Portuguese duo, Alexandre Pinto and Bernardo Oliveira of the Old Friends Rally Team, have been crowned the 2025 SSV World Champions in the FIA World Rally-Raid Championship (W2RC) following a home victory at the BP Ultimate Rally Raid Portugal with the Polaris RZR Pro R, developed and prepared by Santag Racing, continuing to dominate the world of cross-country rallying.
Pinto and Oliveira delivered a historic performance, securing their first-ever world title — and marking another international milestone for RZR.
“We are absolutely thrilled with this title – especially because it marks the first time anyone has ever won it in Portugal in FIA competitions, in a country with such a strong off-road tradition,” said Pinto. “This outstanding achievement is the result of hard work, dedication, and sacrifice from our entire Old Friends Rally Team. We are also fortunate to rely on an incredibly competitive and perfectly prepared machine — the Polaris RZR Pro R, developed by Santag Racing — which played a key role in securing this championship.”
This landmark achievement marks the first W2RC title for 26-year-old Pinto and 20-year-old Oliveira in what has been their debut season. The young pair made history this year at Dakar 2025, claiming W2RC victory in their first-ever Dakar Rally participation. From there, they defended their championship lead with strong results in the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge and the South African Safari Rally, setting the stage for their win in the penultimate round.
The partnership between Santag Racing and the Old Friends Rally Team proved a winning formula. The team transitioned to the Polaris platform this season, debuting the RZR Pro R T4 at Baja Aragón, where it immediately demonstrated its competitiveness with a P2 finish in SSV — momentum that carried through to the victory in Portugal and the world title.
The 2025 season will be remembered as a landmark year for Santag Racing and Polaris, whose machines have topped podiums across Europe and the world.
- João Dias won the BP Ultimate Rally-Raid Portugal in the SSV category, delivering an outstanding performance from Grândola to Lisbon in the RZR Pro R by Santag Racing.
- Afonso Oliveira, a young Santag Racing driver, secured the title of FIA European Bajas Junior Champion behind the wheel of a Polaris RZR Pro R.
- And now, the FIA World Rally-Raid SSV title, conquered by Alexandre Pinto & Bernardo Oliveira, crowns a season of excellence for the Polaris RZR platform.
The 2025 FIA Rally-Raid season concluded at the Rallye du Maroc last week.
