Ferreira’s Toyota Dominates Portalegre Baja as Portuguese Sweep Podiums

Northern Alentejo just witnessed a weekend that will be hard to forget: a Toyota Hilux T1+ Evo flying through cork-oak forests, Portuguese podiums in every class, and a crowd so dense that some vantage points closed before sunrise. Anyone who could not make it to Portalegre can relax—here is what mattered and why it may reshape the national off-road season.

The event Portugal loves to claim as its Dakar

For 39 years, the bp Ultimate Baja Portalegre 500 has turned normally quiet Alentejo backroads into a 3-day motorsport fairground. Its inclusion in the FIA World Cup for Bajas and the European Baja Cup guarantees international entry lists, yet the heartbeat remains unmistakably Portuguese: cafés in Crato replace espresso machines with tyre-pressure gauges, and local schools set homework around checkpoint schedules.

Ferreira’s hat-trick—and how he built it

From the opening prologue, João Ferreira refused to let anyone sniff the lead. Navigated by the experienced Filipe Palmeiro, the Leiria driver controlled every selective sector and stopped the clocks with a cushion of 10 m 18.4 s—his 3rd Baja Portalegre win and the first for a T1+ prototype since 2023. When asked to explain the dominance, he pointed to "a set-up that finally lets the Hilux breathe on slippery clay" and praised SVR Racing’s overnight tweaks that shaved seconds in the tight Serra de S. Mamede climbs.

All-Portuguese podiums across the board

If the car result sounded familiar, the two-wheel and SSV tables brought fresh excitement. Micael Simão powered a Gas Gas EC 500F to overall Moto success and locked up the National TT Championship in the same stroke. Bruno Santos and Bernardo Megre turned the class into an all-Portuguese celebration, while Roberto Borrego grabbed SSV glory after a late penalty demoted Brazilian rival José Hélio. Even the Quads—so often dominated by Spaniards in recent seasons—belonged to Tomás Paulo’s Yamaha this year. In short, Portalegre 2025 turned into a green-and-red medal rush.

Why the Hilux suddenly shines on Portuguese mud

Technical briefings revealed that the latest Hilux T1+ Evo runs revised differentials and a longer-travel rear damper, giving precious grip on Alentejo’s polished shale. Engineers also ditched the previous carbon-Kevlar snorkel for a shorter aluminium intake, gaining throttle response in water crossings like the Ribeira de Nisa ford. Specialists noted that "for once the Toyota looked at home in the ruts," ending whispers that Can-Am SSVs would permanently rule mixed terrain.

Immediate championship stakes

Because Portalegre awards 1.5× national points, Ferreira’s victory vaults him to the top of the Portuguese TT standings and keeps him within mathematical reach of the FIA Baja world crown, which concludes next month in Saudi Arabia. Simão’s moto triumph settles the domestic title, while Borrego’s SSV result means a Portuguese driver leads that table for the first time since 2021.

Beyond the podium: economic and cultural ripples

The Automóvel Club de Portugal estimates the rally injected €7 M into local hospitality—welcome revenue as olive harvests face drought shortages. Meanwhile, municipal officials confirmed long-term negotiations to keep the race headquartered in Portalegre until 2030, fending off rumours that a Spanish border town might lure the event away.

What to watch next

Teams now pack containers for November’s Ha’il International Baja, where Ferreira could crown a Portuguese season with a global title. Back home, attention turns to the Raide TT Góis, the early-December sprint that starts the 2026 calendar and will show whether Simão’s championship form survives wetter, colder stages. One certainty remains: Portalegre has reminded the paddock that Portuguese talent and machinery still set the bar in European off-road racing.