fifth quickest time on the abrasive fourth and penultimate stage in Spain.
Through co-operation with the Junta de Extremadura, the Diputacion de Badajoz and the MCV (Motor Club de Villafranca), the ASO and the ACP were able to lay on a 208km stage entirely in Spain to the south of Badajoz. A long road section then returned competitors to Grândola in Portugal.
Schareina was on top form from the start of the day’s special and the Spaniard delighted the home fans with some sensational riding.
Despite opening the road, he led through all the early time controls and had carved out a lead of 50 seconds over Hero Motorsports Rally Team rider and main rival Sebastien Bühler at the 108km point to extend his virtual rally lead to 4min 30sec. He increased that cushion to 54 seconds through 152km although Bühler reduced the deficit to 48 seconds after 186km, as António Maio moved in front and held on to claim his first stage win. All the leading riders complained of excessive tyre wear on the abrasive surfaces.
Schareina said: “At the beginning it was very good. In the first 100km we were leading. After that, the tyres were completely destroyed and we survived the last 150km!”
The win for the Portuguese on his Yamaha WF was the first for the brand on a round of the FIM World Rally-Raid series since Adrien van Beveren won the last special at the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge in 2021. Maio retained fourth overall behind the third-placed runaway Rally2 class leader Bruno Santos (Husqvarna).
Maio said: “I loved the stage. I had never ridden here, but the stage was fantastic, fast, slippery and to my liking. I had to attack from the beginning but with safe riding and I didn’t make any mistakes. I made a choice of tyred thinking about these two stages and I think it had an effect.”
Santos added: “I don’t think anyone was expecting such abrasive terrain because, at the end of 100km, we no longer had a rear tyre. I think I had a good second part of the stage, because it was more my style.”
Bühler said: “It was a difficult stage because after 100km the tyres were practically finished. I had to manage the ‘mousse’ of the tyres well to get to the end. At some points, it was almost like a Sunday ride!”
Honda’s Skyler Howes continued to hold fifth overall and his team-mate Adrien van Beveren’s climb through the field continued. The Frenchman moved up to sixth at the expense of Sherco’s Lorenzo Santolino with the second quickest time.
Van Beveren said: “A very different stage to the ones in Portugal. I knew that managing the rear tyre would be important. I tried to manage it but, at the end of 50km, the tyre was already very worn out. In the second part, everyone was already with the slick tyre and it was a little scary because the bike slid a lot when braking.”
Ross Branch of the Hero Motorsports Rally Team continues to hold eighth overall and Chile’s Pablo Quintanilla and Spaniard Edgar Canet round off the top 10. Canet holds second in Rally2 but trails Santos by 20min 49sec.
Bas World KTM Racing Team’s Bradley Cox was sixth on the day and holds 11th and third in Rally2, extending his cushion over Frenchman Mathieu Doveze (KTM).
Portuguese Honda rider Gonçalo Amaral continues to lead the Rally3 section although his brother Salvador was quickest on the day and trimmed the deficit to 10min 48sec.
Poland’s Kamil Wisniewski claimed the stage win in the quad category, as Argentina’s runaway leader Manuel Andujar hit trouble on the Spanish stage, stopped to fix an issue on the rear of his machine, then crashed and lost the outright lead to his fellow Yamaha rider.
Wisniewski now holds a 5min 49sec advantage over Frenchman Gaetan Martinez to take into the final short stage close to Grândola on Sunday morning. Lithuania’s Antanas Kanopkinas is third after picking up a two-minute penalty.
- From Rally Raid Portugal
<
Discussion about this post