European Baja Cup kicks off with attrition-heavy Baja TT Dehesa Extremadura – The Checkered Flag

After narrowly missing out on the BP Ultimate Rally-Raid win in April, João Ferreira began the 2024 FIA European Baja Cup strong as he survived a brutal Baja TT Dehesa Extremadura that eliminated much of the field.

Only twenty-seven of the forty-one FIA cars finished the race, including just half of the fourteen in Ultimate alongside Ferreira, as the rest were eliminated by mechanical failures brought upon by the punishing Spanish terrain. This was particularly evident during the Prologue, where the final thirty kilometres ran through a training range on Base General Menacho de Bótoa that is used by the Spanish Army for tanks. Increased rainfall in recent days added to the conditions, creating a bumpy course riddled with holes that caked everyone in mud and basically doubled as a suspension test. Benediktas Vanagas, a member of the Lithuanian National Defence Volunteer Forces, quipped it was the “most interesting speed section” he had ever raced and that while “Abrams and Leopards feel good (driving this), off-road vehicles have a hard time though this is not the case for the Toyota GR DKR Hilux.”

Vanagas may have had high praise for the tank polygon, but his Hilux did not make it through unscathed either as his right-front wheel rim broke after hitting a rock three kilometres from the finish; he ended up as one of the seven Ultimate retirements when his engine expired in the final stage. João Ramos, another favourite in the class, bowed out after going off course and losing too much time in the overall, while Edgar Canet was the top bike in the Prologue but a mechanical failure knocked him out. Eduard Pons did not start the race due to health reasons.

Ramos’ retirement propelled Ferreira into the overall lead ahead of Francisco Barreto, and the 2022 European Baja champion kept Barreto at bay for the victory. Maria Luís Gameiro finished third to secure two podium spots for Mini.

“The first stage was really demanding for ourselves and for the car. The terrain was very hard,” said Ferreira. “This last stage was fast and very enjoyable to drive, some tricky in some parts, very narrow and twisty.”

With their overall win, Ferreira and co-driver Filipe Palmeiro are the first ever European Cup Ultimate points leaders. The FIA added trophies for Ultimate across the three Baja Cups, as well as category-specific co-driver trophies for all four divisions, ahead of Extremadura. Prior to this, Ultimate drivers could only go for the all-class Baja title.

Rui Carneiro edged out Alexandre Pinto for the Challenger win by just nine seconds, while Armindo Araújo rounded out the podium in Santag Racing‘s début race in an OT3 from GRallyTeam. Araújo beat Pau Navarro for third in the European Cup as well as the T3 win in the Spanish Cross-Country Rally Championship (CERTT). Navarro, Racing a Demon Car DT3, notched the maiden rally podium for GRS Team, a junior single-seater team and newcomer to off-road Racing; team boss Josep Trinidad finished eighth in CERTT T4 (equivalent to the FIA’s SSV class) after receiving an early penalty.

After having to call off their 2024 Dakar Rally plans due to a non-compliant Polaris RZR Pro R, Kamena Rally Team got the car certified in time for Extremadura to take the SSV victory with Tomasz Białkowski. It was their second win in an international Baja after claiming the class in the 2022 Extremadura event.

Carlos Vento was disqualified after exiting the second Selective Section to repair his car at a nearby house before rejoining. Vento had been looking for a flat location to work on the vehicle, but doing so was in blatant violation of Article 49.1.7 of FIA regulations (“Servicing in a closed and/or private place is not authorised. If a vehicle is serviced inside a closed tent, the Clerk of the Course must be informed and any official of the event must be allowed to enter the tent at any time.”).

Bruno Santos, fresh off dominating the BP Ultimate Rally-Raid in the Rally2 class, continued his winning ways by topping the FIM Bajas World Cup side. He beat David Megre by seven minutes and Pedro Bianchi Prata, the latter third in Rally3 in Portugal, by half an hour.

FIM points leader Mohammed Al-Balooshi, who won the season-opening Saudi Baja in February, struggled with navigation troubles that included a roadbook error. His bike eventually gave up in the final run, prompting fellow rider Pedro Pinheiro to tow him to the finish in twelfth.

Like the BP Ultimate Rally-Raid, Extremadura takes place on the Iberian Peninsula and crosses between Spain and Ferreira’s native Portugal; both races also crossed through the Spanish city of Badajoz. Otherwise, the former is organised by the Automóvel Club de Portugal while Spain’s Real Federación Española de Automovilismo oversees the Baja.

Overall results

FIA

Ultimate

Challenger

SSV

Stock

FIM

Bike

Quad

CERTT winners