Rally-Raid Portugal – Stage 4: Ferreira wins on home soil ahead of Loeb, who remains the overall leader

The penultimate stage of Rally-Portugal was the scene of multiple reversals of fortune right up to the finish line, crossed victorious by local hero João Ferreira ahead of Sébastien Loeb very tenacious.

The Portuguese driver was far from being the favorite on a stage initially dominated by the Alsatian, who was himself later relieved of the lead by Guy Botterill. Leading until the final kilometers, the South African ultimately cracked in the closing stages, thus ceding the victory to his teammate. Toyota.

Sébastien Loeb, for his part, executed a perfect strategic move. By finishing second in the stage, the Frenchman extended his lead in the overall standings while ensuring he wouldn't have to open the road on the final stage. The Dacia driver now has a comfortable 2:30 advantage over his closest rival, American Seth Quintero. With only 101 kilometers of special stage remaining on Sunday, the nine-time World Rally Champion is eyeing his first victory in Portugal in the discipline.

The provisional podium was also shaken up on Saturday: Third before stage 4, Lucas Moraes was overtaken by the day's winner, Ferreira, who finished 3:53 behind the overall leader. Penalized by his opening position following his victory in the third stage, the previous year's winner had to settle for sixth place at the finish. After his withdrawal the previous day, Nasser Al-Attiyah finished the stage in a modest fifth place. This performance was insufficient to move up in the general classification, with the Qatari driver languishing in a distant 33rd position.

The situation is even bleaker for Henk Lategan, forced to withdraw due to injuries sustained in his accident during stage 3. The South African continues his string of disappointments after an already inconsistent Dakar Rally. Eleventh in the world championship standings before the start, he risks slipping further down the rankings after this shortened Portuguese leg.

ALSO READ > Rally-Raid Portugal – Stage 3: Loeb extends his lead, Al-Attiyah retires

W2RC – Rally-Raid Portugal
Stage 4 ranking

The overall standings after Stage 4