João Ramos has been out of action since May due to right foot surgery. With his recovery complete, he will make his return at this weekend’s Baja Portalegre 500.

Ramos’ last action was the Raid Ferraria in May, where he was leading SS1 until the transmission gave out and forced him to retire. In September, he planned to compete in the Baja TT Sharish Gin until his injury occurred and required surgery.

The injury also meant he was unable to compete in the W2RC’s BP Ultimate Rally-Raid Portugal.

Fortunately, the long summer break meant Sharish Gin was the only Campeonato Portugal de Todo-o-terreno round he missed. Ramos also didn’t lose any spots in the CPTT standings as he remains fourth in the overall points.

Ramos doesn’t expect to be competitive at the Baja Portalegre, so his focus is on getting used to being behind the wheel again.

“I really wanted to participate in the Portalegre 500, as it will be exactly five months since I last competed in the Baja da Ferraria,” said Ramos. “Since then, I’ve been inactive on the sporting side as I underwent surgery for an injury to my right foot, followed by the ensuing recovery process.

“I feel fine now, but I’m honestly not going into this baja with the goal of fighting for victory due to the circumstances. In any case, I’m really looking forward to experiencing the thrills behind the wheel of the Toyota Hilux and making the most of my return to competition.”

The Baja Portalegre 500 is the penultimate round of the CPTT season, the last for the FIA European Baja Cup, and the sixth on the World Baja Cup. Ramos retired from the 2024 edition with an engine failure.

Featured image credit: JR72