First Special at the Valvadrom and tonight the arrival in piazza XX Settembre. Here we are.
Today at 4.55pm the Super Special Stage will give the start to the 24th edition of the Italian Baja, sixth race of the FIA World Cup for Cross country rallies, second race of the Cross Country Rally Italian Championship, organized by the Fuoristrada Club 4x4 Pordenone led by Mauro Tavella.
This year’s competition is addressed only to cars and there are 74 crews, absolutely a record of entries for an Italian race, also comparing it to the rest of the World, where even the Dakar had to lose participants.
The race will definitely start in the afternoon with the 19,81 km "Memorial Azzaretti" Special, faced near the Valvadrom, by the Ponte della Delizia on the Tagliamento river (in Valvasone). Then the convoy will reach piazza XX Settembre in Pordenone, which will host the ceremony (20pm) to chose tomorrow’s first ten re-start position. Crews will defile along the Riviera del Pordenone, already closed to normal traffic because of the local festival "Festa del Nonsel". They will then be back to the Fair, the race Head Quarter.
Tomorrow the clou of the race. Crews will leave the Fair starting from 7.05am to reach Rauscedo for the start of the first Selective Sector, called “Cantina”: car number one will cross the starting line at 8am. From Domanins to the Valvadrom along an off road track of 91 km. Then at 12pm the second passage, at 4pm the third one. At 5.40pm participants will be once more in piazza XX Settembre for the greetings, before coming back to the Fair service area.
On Sunday at 8.30am, after leaving the Head Quarter from 7.35am, the second and last day of the race: drivers will dispute the Special Valvadrom 1, starting from the Valvadrom and arriving in Rauscedo after facing a 86 km track. Re-start at 12pm, then the Prize Giving Ceremony in piazza XX Settembre from 3pm.
Who will be the favored ones? As for the World Cup – considering the absence of the Championship leader who won last two Baja editions, Nasser Al-Attiyah, because of the contemporary Cyprus Rallly – for sure Mohammed Abu-Issa (Qatar), with his Mini All4Racing. Don’t forget the trio composed by the Pole Aron Domzal, Martin Kaczmarski (Toyota Hilux Overdrive) and Jakub Przygonski (Mini), and of course the Russian driver Boris Gadasin (G-Force), winner of the Baja in 2007, 2009 and 2011. As for the Italian Championship, everybody will keep an eye on the Spring Baja winner, Elvis Borsoi (Toyota Toyodell), the pluri-champion Lorenzo Codecà (Suzuki Gran Vitara) and the Side by Side vehicles of Amerigo Ventura and Mauro Trentin (the Italian rally pluri-champion), fighting for the Acisport Cup of the TM group.
Press Office Italian Baja
Carlo Ragogna
