Triumph of the G-Force Team with Vasilyev and Novitskyi first and third, while a gearbox problem slows the Dutchman Van Merksteijn second. Larini first of the Italians in the FIA, Spinetti signs a double success in the national CSAI and Suzuki Challenge. In 2013 Tavella promises a super edition.
CAR The Italian Baja always speaks Russian, despite the defeat of the "Tsar" Boris Gadasin, forced to retire on Saturday due to a steering failure. However, his G-Force dominated the scene with the success of compatriots Vladimir Vasilyev and Vitalyi Yevtyekhov in 3: 47’13 ’’ and the third step of the podium won by the Ukrainians Bogdan Novitskyi and Iurii Kondratiev finished at 7’21 ’. A gearbox problem in yesterday's first lap on the Tagliamento river route (81 km) forced Dutchman Peter Van Merksteijn and Belgian Eddy Chevaillier (Toyota Hiluxoverdrive) to give up the lead, while retaining the place of honor with a gap of only 37 ''. Problems in the final also for the Finn Tony Gardmeister (Mitsubishi Pajero) who slipped to fifth place behind the immortal Jean Louis Schlesser (Original Buggy).
Good performance for the Romanian Costel Casuneanu (Mitsubishi) who managed to precede the official BMW standard bearer, Khalifa Al Mutaiwei with a Mini All4 Racing in difficulty crossing the fords on the Meduna and Tagliamento rivers. Eighth place for the Hungarian Zdenek Porizek in the powerful Toyota Hummer. Always first of the Italians in the three days of competition, Pierpaolo Larini (Mitsubishi L200) obtained the ninth place overall in 4: 02'40 '', 15'27 '' behind Vasilyev's record, while Riccardo Colombo, his teammate of Team Ralliart at the wheel of an identical L200, he finished eleventh and second in the Italian ranking. Without treble but still regular, the performance of Lorenzo Codecà (Suzuki Grand Vitara), the reigning champion who still has ambitions to win championships.
Positive results for the first off-road adventure of the rally driver Fabrizio Martinis paired with the expert Erica Pajer (Nissan Navara) who occupied a 15th place, which for a world race for the Italian ranking is a result to be framed. Double affirmation of Alberto Spinetti from Elba in the CSAI Trophy and Suzuki Challenge standings, paired with Lara Giusti in 4: 41'23 ''. The Paduan Massimo Cavinato on Nissan won in his category.
The RalliArt Off Road Italy Team conquers the classification of the Italian Cross Country Championship with Larini-Musacchia in 1st position and Colombo-Briani 2nd. In the overall standings of the World Championship, Larini is 9th, Colombo 11th, Borsoi is at the top of the T2 category. The organizer Mauro Tavella is very satisfied: Ours is confirmed as a truly world event, with 21 nations represented in this edition and competitors even from Brazil and the United States. Major sponsors supported our commitment and Raisport guaranteed television coverage during the three days of competition. For next year we will try to do super things to worthily celebrate the twentieth anniversary of the Italian Baja.
MOTORCYCLE The nineteenth edition of the historic Pordenone event has ended, once again it was a high-level event, kissed by the sun and only a few drops of rain on Sunday cleaned the slopes from dust. A test made particularly demanding by the passage in the deep fords in the Tagliamento and Meduna rivers with which the pilots had to take measurements.
Alberto Basso (Honda Crf 450 - Team OffRoad Motors) was the undisputed protagonist of this edition as well, taking home the third overall and class victory. This year the title was anything but obvious, built test after test, but obtained only at the end of the last special test. The Pordenone favorite dueled for three days with the very young Spaniard Oriol Escalé (HM Crf 450 - Scuderia Petromiralles) who finished second overall, also winning the Junior category. Oriol, trained in the fast Spanish Baja, surprised everyone by winning the prologue and always breaking away from the first by a few seconds with the victory of the first stage on Sunday which created even more anticipation for the results. Basso finished the race with a total time of 3: 37'22, Escalé only with a gap of 1'15.
Third place overall with a gap of 5’42 was signed by the very fast Pole Jakub Przygonski (KTM 450 - Orlem Team) who came to Italy with the aim of doing a good workout but instead convinced him to get on the podium; with the heavy desert bike, moreover, he recorded the highest peak speed between motorcycles and quads, a good 162 km / h reached on the narrow Friulian dirt roads; the 2011 Cross Country Rallies vice-champion left for Poland after the awards ceremony, loading the bike alone on his pick up, a true example of humility, passion and sportiness.
The fourth place overall went to Alex Zanotti (TM EN 450 - Team Racing) who, after breaking the rear brake on Saturday, had to deal with excessive tire wear on Sunday. The Sammarinese fought for two days with the Pole, but on Sunday, having repeated fourth place in both special stages, he had to abandon the longed-for podium.
The very fast Oscar Romero (KTM 525 - Scuderia Knightfrank Quadtro), winner of the Quad category, went fifth overall. The Spaniard also won on Sunday, the victory of both timed trials, dominating the four-wheeled motorcycle class with a sensational advantage. Romero is aiming for the 2013 Dakar goal, which will become concrete thanks to the support of the sponsors if he wins the 2012 Baja World Cup and certainly has started the season with maximum scores. He accumulated a total gap of 17.40 from the first bike, but said that in the Spanish races with more technical routes and slightly lower top speeds he often qualifies in front of the bikes. In sixth overall position another bike, that of Spanish Gilbert Escalé (second in the Junior classification) who has recently resumed racing after a stop of over a year caused by an injury that, probably, will soon return to climb the rankings as the twin brother Oriol. Seventh Manuel Lucchese (Husaberg Fe 570 - Team Husaberg Factory) but first in the Over 450 category, who also had to face too many unforeseen events on Sunday, having remained dry on the first stage and with a broken chain in the second. In eighth position overall, but second in the quad standings, the Russian Dmitry Pavolv (Honda Trx 700 - RRClub Russia), former car driver who came from far away Russia to face his first Italian Baja. Over the course of the three days he became an expert in wading the passages of the rivers that had knocked him out in the prologue (he got stuck in the prologue and he took a 15 minute penalty into the race).
Ninth overall the Spaniard Jose Luis Espinosa Garcia (Can Am Autlander 800 - Caballero Negro Team) climbed on the third step of the podium in the quad category and also winner of the quad four wheel drive class. Espinosa was supported by the communication of the Spanish trade magazine ATV Club and accompanied in Italy by the director of the magazine Chema Garcia. To close the overall ranking the quads of Russian Vadim Kuvshinov, Pavlov's teammate, the French Emmanuelle Clair riding the Yamaha Yfm 700 quad (Team Audemar - Yamaha France) which was awarded in the Women category, the motorcyclist Andrea Brunod who unfortunately on Sunday he broke the gearbox and was unable to race the second special, finally Alberto Prieto Ruiz (Yamaha Yfm 700 - Scuderia Knightfrank Quadtro). Out of the race due to technical failures the amateur Sebastiano Demurtas, the American Luis Henderson (Yamaha 450 - Team Pedrega) who still aims to participate in all the stages of the Baja World Cup and the Hungarian Zoltan Hangodi out of the race since Friday following the technical checks.
Press office Italian Baja
