Nuno Madeira has been a regular in the Campeonato Portugal de Todo-o-terreno since 2016, but he will not be racing the upcoming Baja TT Escuderia Castelo Branco. It will be his first time missing a CPTT round in a decade.

“For those still asking if I’ll be at Baja Castelo Branco, I’m not racing,” wrote Madeira on Thursday. “Just like I won’t be participating in the CPTT, except for a race that truly motivates me.”

Madeira has been frank about the disparity between his Ford Ranger and T1+ cars. His Ranger is a T1.1, which is a 4×4 like T1+ but smaller and has less travel, among other differences. As a result, while his Ranger is certainly still a solid car, it is often outclassed by its T1+ counterparts and Madeira doesn’t want to just settle for top tens.

In September 2024, Madeira told Movielight he was “very close to not racing in 2025”. Though he entertained switching to T3, he was worried about the decline of T1 and was “very lost” about not being able to contend in the Ranger.

“With all due respect to my colleagues in the T1 category, my only motivation is to fight for the top places in the overall. With the current regulations, finishing in the top ten without ‘destroying’ the beast is extremely difficult—at least for me,” he continued.

“After ten straight years without missing a single race, it’s time to do things differently. Wishing all the competitors a great time and to have a lot of fun this weekend!”

The Baja TT Escuderia Castelo Branco is the second round of the 2025 Portuguese Cross-Country Championship. He retired from the season-opening Baja TT Montes Alentejanos in February.