The Italian Baja started yesterday, the off-road race valid for the Fia international cross country Bajas, which between today and tomorrow will experience its most intense moments with the two stages, for a total of 400 km timed.
The prologue to Castello d'Aviano, with the superspecial "Golf Club' of 7.40 km, gave the first official rankings for cars and quads. Among the cars, best time for the Spanish crew composed of Marc Roura Blasquez and Manuel Navarro (Nissan Navara) in 5'20 '' 1, ahead of Slovakian Jozef and Marek Sykora (Mitsubishi Pajero), 1 '' 3 behind, and the Russians Boris Gadasin and Alexander Mironenko (Nissan Pick-up) at 2 '' 6 Definitely small margins for a short, but intense and spectacular super-special.
The best of the Italians was Lorenzo Codecà (Suzuki New Grand Vitara), tricolor 2005, sailed by Fabio Ferro, 7 '' 2 from the tread. The two Pordenone crews did very well, with Walter Ussai and Marco Mirabella (Toyota Rav4) tenths at 11''0 from Blasquez, and Angelo Montico-Andrea Turchet (Mitsubishi Pajero) eleventh at 11''4. In particular, Montico, Vivaro's Gascon giant, took the luxury of flying over a bump and greeting the public with his hand out the window.
Among the quads the fastest was Carmine Matarazzo with a time of 5'21''6, ahead of Silvio Corso by 1''8 (both on Suzuki Ltr 450) and by 5''9 Pierluigi Rovegno (Polaris Predator), who he was Italian auto tout terrain champion in '97
At the end of the sporting checks, 70 car crews and 22 quads left. In single file at the start a bit of understandable excitement for the competitors, to the point that Alessandro Fontanazzi, first at the start among the quads, was not even realizing that the descent from the platform was blocked by a barrier, removed just a moment before his angry snap. Some difficulties for Marc Roura Blasquez in arranging the driving position, while the Japanese Kenjiro Shinozuka, who arrived in the late morning, did not betray any emotion alongside the Cordenonese navigator Erika Pajer. Yesterday in addition to the prologue was held at the headquarters of the Dream village official presentation press conference.
Today the first stage with departure at 7.30 from the Dream village of Cordenons, logistics base of the race. The car competitors have to face three times the selective sector "Aviano " of 44.24 km (start at 8.05, 16.05 and 16.05) and twice the selective sector " Spilimbergo" (start at 9.25 and 13.25), while for quads there are only two passages on "Aviano "(start at 10.05 and 14.05) and' "Spilimbergo" (start at 11.25 and 15.25). Assistance, refueling and reorganization take place at the Basaldella di Vivaro sports field, where an information center has been set up with rankings and announcements on the progress of the race. The Italian Baja is also valid for the national trophy set up by Suzuki Italia, with at the start 9 crews that will stand alone. Yesterday at the Dream village there were the 2006 edition awards, which crowned Giorgio Fichera (Grand Vitara petrol) and Alessandro Bertuzzi (Grand Vitara diesel) as winners.
