Rally in Portugal Reaches Halfway Point: The Only Problem Today – Flat Tires

The BP Ultimate Rally Raid in Portugal and Spain has now crossed its halfway mark. On Friday, competitors had to cover more than 500 kilometers, including a 308-kilometer special stage. For the CFMOTO Thunder Racing Team riders, this was the first day of the rally without any major challenges, and the team’s collection gained another medal for winning the special stage.

“Today I managed the stage without major incidents or mistakes. However, like my teammate Gaetan, I ended up with a flat tire, which I’ll try to fix to make it safely back to the bivouac. Overall, it was a good day and I enjoyed it. The quad suffered some minor damage, but nothing serious,” said Antanas Kanopkinas after crossing the finish line of the special stage. Afterward, the riders still had to complete another 100 kilometers to reach the bivouac.

Kanopkinas was the fastest quad rider today and will be awarded a separate medal in the evening. This is already the team’s third such medal in this race – Gaetan Martinez recorded the fastest times in the quad category on the first two days. Today he finished third. Second place in the special stage went to their closest World Championship rival, Polish rider M. Loj.

“The track was very good, but halfway through I punctured a tire and had to ride about 60 kilometers on a flat. In the end, I managed to finish, though there are still 100 kilometers left to the bivouac – I just hope the wheel doesn’t come off. But I’m riding together with Antanas, so everything is fine,” said Martinez at the finish.

On Saturday, the riders will return from Spain to Portugal and face another 500 kilometers, including a 274-kilometer special stage, part of it running through mountainous terrain. The entire rally caravan will return to Lisbon, where on Sunday the competitors will be welcomed by the ceremonial finish.