Rúben Rodrigues (Toyota Yaris) finished the first stage of the Water Rally in the lead this Friday, in a journey marked by the abandonment of Armindo Araújo (Skoda Fabia) and the shocking accident of Hugo Lopes (Hyundai i20) in the shakedown. Accompanied by Rui Raimundo, Rúben Rodrigues completed the first four stages of the Water Rally, the fifth race of the Portuguese Rally Championship (CPR), in 20.38.4 minutes, with a 5.3 second advantage over Rafael Rego (Toyota Yaris), second placed, while Ricardo Teodósio (Citroën C3) occupies third place, at 16.1 seconds. The rally was marked even before the official start by the violent accident of Hugo Lopes and navigator Magda Oliveira, who left the road in a fast shakedown zone and collided with a wall that flanked the route. The Hyundai i20 N Rally2 was destroyed, but the pair emerged unharmed. Hugo Lopes was transported to the hospital for observation, without the accident causing any physical consequences to the pilot. The Hyundai Portugal team then lost the second car, when Gonçalo Henriques, seventh in the first qualifying, crashed during the second section. Armindo Araújo and Luís Ramalho, who had been the fastest in the shakedown, took the lead from the first stage and remained in command until the third stage. Towards the end of the Chaves stage, Armindo Araújo lost the back of his Skoda Fabia and fell into a ditch. Although the car was not damaged, the pair were unable to return to the road and were forced to abandon it. “We are obviously very disappointed that we are not able to continue fighting for victory and, consequently, we are no longer dependent on ourselves in the title discussion.”, lamented the Santo Tirso pilot. Armindo Araújo, seven-time national champion, admitted that the abandonment compromised CPR's accounts: “We know that we have clearly mortgaged our championship accounts, but we will continue to fight for victories in the final three races of the season.” After the retirement of Armindo Araújo and the two Hyundai drivers, the Toyotas took the first three places, but Pedro Almeida lost more than two minutes in the night super special, after becoming immobilized in a roundabout, falling in the classification. João Barros (Skoda Fabia) ended the day in fourth place, 28.9 seconds behind the leader, followed by Guilherme Meireles (Skoda Fabia), fifth, at 38.1. Among the two-wheel drive competitors, João Rodrigues (Peugeot 208 Rally4) leads while Guilherme Nunes (Peugeot 208 Rally6) leads the FPAK Júnior Team. The second and final stage takes place on Saturday, with six stages and a total of 61.41 timed kilometers. Post navigation Two Chinese Manufacturers in MXGP in 2027 Solberg is leader in Rally Chile after first stage