- 30 days to go before the second round of the 2026 calendar. After the Dakar in Saudi Arabia, the W2RC caravan will reconvene from March 17–22 for the 3rd edition of the bp Ultimate Rally-Raid Portugal, just six months after its previous running.
- The Automóvel Club de Portugal (ACP), organiser of the event created specifically for the W2RC in 2024, is once again reshaping the European round. While Grândola remains the starting point and Badajoz in Spain’s Extremadura region stays on the route, Loulé in the Algarve becomes the new finishing city.
- Five stages await competitors, covering a total of 2,175 kilometres, including 1,320 kilometres against the clock. Thoroughly redesigned, with an all-new stretch reaching the Atlantic, the route promises to be even more varied than in the previous two editions.
GRÂNDOLA – SEASON 3
First held in early April 2024 in spring conditions, the bp Ultimate Rally-Raid Portugal returned the following season in late September. For its third edition, the event now shifts to the end of winter. Just six months after its previous autumn edition, this return to Grândola may be close in timing, but thanks to the change of season it will feel anything but repetitive. Once again, the ACP has introduced new elements to preserve the rally-raid spirit of discovery and adaptation.
The event’s shifting position on the calendar has already delivered very different terrain from one year to the next — at times soaked, at times sun-drenched — and each edition has featured a different finishing city. The upcoming edition continues that tradition. After Grândola and Lisbon, Loulé now takes centre stage, pushing the race further south and farther from the start than ever before.
FULL SPEED SOUTH TO THE ALGARVE
Route designer Orlando Romana — who also designed Dakar stages in the mid-2000s when the rally started from Portugal — promises an event richer in diversity:
“There will be more sand in the first stage, bringing it closer in spirit to the 2024 edition. We will enter Spain on the second day via completely new tracks compared to last year, and the same applies across the border in Extremadura. The third loop stage around Badajoz will be similar to last year, as will the return to Portugal the following morning. However, the second part of that special will be entirely new as it will run all the way to Loulé. For the fifth loop stage in the Algarve, I drew inspiration from a stage I created for the 2006 Dakar. Competitors will face hard ground over hills rather than flat plains. It will definitely be more varied than last year.”
Three bivouacs will structure the week, each hosting a loop stage. Iberian fans will have multiple opportunities to witness the world’s best riders and crews in action and to celebrate them at the finish in the prestigious setting of Vilamoura Marina, with one of Portugal’s most beautiful beaches as the backdrop.
STATEMENT
Carlos Barbosa, President of the Automóvel Club de Portugal:
“The bp Ultimate Rally-Raid proudly places Portugal at the heart of global motorsport. With a new ambitious route and new municipalities joining the event, we are raising the competition to the next level, offering greater challenges, a wider territory and an even more captivating spectacle. As the only European round of the FIM-FIA World Rally-Raid Championship, it is an honour for the Automóvel Club de Portugal to once again welcome the world elite to a race defined by intensity, discovery and unforgettable emotions.”
SCHEDULE
February 23: Entries close
March 5: Publication of the entry list
March 14: Bivouac opens in Grândola
March 16: Administrative and technical checks
March 17:
- Administrative and technical checks
- General briefing
- Pre-race press conference
- FIM prologue (5 km timed) and starting order selection
- Start ceremony
March 18: Stage 1 – Grândola (Portugal) / Grândola (Portugal) – Total: 315 km / SS: 215 km
March 19: Stage 2 – Grândola (Portugal) / Badajoz (Spain) – Total: 545 km / SS: 380 km
March 20: Stage 3 – Badajoz (Spain) / Badajoz (Spain) – Total: 490 km / SS: 300 km
March 21: Stage 4 – Badajoz (Spain) / Loulé (Portugal) – Total: 520 km / SS: 310 km
March 22: Stage 5 – Loulé (Portugal) / Loulé (Portugal) – Total: 265 km / SS: 115 km
- Final press conference
- Prize-giving ceremony
