Dakar 2024 stage 10 : Sherco achieves good results despite difficulties on stage 10.

The date of Sertões 2025 has changed. Originally scheduled for August 29 to September 7, the 33rd edition of the biggest rally in the Americas has been brought forward and will take place from July 26 to August 3.

The decision was taken by the race organizers after careful evaluation and planning. The aim is to align the date of the event with the world Rally Raid calendar, optimize logistics and offer better conditions for drivers, teams and the press.

Automatic translation of the Brazilian Portuguese version

{youtube}https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tTSNBx-raHc{/youtube}

• Just 8 days to go until the fifth and final round of the championship, the Rallye du Maroc, which will take place from 5 to 11 October. 60 of the 270 vehicles on the start list of the 25th edition of the Moroccan race are W2RC entrants. A 2,468 km trek, including 1,512 km of specials, awaits the field on the route from Marrakesh to Mengoub/Bouârfa via Zagora.
• 27 FIM competitors are set to go head to head in the W2RC, with 7 of them in the Rally GP class. The overall leader, Ross Branch (Hero MotoSports), is feeling the heat from the Monster Energy Honda riders Ricky Brabec and Adrien Van Beveren.
• In Rally 2, the title fight is on between Romain Dumontier (Honda), Bradley Cox (BAS World KTM Racing) and Konrad Dąbrowski (Duust Rally). 9 riders will line up in the category, and 8 in Rally 3. Meanwhile, 3 quads will be scrapping for the championship podium spots.
• 33 FIA W2RC crews are heading for Marrakesh. Among the 16 in the Ultimate class are the three title contenders: Nasser Al Attiyah (Dacia Sandriders), in his first outing in his new car, and the Hilux drivers Yazeed Al Rajhi (Overdrive Racing) and Lucas Moraes (Toyota Gazoo Racing).
• In the Challenger class, with 11 entries in the championship, Rokas Baciuška (Can-Am Factory) needs to keep Nicolás Cavigliasso at bay to claim the title. The tension is high in SSV, where 4 of the 6 contenders are still in the running for the crown.

Final showdown between Branch and Honda

As in 2023, the FIM Rally GP champion will be crowned in Morocco. Ross Branch is leading the standings thanks to his consistency (with top 5 finishes in every round), but he is under serious pressure from the Honda camp. Now only 9 points behind, Ricky Brabec has one goal: to win and hope that other riders wedge themselves between him and his rival. The same goes for Adrien Van Beveren, still mathematically in contention at 16 points from the Botswanan. Both the American and the Frenchman can count on their teammate Tosha Schareina, who has become a W2RC podium regular. However, the team boss, Ruben Faria, has already warned that there will be no team orders unless the title "is on the line"! Rounding out the Honda squad is Pablo Quintanilla. Over at Hero, Sebastian Bühler and Nacho Cornejo are reporting for duty to support Branch and help in the manufacturers' standings, where 22 points separate the two brands, with the Japanese manufacturer holding the advantage.

The Rally 2 championship is also wide open. Romain Dumontier is the favourite to defend his title after winning the Dakar and taking the spoils in Argentina… but Bradley Cox, the reigning champion in Morocco, is just 8 points behind! BAS World KTM Racing is coming in full force, with Michael Docherty, a potential race winner, racing alongside Mathieu Dovèze, who has been on the rise since winning stages at the Dakar, Tobias Ebster, victorious in Original by Motul, and the Czech rider Jiří Brož. His countryman Jan Brabec will also be on a KTM, but in Stojrent Racing colours. Over at Duust, Konrad Dąbrowski still has a shot at the title, trailing Dumontier by 23 points. Meanwhile, Jean-Loup Lepan is eyeing his third podium of the season.

John Medina (Xraids Experience) already has the Rally 3 title in the bag and wants to celebrate in style. He will need to overcome his teammate Alan Eduardo and the local hero Amine Echiguer, who came out on top in 2022! Last year's podium finishers, Richard Hodola and Souleymane Addahri (Africa Rallye Team), are out for revenge after missing out on the top step. The Moroccan Addahri is one of two ART selections, along with the Senegalese rider Fodé Traoré. The grid is rounded out by the Frenchman Emmanuel Beucher and the Ecuadorian Mauricio Cueva (Pedrega Team). In the quad category, all W2RC entrants are gunning for a spot on the overall podium. The champion, Manuel Andújar (7240), went out of the category with a bang, but the runner-up's spot is still up for grabs. Kamil Wiśniewski (Orlen Team) has been the best of the rest so far, but Hani Alnoumesi and Antanas Kanopkinas (CFMOTO Thunder Racing) are just 1 and 8 points behind him.

Al Attiyah faces off against Toyota in Dacia debut

The reigning two-time FIA W2RC champion, Nasser Al Attiyah, is going into the race as the overall leader and on familiar ground, holding the record for the most wins in Morocco (2014 through 2018 and 2021). Securing a third crown would be the perfect way to mark his debut with the Dacia Sandrider, which is making its first W2RC appearance. However, he will need to fend off the Toyota crews chasing him —Yazeed Al Rajhi is just 25 points behind, while Lucas Moraes trails by 53. The Saudi, who won here in 2023, is banking on the consistency of his set-up to tip the scales. The dark horses Seth Quintero (Toyota Gazoo Racing) and Juan Cruz Yacopini (Overdrive Racing) have also remained true to the Hilux. TGR are the favourites for the manufacturers' title thanks to their 30-point lead over Nasser Racing by Prodrive.

Al Attiyah is not the only one who will be sporting new colours in Morocco. Guerlain Chicherit, the winner of the 2022 edition, has swapped his Toyota for a Mini JCW Rally Plus from X-raid! The same goes for Guillaume de Mevius, who came in second in the Dakar earlier this season. The Quandt family's squad is rounded out by João Ferreira, who dominated the SSV class here a year ago. There will be two Fords on the grid, with the Czech Martin Prokop (Orlen Jipocar) and the rising Catalan star Pau Navarro (Past Racing). The Moroccan caravan will also feature Marcos Baumgart in the Prodrive Hunter (X Rally), Mathieu Serradori in his Century (SRT), Aliyyah Koloc in her Red-Lined (Buggyra ZM Racing) and the MD Optimus entries of Eugenio Amos and Jean-Luc Ceccaldi (MD Rallye Sport).

Just six specials stand between Rokas Baciuška and a historic first in the Challenger class. The Lithuanian winner of the last SSV championship is targeting an unprecedented double, and Nicolás Cavigliasso, 44 points back, is the last remaining obstacle. Marcelo Gastaldi and Dania Akeel will be hunting for the first win of the season for Team BBR. Mitch Guthrie (Red Bull Off-Road Junior) is taking his final bow in a Taurus before trading it for a Ford in the Ultimate class. This will be his first W2RC appearance since the Dakar, as for the entire Goczał clan —Eryk, Marek and Michał—, racing for Energylandia Rally Team! The cousins Mario and Rui Franco (Franco Sport) and the father-daughter duo consisting of Lionel and Lucie Baud (G Rally Team) are also ready for a family outing. Ricardo Porém (MMP) rounds out the list.

Nowhere is the suspense greater than in the SSV class, where 4 of the 6 W2RC crews in the race have still got a shot at the title! A run of bad luck in Portugal and Argentina forced Yasir Seaidan (MMP) to relinquish the overall lead to Sebastián Guayasamín (BE Racing). 6 points separate the two Can-Am drivers, with Ricardo Ramilo (Escuderia Ramilo-Rodamoto) 20 points behind the Ecuadorian. Rebecca Busi (OnlyFans Racing) is also in the mix at 41 points. Claude Fournier (MMP) and Enrico Gaspari in his Polaris (TH-Trucks) are no longer in contention, but they are still spoiling for a fight.

Source: W2RC / A.S.O.

Martim Ventura, on a Husqvarna, in the Motorcycles and João Vale on a Can-Am in the Quad were the big winners of the 36th edition of the Baja TT Sharish Gin after being the fastest in the 111 km of selective sector contested on the second day and lead the competition.

The final selective sector of this event, held on the tracks of Reguengos de Monsaraz and Mourão, saw Martim Ventura, on a Husqvarna, complete the course in 1h44m45s, finishing 1m29s ahead of António Maio, who was second fastest on a Yamaha. It was Tomás Dias, however, who finished the race in 2nd position. There was a 50s gap between the young Honda rider and the national champion. Martim Ventura also triumphed in the TT3 Class and among the Juniors, while António Maio won the TT2 Class. The next positions were taken by Micael Simão on a Gas Gas and Bruno Santos on a Husqvarna. Bernardo Megre on a Kawasaki finished in 6th place and won the TT1 Class.

Among the Quad riders, the selective sector saw young Rodrigo Alves, on a Yamaha, record the best time with a mark of 1h49m32s. Rodrigo Alves won the section with a 14-second lead over national champion Luis Fernandes, who was riding a Yamaha, allowing him to rise to second place by the narrow margin of 6.4s. 4th place for Tiago Teixeira on his debut in a Can-Am Renegade.

More information about the Baja TT Sharish Gin: www.sar-motorismo.com

Automatic translation of the Portuguese version available on www.todoterreno.pt
Source: SAR-Motorismo official press release
Photos: ImagensDesportivas.pt / Rally-Raid Network

   Image Gallery available here: https://www.imagensdesportivas.com/gallery-collection/BAJA-TT-SHARISH-2024/C0000U0vhYwOr.pQ    

The entry list for this year's Baja TT Sharish Gin Reguengos de Monsaraz- Mourão brings together a total of 226 riders, split between the Auto, Moto, Quad and SSV categories. There will be 56 car competitors in the FIA European Cup for Cross-Country Bajas, 33 in the AM 48 National Event of the Portuguese Cross-Country Championship, plus 53 riders in the Moto competition, 14 in the quad and 70 in the SSV category of the National Cross-Country Championship. The event, organized by the motoring section of Sociedade Artística Reguenguense, is also eligible for the FIM Europe Baja European Championship and is the first stage of the 2024 season.

João Ferreira leads European Bajas Cup

In the auto competition, Portuguese drivers and navigators are in a prominent position in the various classifications in which the FIA European Cup for Cross-Country Bajas is divided this year, leading nine of the eleven leaderboards. João Ferreira and Filipe Palmeiro are at the top of the absolute classification and the Ultimate Category, respectively, among drivers and navigators. They are followed in the absolute classification by Fernando Barreiros and João Dias. In the Ultimate Category they are second to Francisco Barreto, with Carlos Silva also in 2nd place among the drivers. In the Challenger Category, João Dias leads the drivers, followed by Alexandre Pinto. Among the navigators, the Portuguese occupy the top three places with João Filipe Miranda in 1st, followed by Pedro Ré and Bernardo Oliveira. In the Stock category, Fernando Barreiros and Rui António are already virtual champions. The Teams classification is also led by Portugal's Santag Racing.

João Ferreira

João Dias leads the Portuguese Championship

After four races, João Dias (Can-Am) leads the Portuguese Championship with a three-point advantage over João Ferreira (Mini), while João Ramos (Toyota Hilux) is in third place with seven points less. João Ferreira leads the Ultimate T1+ Category, followed by João Ramos. In the T1 Category, Lino Carapeta (Ford Ranger) is in 1st place, followed by Edgar Condenso (Ford Ranger). Eduardo Rodrigues and Tomás Gameiro, both in Toyota, occupy the first two positions in Category T2. In the T3 category, João Dias leads followed by Armindo Araújo, both in Can-Am. In T4, the first two positions are held by João Monteiro (Can-Am) and Gonçalo Guerreiro (Polaris). Among the T8s, the first position belongs to Johannes Senders (Toyota) followed by Joel Marrazes (Nissan). Finally, in the T9 class, Sérgio Morato and Miguel Teodoro, both in Nissan, are the top two finishers.

Duel T1+ vs T3?

The Baja TT Sharish Gin Reguengos de Monsaraz - Mourão has an excellent entry list and, as has been the case in several races this year, the T3 drivers also promise to fight for victory. Among the T1+ drivers, with João Ferreira taking the lead, Francisco Barreto, João Ramos and Alejandro Martins are also among the six T1+ drivers entered. In T3, with João Dias as the main protagonist, the entry list includes Tiago Reis, Miguel Barbosa and Adam Kus in Tauros, Alexandre Pinto, Armindo Araújo, Bernardo Sousa, Ricardo Teodósio and Pedro Carvalho in Can-Am and world leader Fernando Alvarez in G Rally.

One competition that promises to be very lively is the one involving the traditional T1s with so many different models. The Ford Ranger drivers leading the championship, Lino Carapeta and Edgar Condenso, will be joined by those driven by Nuno Madeira, Bruno Oliveira and José Rogeira. Returning to competition are Helder Oliveira in a Mini and Alexandre Ré in a VW Amarok. João Lourenço in a Mitsubishi, Alexandre Franco and César Sequeira in Mercedes are other drivers to watch out for.

Joao Dias

National Moto/Quad/SSV championship (CNTT) promises excitement on all fronts

For the 5th stage of the CNTT, a close fight is expected on two wheels between the 2023 Champion and Winner António Maio (Yamaha) and Martim Ventura (Husqvarna), the current Championship leader. Bruno Santos, who has had a memorable international season and has already taken three podiums in CNTT races this year, will be heading to the Alentejo to complete the Championship podium. Among the entrants, the participation of Tomás Dias and Gustavo Gaudêncio on Honda, Micael Simão on GasGas and the brothers Bernardo and David Megre on Kawasaki should be highlighted. Of particular note was the female participation of Sandra Brás on a Husqvarna in the Trail Class.

Among the Quad riders, João Vale, the 2023 winner and current CNTT leader, will be on a Can-Am and his main opponents will be Rodrigo Alves, who has won twice this season, and national champion Luís Fernandes, both on Yamaha.

In the super-competitive SSV category, the top four are separated by just seven points. Pedro Pinha is in the lead, followed by Pedro Santinho Mendes, Luís Cidade and Sérgio Baptista. Nelson Caxias, Helder Rodrigues, Roberto Borrego, Pedro Antunes, Lourenço Rosa, Pedro Grancha and Vasco Martins, all in Can-Am, are also potential candidates for victory. Of particular note is the debut at the age of 16 of the current Mini Baja champion, Domingos Cunha, who will be navigating for his father.

The Baja TT Sharish Gin Reguengos de Monsaraz - Mourão is also eligible for the three Yamaha, Polaris and Segway mono-brand trophies. Arnaldo Monteiro leads the Polaris Trophy and also the Stock Championship. Rafael Caseiro and Manuel Lopes lead the Stock and Open classes of the Yamaha Cup respectively. André Rodrigues is in 1st place in the Segway Trophy.

Bruno Santos

More information about the Baja TT Sharish Gin: www.sar-motorismo.com
Or on Sportity with the pass: SAR-BIKE or SAR-FIA or SAR-FPAK

Do you want to know the municipalities that will host this race?

• To know more about Mourão: https://guiarural.pt/index.php/destinos/evora/mourao.html
• To know more about Reguengos de Monsaraz:  https://guiarural.pt/index.php/destinos/evora/reguengos-de-monsaraz.html

Automatic translation of the Portuguese version available on www.todoterreno.pt
Source: SAR-Motorismo oficial pres release
Photos: ImagensDesportivas.pt / Rally-Raid Network

Race Map -  Due to some recent events, the organizers were forced to make some last minute changes, that could not be reflected on this map.

The FIM and Prime Stadium Eventos, promoters of the Paulo Duarte FIM EnduroGP World Championship, are pleased to announce the provisional championship schedule for 2025.

Expanding to eight rounds for the coming season, the championship will begin in early April and conclude in mid-October. From hard-packed terrain in Spain to the rocky forest tracks of Sweden and traditional enduro trails in both Wales and Germany, each of the eight venues have been carefully selected to ensure a well-rounded, high-calibre, world-class Paulo Duarte FIM EnduroGP World Championship.

After successfully opening the 2024 season, the GP of Portugal will once again have the honour of hosting the 2025 championship opener. One month later, round two will be the GP of Spain, with round three’s GP of Sweden at the end of May.

From there, it’s back to Romania for round four in late June. Six weeks later, the championship takes on the GP of Wales on August 1-3 for round five.

A busy end to the season will see the final three rounds take place across six weeks, beginning with the GP of France for round six on September 12-14.

The GP of Italy will host the penultimate round of the season on September 26-28, before concluding with round eight’s GP of Germany on October 17-19.

The 2025 FIM Enduro Women’s World Championship will provisionally take place across four rounds - GP of Portugal, GP of Wales, GP of France and GP of Germany.

2025 Paulo Duarte FIM EnduroGP World Championship Provisional Schedule
Round 1: GP of Portugal - 4-6 April
Round 2: GP of Spain - 2-4 May
Round 3: GP of Sweden - 23-25 May
Round 4: GP of Romania - 20-22 June
Round 5: GP of Wales - 1-3 August
Round 6: GP of France - 12-14 September
Round 7: GP of Italy - 26-28 September
Round 8: GP of Germany - 17-19 October

Source: FIM

AMMAN (JORDAN): Jordan Motorsport today (Friday) announced details of the Jordan Baja, the seventh and penultimate round of both the FIA World Baja Cup and the FIM Bajas World Cup and round three of the FIA Middle East Cup. The event will be based in Aqaba and runs from November 14th-16th.

The Hashemite Kingdom’s premier off-road event returns to the international calendar after a one-year absence and will again utilise stunning desert terrain in the world-renowned Wadi Rum in southern Jordan.

Competitors taking part in all three championships will face 566.46 competitive kilometres over two legs in a route of 775.31km laid on by rally officials under Chairman of the Organising Committee Zaid Balqez, Clerk of the Course Khaled Zakaria, his deputy Loai Marei and their experienced organising team. Omar Zarour will act as Clerk of the Course for the FIM event.

The Jordan Baja will be based at the Hyatt Regency Aqaba Ayla Resort and the start and finish will take place at the nearby Arab Revolt Plaza in the stunning city of Aqaba adjacent to the pristine waters of the Red Sea.

Scrutineering at the Aqaba Service Park and administrations checks at Rally HQ will take place on Wednesday, November 13th. The three-kilometre Prologue stage will then kick start the timed competition to determine the starting orders for the opening stage on Thursday (November 14th) afternoon from 14.07hrs (first FIM). The Prologue precedes the ceremonial start, commencing at 16.45hrs.

Event regulations have now been posted with entrants set to tackle a demanding stage of 349.14km through Wadi Rum on Friday (November 15th) - split into two sections of 243.00km and 106.14km - and a second stage of 214.32km on Saturday (November 16th).

The final timed test precedes the podium ceremony and prize giving at the Arab Revolt Plaza from 17.00hrs and the post-event press conference, starting at 18.00hrs.

“We are delighted to be back in the international FIA and FIM motor sporting calendars this year and are looking forward to the return of world-class cross-country rallying to Jordan,” said Zaid Balqez. “This particular area of southern Jordan is blessed with some of the most spectacular terrain on the planet and our competitors will be able to appreciate the beauty of the region. We continue to tweak and make improvements to our round of the FIA and FIM Bajas World Cups and I am sure that competitors coming here for the first time with be awestruck with some of the scenery we use for the Baja. This has been showcased frequently by numerous blockbuster Hollywood films, including The Martian, Aladdin, Dune and Star Wars.”

Following the unfortunate cancellation of the 2023 event, Saleh Al-Saif is the defending Jordan Baja champion, the Saudi having won the FIA event outright and the T3 (now Challenger) category in 2022 at the helm of his Can-Am Maverick X3 with co-driver Egor Okhotnikov. Kuwait’s Meshari Al-Thefiri teamed up with Frenchman François Cazalet to prevail in the T4 (now SSV) section in his Can-Am Maverick XRS Turbo RR.

The UAE’s Mohammed Al-Balooshi won the motorcycle section for a third time in succession and Saudi Arabia’s Abdulmajeed Al-Khulaifi won the quad category for the first time on his Yamaha Raptor.

Entries are now open and a closing date has been set for Wednesday, October 30th.

For further information, contact Jordan Motorsport, P.O. Box 143222, Bayader Wadi Seer, 11814, Amman, Jordan, Tel: +962 (6) 585 5190, Email: info@jordanbaja.com.

Source: Jordan Motorsport

• Just 30 days to go until the fifth and final round of the championship, the Rallye du Maroc, scheduled for 5 to 11 October. Only the quad title has already been decided.
• The Moroccan race, the traditional denouement of the season, will celebrate its silver jubilee and set the scene for the 100th timed challenge in the history of the W2RC.
• The imperial city of Marrakesh was the natural choice to host the celebrations. The prologue will be held just outside its ramparts, while the five stages will take place further afield, orbiting around two bivouacs.
• The caravan will spend two nights in Zagora and three in Mengoub-Bouârfa, in the Oriental region, in the north-eastern corner of Morocco.
• 2,468 kilometres, including 1,512 kilometres of specials, await the competitors. David Castera, who has served as the race director since 2018, continues to push into uncharted territory in the Sharifian Kingdom.
• This is a deliberate choice to guarantee a white-knuckle finish to the 2024 season, but it also serves up a preview of the 2025 championship, which will get under way in the Dakar on terrain similar to what the field will face in the last two stages.

The architect of the Rallye du Maroc, David Castera, does not shy away from comparisons with the Dakar. And why would he, especially this year, when the similarities between the rounds that bookend the W2RC season are more striking than ever? Featuring an XXL transfer on day one, five stages centred around bivouacs, a series of treks through the most expansive deserts in the country, separate courses for the cars and motorbikes in the dunes, and Saudi-style tracks at the end of the event, the Rallye du Maroc is a miniature version of the Dakar!

FOLLOWING THE TRACES OF THE CARAVANS

The international and happy-go-lucky city of Marrakesh is set to host the administrative and technical scrutineering on 4 and 5 October. The prologue, which will be held just outside its walls in the morning of 6 October, will stand out on more than one count.

On one hand, the roars of the FIM engines will fill the air before the muezzins sound the first of the five daily calls to prayer. Such an early start is required because the field will spend the afternoon travelling to Zagora. The 372 km journey will take them through the High Atlas over the famous Tizi n'Tichka (2,260 m) before plunging down to the palm groves of the Drâa Valley, as merchant caravans used to do in centuries past.

On the other hand, the FIA classes will be tackling their 100th W2RC timed challenge (adding up prologues and stages) since the inception of the championship in 2022. Victory here is going to have a special flavour. The FIM riders will be marking the same occasion on the next day.

Next on the menu will be two loop stages around Zagora. The Erg Chegaga dunes will obviously be on the programme, with separate courses to keep amateur riders safe from overtaking cars and, at the same time, spice up the challenge for the car drivers, who will have to do without the traces of the motorbikes, on which they so often rely.

It will also be a dress rehearsal for the pro riders, who will be racing with electronic roadbooks for the first time in history. The "tablet" will be mandatory for everyone, including Rally GP riders. This rule change could act as a catalyst for the emergence of the global hierarchy, with Ross Branch (Hero MotoSports) determined to keep Ricky Brabec and Adrien Van Beveren (Monster Energy Honda) at bay in the fight for the title.

HERE BE DRAGONS

Stage 3 will be a point-to-point special through the dunes of Merzouga. Once again, the FIM and FIA classes will race on separate courses. The area around Mengoub and Bouârfa, about 200 km north-east of Erfoud, on the edge of the Rekkam Plateau, will host the second bivouac in the great outdoors. "Building this part of the race around bivouacs solves the accommodation problem and allows us to focus on the sporting side", as David Castera put it when he unveiled the route. The race will venture into the most sparsely populated areas of Oriental, the region that will set the scene for stages 4 and 5, whose geography is perfect for navigational challenges. The mastermind behind the route promises two "Dakar-style" stages to wrap up the rally. Very much like in Saudi Arabia, traces on this terrain are few and far between.

The 2024 roadbook, crafted by the Argentinian Pablo Eli, is faithful to the philosophy of the previous edition, rewarding entrants who can analyse the landscape and anticipate notes. In other words, flair will count for more than raw skill. There will be no psychological respite until the finish. Even the last special of the championship will be no walk in the park. At about 270 km, it will be roughly as long as stage 1 (versus an average of 320 km for the other three stages). Expect the unexpected all the way to the finish line, which will be set up in the heart of the bivouac so that the entire caravan can live this action-packed moment together.

The six-time Rallye du Maroc champion and record holder for most victories, Nasser Al Attiyah, will try and sew up the car title on his first outing in his new Dacia Sandrider. However, the reigning champion in Morocco, Yazeed Al Rajhi (Overdrive Racing), and the rising star Lucas Moraes (Toyota Gazoo Racing), who will be making his debut in this race, are determined to defy the odds.

The definitive start list, which will be unveiled on 26 September, will provide a sneak peek of the soon-to-be revealed W2RC season 4… The next few weeks will be packed with surprises!

Schedule

• • 20 September: closing date for entries
• • 26 September: publication of the entry list
• • 2 October at 2 pm: opening of the service park (Marrakesh Stadium)
• • 3 October from 4 to 8 pm: opening of the press room and accreditation
• • 4 October

9 am to 8 pm: opening of the press room and accreditation
12 to 7 pm: administrative scrutineering
1 to 8 pm: technical scrutineering
8 pm: general briefing

• 5 October:

8 am to 3:30 pm: FIA administrative scrutineering
8 am to 6 pm: FIM administrative scrutineering
9 am to 8 pm: opening of the press room
6:20 pm: press conference

• 6 October: prologue:

TBA: prologue in Marrakesh (road section: 49 km / special: 25 km / total: 74 km)
12 to 9 pm: opening of the press room (Zagora bivouac)

• 7 October: stage 1

Zagora–Zagora (road section: 228 km / special: 268 km / total: 496 km)

• 8 October: stage 2

Zagora–Zagora (road section: 158 km / special: 317 km / total: 475 km)

• 9 October: stage 3

Zagora–Mengoub-Bouârfa (road section: 358 km / special: 318 km / total: 676 km)

• 10 October: stage 4

Mengoub-Bouârfa–Mengoub-Bouârfa (road section: 61 km / special: 312 km / total: 373 km)

• 11 October: stage 5

Mengoub-Bouârfa–Mengoub-Bouârfa (road section: 102 km / special: 272 km / total: 374 km)

Local time: GMT+1

Source: W2RC / A.S.O.
Photo: © A.S.O/DPPI  // A.S.O/DPPI/F.Le Floc'h

There are only a few days to go until the 2024 Baja TT Sharish Gin, which will once again take place in the municipalities of Reguengos de Monsaraz and Mourão, in the Alentejo region of Portugal, around the Alqueva dam - the largest artificial lake in Europe, and with Spain right next door.

The race organized by SAR-Motorismo will once again be valid for the Portuguese championships in all categories, in this case the CPTT promoted by FPAK and valid for FIA Compliant Cars and SSVs, and the CNTT, for motorcycles, quads and Non-FIA SSVs. But as a bonus, the race in the Alentejo will also be valid for the FIA European Baja Cup and the FIM European Baja Cup, as well as for the Terras do Grande Lago de Alqueva Trophy, a competition that brings together Portuguese and Spanish races.

True to its traditions, the 2024 edition of this emblematic Portuguese race will once again take competitors through the demanding but also very fun tracks that wind through the region's plains and hills, crossing Mediterranean forest, olive groves, vineyards, and farms.

At the time of the publication of this short text, the weather throughout the country has remained extremely dry for a very long time, so if nothing changes in the next few weeks, the competitors will face tough, very dry and dusty tracks, which could pose some problems. The chance of rain is very low, but if it does appear, it will bring a whole new set of difficulties, including a very slippery, treacherous, and muddy surface. The ideal situation would be for it to rain a little, just to remove the dust, especially at some of the most critical points on the route.

The program for the FIA\FPAK race differs a little from the one for the FIM\FMP race, but in essence it's almost the same Thursday September 19, is reserved for the usual formalities that precede the races. On Friday the 20th, things get a quite a bit more serious, with a prologue in the vicinity of Mourão, which is actually almost a “mini-special” with around 30 kilometers planned. On the following Saturday, the action resumes in Mourão, to end 190 kilometers later near Reguengos de Monsaraz, on the right bank of the Alqueva Dam. Sunday, the 22nd, is where we'll find the difference between the Auto and Moto programs. The same track as the previous day will be repeated, but the FIM/FMP race, which will start first, will only have to cover 160 of the 190 kilometers of track, while the FIA/FPAK competitors will have to cover the entire distance.

If you want to get to know Reguengos de Monsaraz a little better, click here and visit our Guia Rural website.  If you wish to know a bit more about Mourão, then check out this page. 

A vast image gallery will be available on our portal www.imagensdesportivas.com after the race.  Participants could contact us to request their photos sooner.

Rally-Raid Network
Photo: ImagensDesportivas / Rally-Raid Network