The Algarve is about to receive one of oldest and prestigious cross-country events in Portugal, the Baja Loulé. Happening now on May 27th and 28th, it will take place mostly on the slopes of the Caldeirão mountain range, with a mix of wide open roads, creeks crossings, trial-like bits, stony trails and roads already passed by the WRC.

It’s an event eligible for both cross-country national championships under both car and motorcycle ASN’s, with around 150 competitors scheduled to compete, amid cars, bikes, quads and SxS. To remind that this is the sole event where a T3/T3 already won overall in Portugal (in 2021 with Alexandre Ré/Francisco Espero on a Can-Am) a huge duel between these nippy machines and the mighty T1+ cars, as well other competitive T1 machinery such as the Ford Ranger’s of Francisco Barreto, Nuno Madeira or Lino Carapeta.

On bikes, multichampion António Maio is the man to beat, with opposition coming mostly from last year’s winner Micael Simão or young stalwart Martim Ventura. Quads are seeing the return of champion (and last year winner ) João Vale after injury take non the first Baja of the year. SxS it’s always an extremely competitive field, with names like Roberto Borrego, João Monteiro or Luís Cidade, to name a few, to be clear contenders.

You can follow up all the action that is taking place on Clube Automóvel do Algarve’s social media in Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. This event has the support of the municipalities of Loulé, Alcoutim, Tavira, São Brás de Alportel and Almodovar as well of Medronhito do Caldeirão. This is also an Algar’s rated Ecoevent, with a full environmental plan scheduled to reduce the impact of the event on its surroundings.

Source Baja de Loulé / Clube Automóvel do Algarve
Photo: Rally-Raid Network / Imagens Desportivas