Returning to the country where he made his Prodrive début, Nasser Al-Attiyah became the inaugural FIA winner of the BP Ultimate Rally-Raid.
The BP Ultimate Rally-Raid came to a close Sunday. While no overall lead changes took place on the final day, Romain Dumontier was at least able to keep Bruno Santos from going 5-for-5 in Rally2.
After suffering a spinal cord injury in a European Moto2 crash that ended his bike racing career, Carlos Tatay will drive an SSV at the Baja Aragón with the goal of someday racing the Dakar Rally.
After winning Championship Off-Road Rookie of the Year honours in 2023, Dylan Parsons’ Pro SPEC truck will feature Toys For Trucks backing during the 2024 season.
Although Yamaha no longer fields a World Rally-Raid Championship team, local hero António Maio topped Stage 4 in Portugal over former Yamaha factory rider Adrien Van Beveren, who won Yamaha’s last rally raid.
From Yazeed Al-Rajhi’s rollover while fighting for the lead to Vaidotas Žala retiring after his team used a contaminated fuel can, the Rally Raid Portugal’s longest stage was certainly a long day.
WRC alumnus Bernardo Sousa took his talents to the W2RC as he beat his fellow Portuguese to win the two-day National class overall at the BP Ultimate Rally-Raid.
After receiving a €750,000 fine for not running the World Rally-Raid Championship due to the programme’s shutdown, Audi has opted to end their appeal and will still have to pay off the money owed.
Sébastien Loeb came up just 35 seconds shy of beating Nasser Al-Attiyah for the Portugal Stage 2 win, but here’s a catch: Loeb was in a Taurus.
2023 Super GT GT300 champion Kohta Kawaai will lead HIGHSPEED Étoile Racing, formed in partnership with the upcoming anime, with Kotomi Maeda and Ai Shimizu driving in the Kyojo Cup and various electric series.
Bradley Cox went from being the rare Rally2 rider to beat all the bikes to receiving a 20-minute penalty for leaving the transfer section too soon, giving Tosha Schareina the Stage 1 win.
Portugal came out to play on their home soil as their countrymen swept the BP Ultimate Rally-Raid’s Challenger and SSV classes in the Prologue.
Anja Van Loon will race a truck again at the 2025 Dakar Rally, albeit not with an all-female crew like in 2024. Husband Erik Van Loon will move to the adjacent Dakar Classic in an Audi S1.
Turkmenistan, one of the most closed countries in the world, will try their hand at hosting another rally raid in September in partnership with Russia’s Silk Way Rally.
After 16 years, the Quad category will no longer be at the Dakar Rally in 2025 due to a lack of manufacturer support.
KTM rally director Andreas Hölzl told Speedweek not entering the 2024 World Rally-Raid Championship was long planned. Still, their Dakar Rally programme continues and will race Argentina and Morocco.
Dakar winner Ricky Brabec is not making the trip to Portugal with his Honda team-mates as he stays behind in America for a team sponsor function.
