Pordenone, 5 July 2024_ Question: “Could this be your great occasion?”. Answer: “Maybe, maybe”. Not to be mistaken with “mayday, mayday” and crossed fingers. Because in the off road challenges it’s always a “never say never” (copyright James Bond), full as they are of obstacles and traps during all the track. Yesterday at the Interporto, at the Italian Baja’s eve, Benediktas Vanagas, the Lithuanian that was already protagonist in Pordenone and that now shows up on a Toyota Hilux Gazoo Racing Baltics, was calm and relaxed with his crew. “Could be”, why not.
Without the Arabs dominating the scene with their talent and super vehicles, this time the best pilots of the old continent have new possibilities of greatness. Just to make it clear, two years ago Vanagas started off his prologue the best way, second behind Yazeed Alrajhi. Then an accident in the first long sector put him out of the ranking, still being able, in the other sectors, to achieve top timings. Cold comfort, since on the podium with the Saudi was Joao Ferreira. The Portuguese with the Mini John Cooper Works Rally X-raid will start today first in front of everyone in the prologue (start at 18), timed sector 12 km long from the bridge of Delizia to Valvadrom, quarry Mosole, that will give the first official ranking. Behind him connational Francisco Barreto on Toyota Hilux, then Vanagas followed by Polish Michal Maluszynski (other Mini). These are the four favored, but could add themselves to the list. All the pilots are at the steering wheel of T1 Plus vehicles, “Ultimate” in the Fia declaration, meaning the most powerful vehicles of the last generation.
For the other contestants it will be difficult to keep up, also for the Italians Andrea Schiumarini on a Century Racing Cr6 and Manuele Mengozzi, also with an Hilux Overdrive with which he won the Artugna Race. This year on the passenger seat of the driver from Romagna we’ll see a perky Mirko Brun. The co-driver from Cordenons finds another opportunity to show off the leading abilities that he refined with Amerigo Ventura. Back at the Italian Baja also the Turinese on a Yamaha Yxz 1000R with European Cup ambitions. The Side by Side Vehicles can fight for the overall. Two years ago, the third place in the ranking belonged to Brazilian Cristiano Batista De Sousa on a Can Am Maverick.
Italian Baja press office
