After a frustrating first day in Montalegre that saw him miss out on the podium even though he seemed to have done most of the work to clinch pole position at the end of Q2, Tobias Daarbak made a perfect comeback in race 2, winning the first victory of his career in an authoritative manner.
Already a standout performer last season with six podiums and ten final appearances on his way to fourth overall in the championship, Daarbak seized the opportunity during this opening weekend to prove that his 2024 results were no fluke.
Having led the intermediate standings heading into Q3 on Saturday, Daarbak saw his pole snatched away at the last minute by Julien Meunier. But the Danish driver delivered a flawless response on Sunday.
Fired up and focused on redemption, Daarbak clocked the fastest times in both Q1 and Q3 of Race 2. That was enough to secure the best starting position on the grid—and he made it count, storming to victory with a 2.7-second margin over Meunier at the finish line.
With three qualifying race wins out of six over the weekend and three fastest laps—including the fastest time of the entire meeting in Race 2—Daarbak left little doubt about his level of performance.
It was the kind of rebound that brought visible relief after a tough start to the weekend.
“Today went so much better! I was really disappointed with how Saturday’s final turned out—I couldn’t execute the plan we had. But this time, I got a bit more luck. I stayed out of the mid-pack battles, avoided any trouble, and everything went perfectly,” said Daarbak.
Beyond the win itself, this marked a major personal milestone for the young Dane, adding a first career victory in Supercar Lites to a résumé he had already built up during his time in CrossCar.
“The whole weekend has been amazing. The team did a fantastic job getting the car perfectly dialled in, and to be able to deliver a win on top of that is such a great feeling. It’s my very first in Supercar Lites, so of course it means a lot.”
The celebrations were all the more special thanks to his younger brother, Kevin Daarbak, who also made headlines—clinching his first Supercar Lites podium in Race 1, followed by his first-ever qualifying heat win on Sunday.
“It’s been an incredible weekend, and I’m so happy for my brother too. Getting his first podium at this level is huge. To share moments like these together just makes it all even more meaningful.”
Now looking ahead to the next round of the RallyX calendar, which takes the field to Valkenswaard in the Netherlands, Daarbak remains grounded despite the strong start to his 2025 campaign.
“I have no prior experience at Valkenswaard, so we’ll just have to see how things go once we’re there. I’ll try to do my best, maybe watch some onboard footage from other drivers to prepare a bit. But one thing is for sure—we’re hoping to carry the momentum from Portugal into the next round.”