‘X Rallye TT de Guadalajara’ was the opening round of the Spanish Rally-Raid Championship 2025 season. On the team’s first participation on the series since May 2024, GRS achieved a good Top 20 finish on the overall final standings.
On March 15 and 16, the small town of Cifuentes hosted ‘X Rallye TT de Guadalajara’. The event was back in the calendar after a period of absence as it replaced ‘Rally TT Jaén Mar de Olivos’, which was cancelled this year due to organisational difficulties. The rally-raid in Castilla-La Mancha was therefore the start of the Spanish Rally-Raid Championship (CERTT).
GRS Team returned to competition after having taken part in the first three events of the 2024 season. This marked their first rally raid since May last year. On this occasion, the team participated with a Can-Am Maverick X3 in the T4 category. Josep Trinidad, who had already competed in three rallies with the team in 2024, was behind the wheel of the GRS vehicle, with Gerard Ribas as his co-driver.
The event was heavily influenced by weather and terrain conditions. Cold temperatures and rain played a crucial role in shaping the rally’s outcome. The rain turned large portions of the course into muddy terrain, making it even more challenging to complete the Stages.
Friday was dedicated to a ‘Shakedown’ session and a 5-kilometer Prologue. The team used these opportunities to gain additional mileage. At the end of the day, the official start ceremony took place in the centre of Cifuentes.
The three timed Special Stages of the rally were held on Saturday. In the first stage, the team encountered difficulties in the early sectors of the over-120-kilometer course. However, despite finishing 40 minutes behind the leader, they managed to complete the SS.
In SS2, which was shortened by 30 kilometres for safety reasons, GRS was able to make up ground in the standings. Survival proved essential, as there were numerous retirements. Once again, the stage was not without incidents, but Trinidad and Ribas climbed into the fight for a Top 20 finish overall while moving up to P8 in T4.
The final SS followed a similar script. The team faced difficulties in a section where conditions were particularly harsh. However, the #418 was not the only vehicle struggling in that area. After the stage concluded, Race Direction decided to cancel the times for all participants in that section.
This decision altered the final results. GRS gained one position, finishing 20th overall. In the final T4 classification, Trinidad and Ribas secured 8th place. Considering the challenging conditions over the weekend and the team’s long period of inactivity in rally-raids, this was a positive result for our comeback. Simply finishing the rally was a success in itself, and the team demonstrated the pace to fight for competitive positions.
The next round of the CERTT will take place from May 2 to May 4. GRS will once again compete in the prestigious Baja TT Dehesa de Extremadura, an event where we reached the podium last season.
