TOYOTA GAZOO Racing W2RC fights at the front on Stage 2 in Portugal

TOYOTA GAZOO Racing W2RC (TGR W2RC) is locked in an intense fight for the podium positions after a demanding Stage 2 on BP Ultimate Rally Raid Portugal, the penultimate round of the 2025 FIA World Rally-Raid Championship (W2RC).

The day’s off-road action featured the longest competitive section of the event at 429 km. The route took crews on tree-lined sandy tracks from Grândola in Portugal, through a mountain route into Spain, where rural roads led to the spectacular medieval walled city of Cáceres. This technically demanding stage featured narrow sections, including numerous bridge crossings and gates which required skilful, precise driving to pass safely.

Lucas Moraes and navigator Armand Monleón held second overall overnight. They overcame an early puncture and dusty conditions to maintain a consistent pace throughout the challenging stage in their #203 GR Hilux EVO. They finished Stage 2 in fifth and are third overall.

Henk Lategan and Brett Cummings started the day in the overall lead but suffered an incident-filled stage. As well as an off-course excursion, they experienced two punctures and had to replace two driveshafts. Their tireless effort minimised the damage on the way to eighth place on the stage for the #202 GR Hilux EVO. They are now fifth overall, less than two minutes behind third with 686 kilometres of timed running still to go.

Seth Quintero and Andrew Short delivered a battling Stage 2 performance, despite struggling with dust from other competitors in the early stages. Their speed – particularly over the second half of the stage – fuelled progress up the order and earned fourth place in their #204 GR Hilux EVO. They are now 25th overall in the Ultimate class after losing 100 minutes on Wednesday due to a brake disc issue.

Stage 3 on Friday sees the crews set off from their bivouac service park in Badajoz on a 308 km stage through the countryside east of the Spanish city, offering TGR W2RC’s GR Hilux EVOs another opportunity to claim stage honours and strengthen their challenge for overall victory.

Quotes:

Henk Lategan:

“It was a tricky day for us. It started off okay, although opening the road meant it was slippery, and we lost a little time. But we were managing it until we went through a fence on a corner that was not marked, which caused some damage, and we had to change a driveshaft. Soon after we had a slow puncture then things started to go downhill. We had a broken driveshaft on a twisty up and down section, so we lost a lot of time. Then we had another puncture not too long after. That put us behind two cars and into the dust, so we just nursed it to the end. We have a nice road position for Stage 3, so we’ll try to have a better day.”

Lucas Moraes:

“It was an eventful stage. We had a puncture early on, but it was fortunate to change it without losing much time. Then Henk and I had some issues with the dust when we were the first two cars on the stage and that made it tricky. It was still quite a positive result, and we are in a good position for Stage 3. We’ve got to keep pushing and try to get back in front.”

Seth Quintero:

“It was a great day for us. We started 25th on the road and therefore had to deal with a lot of dust but we just kept our heads down and pushed as hard as we could. It went very smoothly, and we were able to make up a lot of time. It puts us in a great position to challenge for a stage win on Friday. We already earned some good World Championship points today for TOYOTA GAZOO Racing W2RC and hopefully we can get plenty more over the next three days.”

BP Ultimate Rally-Raid Portugal 2025 – Stage 2 Results

BP Ultimate Rally-Raid Portugal 2025 – Standings after Stage 2

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