Nani Roma, at the wheel of a Mini John Cooper Works Rally, is, at the moment, the best placed driver to win the 2018 Baja Portalegre 500. The Spaniard, which ended Friday in P1, was once again the fastest on the SS3’s 191.75 km.
“Everything is going ok. We are leading, but the objective is to test for the Dakar and see if everything is well with the car and with the cooling system, which we have done at the water crossings,” said Roma.
Behind him, in second, is Stéphane Peterhansel. Also driving a Mini, the French will have to give his very best if he wants to win the Baja. Peterhansel ended the morning with a 3:44m difference to his X-Raid team mate.
Paulo Ferreira is the best Portuguese, in third, while João Ramos, the National Championship hopeful, is fourth overall. The Toyota Hilux driver has a 3:09m advantage over Hélder Oliveira, the leader of the Championship at the start of this year’s Baja Portalegre 500.
Ramos is taking it easy, trying to avoid mistakes and any unwanted problems, something that Oliveira is not being as effective after problems with a broken rear transmission on the SS3’s last 15 km.