The Longest Day in Portugal Completed: Dust, Local Fans, and a Cliffhanger

On Thursday, at the World Rally-Raid Championship round in Portugal, riders faced the second – and longest – day of the event, covering more than 650 kilometers in total, including a 429-kilometer special stage. Starting in Portugal, they crossed into Spain to reach the bivouac. The CFMOTO Thunder Racing Team riders returned safely to the bivouac, but for both, the results were hanging by a thread.

Gaetan Martinez, who was the fastest quad rider of the day, said the track was dusty and fast, but nearly ended his race with a dramatic off-track moment: “It was a long, fast, very dusty day – just like yesterday. There were lots of local fans along the way, showing us the road, cheering and supporting – it was great to see. Midway through, we entered the mountains we had already raced in last year. I really enjoyed that section and kept a high pace, but then an interesting situation happened. At one point, I went off the track and ended up stuck on the edge of a small cliff. I couldn’t return directly to the track, so I had to go down and find a way back around. I lost five minutes, but it could have easily ended my rally. The last section was very slippery.”

Antanas Kanopkinas spoke little at the finish – his day was extremely tough, and he only made it to the end after repairing his quad on the track: “Just another unusual day in paradise. I was chasing another racer and ran into trouble – I hit a tree and then had to deal with the consequences all day long. It wasn’t a bad day – just hard work, and I had to solve problems I created myself. A big thanks to our mechanic Augis, who insisted I change the suspension arm and keep going, as I thought it was impossible to continue. There were lots of thoughts running through my head, but I’m glad I didn’t give up.”

After two days, both CFMOTO Thunder Racing Team riders are still holding first and second place in the quad standings. On Friday, they will stay in Spain and face another 500 kilometers, including a 308-kilometer special stage.