For the third consecutive year, the Baja Portalegre 500 will be decisive as far as the Off-Road National Championship. The last event of the 2015 calendar will, once again, feature a face off between António Maio and Mário Patrão; these two everlasting rivals are the sole riders with a shot at the two wheels crown.
After the injury which has casted Maio out of the last round of the championship, Patrão is now only nine points behind. Maio needs only a fifth place to take the title home, even if Patrão wins, but the 450 km of the event may offer several huge obstacles to both drivers, as it has been the case in previous seasons.
At the moment, the advantage is on the Yamaha rider side, but Patrão promises to fight to the very end and will give it all for his seventh victory at the Automóvel Club de Portugal event. Should that happen, it will be a new record. On the other hand, a win by Maio will put him at the same level as Patrão with a total of six victories. Be it as it may, these two have been the masters of the Baja for the last 11 years, and they promise to keep on being the masters!
With Ruben Faria out of contention, the third place on the Championship is also up for grabs. Fausto Mota and Gustavo Gaudêncio will surely have the same goal in mind: putting and end to the 54-point tie that places them in fourth. However, mathematically, the fight for the third place may go as far as the ninth placed on the Championship.
Gomes better placed on Quads
Tiago Gomes arrives at Portalegre with a shot at the Quads National title after a very regular season. The rider has even set aside his activity as a Quad Freestyler to fight for the Championship. Gomes has now a six-point advantage over António Moreira, meaning finishing behind his rival is a more then enough result to take the crown home.
On the other hand, Roberto Borrego has long lost his shot at the crown but he will certainly be fighting for the victory – the only result which will make for a poor season, despite being the rider with more wins this year: three. This is precisely the same number of victories he has won at the ACP event, making him the most successful Quad rider at the Baja Portalegre 500.
No pressure for João Lopes
Having already secured the Championship, João Lopes arrives at Portalegre very comfortable to fight for his second win among the UTV and Buggies at the event. In a class in which Jorge Monteiro is the only rider with two wins over the seven years since its introduction, Lopes will be hoping to take the brand new Polaris RzR XP 1000 Turbo to the top step of the rostrum – a result that would make for a great European debut of his machine.
However, if the first spot of the Championship is already decided, the same cannot be said about the second, with Miguel Jordão, Pedro Mendes and the Spanish Teo Vinaras going all out with only five points separating them.
For the third consecutive year, the Baja Portalegre 500 will be decisive as far as the Off-Road National Championship. The last event of the 2015 calendar will, once again, feature a face off between António Maio and Mário Patrão; these two everlasting rivals are the sole riders with a shot at the two wheels crown.
After the injury which has casted Maio out of the last round of the championship, Patrão is now only nine points behind. Maio needs only a fifth place to take the title home, even if Patrão wins, but the 450 km of the event may offer several huge obstacles to both drivers, as it has been the case in previous seasons.
At the moment, the advantage is on the Yamaha rider side, but Patrão promises to fight to the very end and will give it all for his seventh victory at the Automóvel Club de Portugal event. Should that happen, it will be a new record. On the other hand, a win by Maio will put him at the same level as Patrão with a total of six victories. Be it as it may, these two have been the masters of the Baja for the last 11 years, and they promise to keep on being the masters!
With Ruben Faria out of contention, the third place on the Championship is also up for grabs. Fausto Mota and Gustavo Gaudêncio will surely have the same goal in mind: putting and end to the 54-point tie that places them in fourth. However, mathematically, the fight for the third place may go as far as the ninth placed on the Championship.
Gomes better placed on Quads
Tiago Gomes arrives at Portalegre with a shot at the Quads National title after a very regular season. The rider has even set aside his activity as a Quad Freestyler to fight for the Championship. Gomes has now a six-point advantage over António Moreira, meaning finishing behind his rival is a more then enough result to take the crown home.
On the other hand, Roberto Borrego has long lost his shot at the crown but he will certainly be fighting for the victory – the only result which will make for a poor season, despite being the rider with more wins this year: three. This is precisely the same number of victories he has won at the ACP event, making him the most successful Quad rider at the Baja Portalegre 500.
No pressure for João Lopes
Having already secured the Championship, João Lopes arrives at Portalegre very comfortable to fight for his second win among the UTV and Buggies at the event. In a class in which Jorge Monteiro is the only rider with two wins over the seven years since its introduction, Lopes will be hoping to take the brand new Polaris RzR XP 1000 Turbo to the top step of the rostrum – a result that would make for a great European debut of his machine.
However, if the first spot of the Championship is already decided, the same cannot be said about the second, with Miguel Jordão, Pedro Mendes and the Spanish Teo Vinaras going all out with only five points separating them.