Rally in Portugal Reaches Midpoint: Teammates Enjoyed Close Battle Between Each Other

The BP Ultimate Rally Raid round of the World Rally-Raid Championship has reached its halfway point – on Friday, competitors completed a 296-kilometer special stage and have now covered more than half of the total race distance of nearly 1,300 kilometers. Both CFMOTO Thunder Racing Team riders who reached the finish said it was a very good day, with extremely fast stages, although technical issues could not be avoided.

“The day started very well – I was pushing hard and in every neutralization zone I could see I was gaining a few seconds on Adomas. Of course, that added a certain excitement – it was really enjoyable to ride, everything felt great. But with about 100 kilometers to go, the exhaust broke off and the noise became unbearable. I started to struggle, couldn’t go full throttle, and the heat was intense,” said Antanas Kanopkinas, adding that this type of technical issue has happened before, so the team will look for solutions to prevent it in the future.

Despite the issue, the rider said the day was still extremely enjoyable on the track. His teammate Adomas Gančierius echoed the sentiment after a very fast and smooth stage: “Today was a classic rally stage: fifty percent traditional rally, fifty percent farm tracks. The grip was very good because of the rain – the gravel roads were slightly damp. After yesterday, I expected it to be slippery, but it was actually very good.”

For the final 90 kilometers, both teammates rode together – although the exhaust was temporarily fixed, riding together provided extra security in case the issue returned. Despite the problem, Kanopkinas provisionally won the third stage in the quad category. Gančierius finished just 33 seconds behind him, with Senegal’s A. Varagne in third place.

On Saturday, competitors will leave the bivouac in Spain and return to Portugal, to the city of Loulé. In total, they will cover 390 kilometers, of which 315 kilometers will be the special stage.