The Brigada Mecanizada, or Mechanized Brigade, of the Portuguese Army will return to the Baja Portalegre 500 later this month. As they did in 2024, the unit will have various military vehicles on display along the course where service members and fans can watch from.

Part of the race goes by Campo Militar de Santa Margarida, the site of Portugal’s largest garrison and one of the biggest in Europe. BrigMec was founded in 1953 as NATO’s 3rd Infantry Division (Divisão Nun’Álvares) before beginning a mechanization process in 1976, turning into the 1st Independent Mechanized Brigade (1ª Brigada Mista Independente), to meet the alliance’s Cold War-era demands. The unit became fully mechanized as the Brigada Mecanizada Independente in 1993, then reached its current form in 2006.

As the name suggests, BrigMec specializes in fielding mechanized infantry using hardware like tanks and other armored vehicles. It is currently overseen by Brigadier General Fernandes de Oliveira.

At the 2024 Baja Portalegre 500, BrigMec put a Leopard 2A6, an M109 howitzer, and an M113 armored personnel carrier along the track. Separated from the course by a tape fence, the trio sat with soldiers either watching from inside or standing alongside them. Civilians were permitted to watch next to them as well.

“This year, the Mechanized Brigade will once again join the bp Ultimate Baja Portalegre 500,” reads a statement from race organizers. “One of the competition’s stops will be at the Santa Margarida Military Field, where the public can also see an exhibition of Mechanized Brigade military vehicles and learn more about the Portuguese Army’s fleet.

“We thank the Mechanized Brigade for another year of collaboration, helping to make this event possible!”

The Baja Portalegre 500 is the ninth and final round of the 2025 FIA European Baja Cup and the sixth for the World Baja Cup.

Featured image credit: Brigada Mecanizada