Schareina leads and Howes shines: Monster Energy Honda Team gets Rally Raid Portugal off to a flying start

The Rally Raid de Portugal kicked off today, and the Monster Energy Honda Team made a statement of intent from the very first kilometre. With an electrifying prologue and two challenging special stages, the Honda riders demonstrated their skill and determination on the Portuguese tracks.

The action started in the town of Grandola, the talented Valencian rider, Tosha Schareina, led the way conquering the prologue with a time of 3 minutes and 29 seconds. However, the competition was fierce, with Frenchman Adrien Van Beveren following close behind, just 2 seconds behind. Although Schareina and Van Beveren secured the top two positions, Pablo Quintanilla and Skyler Howes also held their own on the challenging terrain, taking 9th and 14th places respectively in the prologue.

After a 31 km liaison, the riders regrouped in Santiago do Cacém to tackle the first special stage of the day, an endurance test of more than 100 km. The fight was intense.

After Tosha’s victory in the prologue, he has consolidated his leading position throughout the day, showing an exceptional performance in the day’s special stages.

Accompanying Schareina’s brilliant performance, the American Skyler Howes has shown to be at a great level on a surface he is not used to, as Skyler usually rides in races where navigation plays an important role and tracks are usually very open, despite not being his ideal terrain he has managed to secure a 3º place in the general classification.

Pablo Quintanilla, for his part, showed a very solid level, although he suffered a fall at kilometre 80, it was all just a scare and he managed to finish in 5th place.

However, a last minute penalty affected the positions, relegating Adrien Van Beveren to 14th place after a great prologue.

As the Monster Energy Honda Team prepares to tackle the next stages of the rally, we can’t overlook the incredible energy and support of the Portuguese fans. From the finish lines to the most remote stages, the local fans have been tirelessly cheering on the riders, adding an extra dimension of excitement and camaraderie to this thrilling competition.

With four stages to go, the Rally Raid de Portugal promises to remain an unforgettable spectacle, and the Monster Energy Honda Team is determined to make its mark on every kilometre of challenging terrain that awaits them.