W2RC 2025 result after Round 4: BP Ultimate Rally-Raid, Portugal

Toyota Gazoo Racing delivered a commanding one-two victory in the BP Ultimate Rally-Raid in Portugal to secure the 2025 FIA World Rally-Raid Championship manufacturers’ title with one round still to go. Read on to learn how the team achieved this fourth consecutive 2025 W2RC victory.

W2RC 2025 result after Round 4: BP Ultimate Rally-Raid, Portugal

Toyoyta Gazoo Racing resumed its World Rally-Raid Championship title challenge with the penultimate round of the 2025 season, the gruelling, 876-mile-long BP Ultimate Rally Raid Portugal. The team’s three specially prepared GR Hilux Evo vehicles took the ceremonial start in southern Portugal after completing a short but technical Prologue stage.

Lucas Moraes and navigator Armand Monleón were second quickest among the Ultimate class runners in the #203 pick-up, while round three winners Hank Lategan and Brett Cummings made a positive start with fourth place in car #202 on their first time racing in Europe. Competing together for the first time, Seth Quintero and co-driver Andrew Short lost time with a rear driveshaft issue just minutes from the end and finished ninth in class in car #204.

Stage 1

The event’s opening stage was divided into two competitive sections that mixed road and gravel surfaces. Lategan and Cummings maintained the form which earned them victory in the previous round. The pair took their #202 GR Hilux Evo into the lead after around 60 miles of gravel before stretching their advantage to over a minute heading into the more predictable road section. After concluding the day with a reversed attack of the Prologue course, the #202 was ahead of the pack by almost two minutes.

A similarly fast, consistent pace saw Moraes and Monleón move into a podium position after 45 miles of racing. That trajectory continued throughout the day so that they posted #203 in a strong second place. Meanwhile, Quintero and Short led the field early in stage one but suffered a challenging afternoon with a brake disc issue. After stopping for 90 minutes on the roadside, the repaired the #204 car and completed the day in 32nd place.

Stage 2

Stage two’s off-road action featured the longest competitive section of the event. The 266-mile route took crews on sandy, tree-lined tracks and through a mountain route that led to a spectacular medieval city. It was a technically demanding stage that featured numerous narrow sections, bridge crossings and gates that required precise driving to pass safely.

Lategan and Cummings started the day in the overall lead but opening the road led to an incident-filled stage. As well as an off-course excursion, the #202 crew experienced two punctures and had to replace two driveshafts. Their tireless efforts minimised time losses and they finished the day in eighth place, which dropped them to fifth overall. But with 425 miles of timed running still to go, there was still the opportunity to catch up.

Positional adjustments happened within the rest of the TGR crews. Moraes and Monleón started second overall and maintained consistent pace despite an early puncture and choking dust. They finished the stage in fifth in the #203 car and would begin stage three in third overall. Quintero and Short delivered a spectacular stage where their speed – particularly over the second half – fuelled their progress and earned them fourth place in the #204 Hilux. They had climbed from 32nd to 25th place after losing 100 minutes the day before.

BP Ultimate Rally-Raid, Portugal: Stage 3

Stage three saw an epic battle for victory between TGR’s three GR Hilux Evo models. A fast opening section was followed by a slower section through beautiful olive groves, which included more narrow gates and bridges. The stage was briefly paused to extinguish a fire, before all crews returned to base via an extremely twisty final section.

Moraes and Monleón were placed third going into the day and produced another display of pace and consistency. Though in the fight for stage victory, the pair were judicious enough to see the bigger picture and settled for third in order to gain enough time to secure the overall lead. Meanwhile, Lategan and Cummings started in fifth and were blinded by the dust of fellow competitors. They missed stage victory by 33 seconds but were well-placed in the overall rankings, just 57 seconds off the lead. The #204 crew of Quintero and Short continued making progress and rose to 20th overall.

Stage 4

The battle for victory intensified in stage four, which consisted of fast stone-lined tracks leading to a winding lakeside route. Moraes and Monleón opted for a low-risk strategy in car #203 in order to preserve their position at the front – important given that most of the driving was at high speed and any mistake would have been punished brutally. Meanwhile, Lategan and Cummings started and ended the day in second overall, although they closed the gap on their team-mates in front to just 34 seconds.

Less fortunate were Quintero and Short, who were in the running for second and heading for the podium with another impressive performance. Tragically, an engine issue just over a mile from the end meant the #204 car could not resume and was therefore unable to contest the final stage. At least TGR would go into the final day defending a one-two position in the overall standings.

Stage 5

Stage five saw the two remaining GR Hilux Evo models complete the team’s second win of the season. The competitors were taken on a high-speed loop through forests around the capital Lisbon, concluding what had been a spectacular six days of action.

Moraes and navigator Monleón capped an impressive week with fifth place on stage five, which justified their relentless and reliable performance with the pair’s first-ever outright win. Lategan and Cummings completed Toyota’s one-two finish with sixth place on stage five, just 53 seconds behind their team-mates. It is a result that narrows the deficit for both crews in their respective title races.

This emphatic win in Portugal – our fourth in as many races – has now secured Toyota’s position at the top of the manufacturers’ championship, one race before the end of the season. Nevertheless, the fight for the drivers’ and navigators’ championships are still in the balance, so the throttle will not be lifted during the final event in North Africa.

Safari Rally final standings

W2RC 2025: manufacturer championship standings

W2RC 2025 programme

As the dust settles on an unforgettable penultimate event for the W2RC 2025, Toyota looks ahead to the final round, Rallye du Maroc in Morocco, where further championship titles could be won.

Round one: Dakar Rally, Saudi Arabia, 3-17 January
Round two: Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge, United Arab Emirates, 21-27 February
Round three: Safari Rally, South Africa, 18-24 May
Round four: BP Ultimate Rally-Raid, Portugal, 22-28 September
Round five: Rallye du Maroc, Morocco, 10-17 October

Learn more: How did Toyota end the W2RC 2024 season?