Home hero Martim Ventura charges to Stage Four win in Portugal

Martim Ventura stormed back onto home soil to claim victory on stage four of the 2026 Rally-Raid Portugal.

After leaving Spain behind, the penultimate stage stretched across a demanding 639 km route, winding its way south into Portugal toward the Algarve city of Loulé.  Riders had hoped to escape the persistent wet weather that has defined this year’s rally, but the conditions continued to play their part.  Of the total distance, 317 km were timed, beginning with slower, technical sections marked by frequent gates before opening into faster tracks after the border crossing.  Even then, water-filled ruts forced riders to stay cautious on what proved to be the longest and most punishing day of the event.

Ventura’s rally didn’t begin smoothly as the home favourite crashed during the prologue and needed several days to settle into a consistent rhythm aboard his Honda CRF450 RX RALLY.  However, the 25-year-old, who secured his first World Rally-Raid Championship stage win at this event last year and added two more at the Dakar Rally earlier this season, was determined to deliver.

Driven by the prospect of performing in front of home fans, Ventura kept mistakes to a minimum and surged to the front of the Rally 2 category, maintaining his lead to the finish.  He crossed the line with a 2’14” advantage over second place in a commanding performance, also clawing back four minutes on overall leader Bruno Santos, reducing the gap to 8’53”.

Teammate Preston Campbell described it as his strongest day of the rally so far, continuing to adapt to the ever-changing terrain and conditions.  While his growing confidence on the Honda CRF450 RX RALLY was evident, it didn’t fully translate into the results sheet, with the American finishing eighth, 8’30” behind Ventura.  He remains seventh overall, now 29’19” off the lead.

With the finish line in Loulé fast approaching, the Monster Energy Honda HRC duo will be pushing hard on the final day, with just 291 km left to run.