Depending on how you look at it, the fourth and penultimate stage from Badajoz to Loulé had two winners. Tosha Schareina (Monster Energy Honda HRC) needed to win to keep his overall hopes alive and he did exactly that, crossing the finish line ahead of his rival Daniel Sanders (+1′25″). Sanders also had a strong day, however. Alone at the front, "Chucky" managed to keep a 1′46″ cushion in the overall standings.
KTM no. 1 is in pole position to renew its title in the bp Ultimate Rally-Raid Portugal, but the drama of the 2026 Dakar, where the finale turned the race on its head, serves as a cautionary tale, not least because the gap between first and second going into the last stage has never been this close since the 2024 Desafío Ruta 40 (see Stat of the day).
In Rally2, Bruno Santos (BS — Frutas Patrícia Pilar) looked set for another win but made his first blunder of the week at km 61 (see A crushing blow). That played into the hands of fellow Portuguese riders Martim Ventura (Monster Energy Honda HRC) and Micael Simão (Xraids Experience), first and second in the stage. Ventura notched his fourth career stage win, while Santos remained firmly in charge of the overall. Local knowledge is making the difference in Rally2!
Yesterday's disappointment in Rally3 did not hold back Gonçalo Amaral (Wingmotor), who bounced back to strengthen his overall lead. It was basically the same in the quad race, with Adomas Gančierius (CFMoto Thunder Racing) heading into the final stage 3′21″ clear of his teammate Antanas Kanopkinas.
Long dominated by Guy Botterill (Toyota Gazoo Racing SA) and Sébastien Loeb (The Dacia Sandriders), the special eventually went to João Ferreira in the final timed stretch. Back on home soil in Portugal, the Toyota Gazoo Racing SA driver claimed his second stage win of the week, 18 seconds ahead of the Frenchman, while the South African had to settle for fourth at 1′18″.
Loeb may have been beaten by Ferreira, but he was quicker than Seth Quintero (third, +1′21″) and Lucas Moraes (sixth, +3′46″), his two overall rivals this morning. The man from Alsace padded his buffer as he edged closer to the coast with the finish looming: 2′30″ over the American and 3′53″ over his Brazilian teammate, who surrendered his podium spot. Ferreira's victory lifts the Portuguese rider to third overall (+3′53″), ahead of Botterill (+4′34″) and Moraes (+5′02″). Just 1′09″ separates the trio, setting up a thrilling battle for the bottom step of the podium in Loulé.
The world championship leader, Nasser Al Attiyah (The Dacia Sandriders), came in fifth on the day and picked up a W2RC stage point, his only focus after a mechanical ended his overall ambitions yesterday.
In Stock, Sara Price doubled up while her teammate Stéphane Peterhansel steered his Defender to his first win in the class. In Challenger, Alexandre Pinto (Old Friends Rally) completed a hat-trick and consolidated his lead (see Performance of the day). Luís Cidade (South Racing Can-Am) also bagged a third victory in SSV, while João Monteiro (Can-Am Factory) stayed in command of the overall with nearly 12 minutes in hand.
