Steven Rotsaert has been disqualified from the BP Ultimate Rally-Raid Portugal after he deviated from the race route to refuel at a nearby gas station that was not listed in the roadbook.

During the fifth and last stage on Sunday, Rotsaert was struggling with fuel pressure issues while driving through the transfer zone at KM 49.02. DaklaPack Rallysport manager Dave Klaassen explained that the team figured refueling would at least give Rotsaert enough gas to reach the finish. Thus, he pulled off course for a commercial station 430 meters away, filled his REVO’s tank up, and rejoined the race.

The FIA stewards, led by chief official Jordi Parro, explained doing so was a breach of Articles 14.2.1, 49.2.1, and 54.1.1 of the FIA Cross-Country Rally Sporting Regulations.

Article 54.1.1 is the most pertinent rule at play here as it stipulates drivers can only refuel in certain areas explicitly stated in the roadbook. While commercial gas stations can be designated as legal for teams to use, the one that Rotsaert visited was not.

14.2.1 concerns the roadbook, while 49.2.1 stipulates team personnel are forbidden from being within one kilometer of their vehicle outside of certain locations.

Rotsaert was 31st overall and 15th in Ultimate entering Stage 5. His best finish was 18th in class in Stages 3 and 4.

He is the second driver to be disqualified from a W2RC race in 2026 after Óscar Ral at the season-opening Dakar Rally. The FIA also issues suspended disqualifications, where a driver would only be excluded from the results if they repeat the infraction again, such as with Lucas Del Rio earlier in Portugal.

Featured image credit: Rally Raid Network