Injurious Nation – Fight for the inaugural Baja title goes to the wire in Portugal

After seven events across Europe and the Center East, the fight for the FIA World Cup for Injurious Nation Bajas title reaches its climax on Baja Portalegre 500 (24-26 October). The three-plot fight may presumably well barely be closer with the crews split by factual three substances as they head into the 33rd edition of the tournament and final round of this year’s series.

Vladimir Vasilyev and Konstantin Zhiltsov head the standings on 112 substances, the Russians benefitting from consistency one day of the season. Despite not taking a prefer up to now, the 2014 winners of the beforehand mixed rally and baja series obtain been on the rostrum on 5 of the seven events and by no components birth air the quit 5. They would maybe presumably lead the crews over the birth ramp of their Toyota Hilux Overdrive.

Orlando Terranova and Ronnie Graue are a mere one point adrift after claiming three victories and a second space from the 5 events they obtain got contested. MINI John Cooper Works Rally team-mates Jakub Przygoński and Timo Gottschalk lay third in the standings, the Polish/German pairing two substances additional at the again of. After trailing their rivals, victory on the inaugural Jordan Baja in September keep them correct again in the title fight and Przygoński, who holds the recent mixed rally and baja title, can be looking out to actual his third prefer of the season to doubtlessly eradicate a title for the second consecutive year.

Within the again of the title contenders, Nani Roma is rarely any stranger to the quit step of the Portuguese podium, the Spaniard – co-pushed by Alex Haro final year – successful the tournament outright. This year he teams up with Dani Oliveras and he’s going to be making his second defective nation day out of the season in the recent Borgward whereby he’s going to contest the Dakar. A second Borgward will moreover be out on the phases in the fingers of Ricardo Porém, the Portuguese a four-time winner of the tournament between 2014 and 2017.

Paulo Rui Ferreira and Jorge Monteiro completed a gorgeous third on their residence tournament final year and the fight for nationwide honours is doubtless to involve them and the 2018 Off Motorway Champions João Ramos/Victor Jesus, both in Toyota Hilux machinery. Nuno Matos/Joel Lutas and Miguel Barbosa/Pedro Velosa are two more high seeded nationwide entries in the FIA category, Barbosa himself a three-time tournament winner.

The T3 Trophy for Drivers will moreover be fought out on the Portuguese phases. Fedor Vorobyev heads the category by 22 substances over Italy’s Michele Cinotto, courtesy of 4 victories in his Can-Am Maverick X3 this year. Cinotto need to prefer to obtain any chance of taking the Trophy. Nine crews obtain entered in T2, alternatively the title has already provisionally been secured by Aldis Vilcans, the Latvian successful when closest rival Claudiu Barbu became as soon as forced to retire on the final part in Jordan. 

PROVISIONAL RALLY DATA

BAJA PORTALEGRE 500 – TIMETABLE & MEDIA OPPORTUNITIES