The 12th Baja Greece joined the FIA European Cup for Cross-Country Bajas in 2022 and it takes its place as the third round of both the FIA World and European Baja Cups this weekend (May 29th-June 1st).

This year’s event has attracted a 19-car field with nine crews registered for the FIA World Baja Cup and a similar number competing for FIA European Baja Cup points. Austrian Toyota driver Mark Mustermann is not registered for either championship.

The Greek event is one of the most demanding Bajas in Europe, reaching high altitude in the mountainous Vitsi area of western Macedonia using twisty mountain tracks, dense beech forests and fast roads across a plateau.

With Overdrive Racing’s Juan Cruz Yacopini and Sergei Remennik both missing this round of the FIA World Cup, the door is open for third-placed Miroslav Zapletal to make championship progress with his Slovakian co-driver Marek Sykora. The Czech drives his self-built Ford F-150 Evo and trails the Jordan Baja-winning Yacopini by 31 points and Remennik by just three.

Dakar winner Yazeed Al-Rajhi won the opening round in Saudi Arabia but a nasty accident in Jordan leaves the Riyadh driver and his co-driver Tino Gottschalk on the sidelines recovering from back injuries.

Last year’s Jordan Baja winner Khalid Al-Jafla has made the trip to northern Greece in his Taurus T3 Max. The Emirati is fourth in the Drivers’ Championship, 20 points behind Zapletal, and he holds second in the Challenger section behind Remennik.

Great Britain’s Paul Severn leads the SSV category by 32 points in his Polaris RXR Pro R Sport and will be aiming to defend his lead against a quartet of South Racing Can-Ams. Saudi Maha Al-Hamali is his closest title challenger after two rounds and is joined by a returning Diego Martinez, Italy’s Eugenio Amos and Dutchman Michael Van Der Brink.

Former WRC and MERC veteran Hamed Al-Wahaibi returns to fly the Omani flag in an RX Sport Can-Am Maverick R and Quaddy Racing’s Amerigo Ventura (Yamaha) round off the FIA World Baja Cup entrants.

Saudi Majed Al-Thunayyan won the Stock category at the opening two rounds but misses this event in favour on an appearance in a Jordan national rally at the Dead Sea.

Poland’s Wajzer and Gorecki aim to defend FIA European Baja Cup lead

After two rounds of the FIA European Baja Cup in western Spain and Turkey, Bartholmiej Wajzer has moved into a 50-point lead with his navigator Ernest Gorecki.

The Polish driver finished second overall in Turkey in his Toyota Land Cruiser KDJ and is also the dominant force in the Stock section for series production cross-country machines.

Portugal’s Joao Ferreira is the defending European Baja champion but missed round two to compete in the W2RC in South Africa and is not present in Greece either. He is the Pole’s closest challenger with Baja Troia Turkey winner Yağiz Birinci three points adrift in third place.

Poland’s Magdalena Zając holds sixth in the Drivers’ Championship and is present in her Proxcars TME Rally Team Toyota. Wajzer and Birinci are the early leaders of the Master and Junior Driver categories.

Spaniard Miguel Angel Valero leads the Challenger section by 19 points from Hungary’s Csucsu, while Birinci has a seven-point cushion over round one winner Afonso Oliveira in the SSV class.

Further competition in the European section of the field comes from the Portuguese pairing of Tiago Reis and Paulo Fiuza in their Taurus T3 Max, the three Hungarian drivers - Lorinc Meszaros (OT3), Csucsu (Herrador Insane X3) and Balasz Molnar (Can-Am) - and Murat Kapanoğlu, who tackled the recent Baja Trois Turkey under a North Macedonian competition licence in his Can-Am.

The event is being organised by the Attica Motorsport Club, in conjunction with the Greek Automobile Club West Attica and the Hellenic Ministry of Culture and Sport. It is based out of the western Macedonian town of Argos Orestiko in the north of the country. In a route of 852.60km, 596.38km will be timed against the clock.

Competitors will tackle a 6.08km Prologue on Friday, May 30th and then two stages, repeated twice, on Saturday and Sunday.

Saturday’s itinerary comprises two runs through a stage of 166.59km between Leyki and NeosIkismos. Two runs through the 116.40km Kranionas stage, split by a second run through the short Prologue acting as a spectator stage, brings the action to a close.

12th Baja Greece– entry list:

200. Miroslav Zapletal (CZE)/Marek Sykora (SVK)                                                     Ford F-150 Evo*

201. Mark Mustermann (AUT)/Michael Zajc (AUT)                                 Toyota Hilux

202. Magdalena Zając (POL)/Błażek Czekan (POL)                                   Toyota Hilux+                                             

300. Khalid Al-Jafla (UAE)/Andrei Rudnitskiy (LTU)                                  Taurus T3 Max*

301. Tiago Reis (POR)/Paulo Fiuza (POR)                                                   Taurus T3 Max+

302. Miguel Angel Valero (ESP)/Carlos Moreno (ESP)                             VN Competition T34+

303. Lorinc Meszaros (HUN)/Albert Horn (HUN)                                      G Rally Team OT3+

304. Csucsu (HUN)/Márk Mesterházi (HUN)                                             Herrator Insane X3+

400. Paul Severn (GBR)/Max Delfino (FRA)                                               Polaris RXR Pro R Sport*

401. Maha Al-Hamali (KSA)/Michael Metge (FRA)                                                    Can-Am Maverick XRS Turbo RR*

402. Hamed Al-Wahaibi (OMA)/Ilka Minor (AUT)                                    Can-Am Maverick R*

403. Diego Martinez (ARG)/Sergio Lafuente (URY)                                  Can-Am Maverick XS Tubo RR*

404. Eugenio Amos (ITA)/Paolo Ceci (ITA)                                                 Can-Am Maverick XS Tubo RR*

405. Balasz Molnar (HUN)/Gabriella Molnar (HUN)                                Can-Am Maverick R+

406. Amerigo Ventura (ITA)/Erika Mingozzi (ITA)                                    Yamaha YXZ 1000R*

407. Michael Van Der Brink (NED)/Bart Van Heun (NED)                       Can-Am Maverick XS Tubo RR*

408. Yağiz Birinci (TUR)/Ugur Tepe (TUR)                                                  Can-Am Maverick XRS Turbo RR+          

410. Murat Kapanoğlu (MKD)/Alexsandar Trendafílov (MKD)              Can-Am Maverick XRS Turbo RR+          

500. Barthomiej Wajzer (POL)/Ernest Górecki (POL)                               Toyota Land Cruiser KDJ+                       

*denotes registered for FIA World Baja Cup

+denotes registered for FIA European Baja Cup

Timetable of events

Thursday, May 29

Administration checks                                                             11.00-19.30hrs, Rally HQ

Scrutineering checks                                                                12.00-20.30hrs, Rally HQ

Friday, May 30

Shakedown                                                                                   08.30-12.30hrs

Pre-event press conference, Service Park                       14.20-15.00hrs

Prologue (Airfield), 6.08km                                                    17.45hrs - first car

Ceremonial start, Argos Orestiko Square                         20.30hrs onwards

Saturday, May 31

SS1 (Leyki I – 166.59km)                                                          08.20hrs – first car

SS2 (Leyki II – 166.59km)                                                         14.55hrs – first car

Sunday, June 1

SS3 (Kranionas I – 116.40km)                                               08.35hrs – first car

SS4 (Airfield – 6.08km)                                                            13.41hrs – first car

SS5 (Kranionas II – 116.40km)                                              14.41hrs – first car

Podium ceremony, Argos Orestiko Square                     18.16hrs

Post-event press conference, Argos Orestiko Square 20.30hrs