In the Baja World Cup, after 179km, Brazilians defeated the current Dakar champions for 30s
This time it was no surprise. On board a Toyota GR DKR Hilux T1+ from the Belgian team Overdrive, the Brazilian duo Lucas Moraes and Kaíque Bentivoglio was the sensation of the first of the two days of the Baja España Aragón, a test valid for the fourth stage of the World Rally Cross-Country Championship. Still seen as a newcomer among the great stars of the sport, the duo, which is also the current bicampion of the Sertões Rally, completed the 179km of the first day in 2h07min47s5. The highlight of the day was the duel of the Brazilians against the duo formed by the Catalan Nasser Al-Attiyah and the French Mathieu Baumel, winners of the last two editions of the legendary Dakar Rally. Moraes and Bentivoglio surpassed the favorite duo for 30 seconds after the 179km race between Bañon and Cuevas Labradas, in northeastern Spain.
Moraes and Bentivoglio competed with Baja Aragón for the first time in 2022, when they finished in an excellent third place and were considered the great surprise of the traditional race, which now reaches its 39th edition. Therefore, the specialized press already considered the Brazilians as candidates for a good result, in a race that has icons of the sport, such as the Spanish Nani Roma (two titles of the Dakar, one in cars and one in motorcycles), the French Stephane Peterhansel (14 titles, six in a motorcycle and eight in a car) and the Spaniard Carlos Sainz (three car titles). Roma, sixth, runs the Ford Ranger T1+, with the last two – Peterhansel (9th) and Sainz (11th) – aboard the Audi-made Sport RS Q e-tron. In total, in addition to the 2022 and 2023 titles, Nasser has three more Dakar victories on his curriculum.
“They are my idols” – “Finishing a stage in front of them even sounds like something of a dream. Those you never want to end up with. These guys, all of them, are my idols!” compared Lucas Moraes, who was also highlighted in the last edition of the Dakar, with a third place alongside German navigator Timo Gottschalk. “We had to speed up everything we had to get that result today. In the end, we knew that Nasser and Mathieu were on our side. It was like having a lion running after you. You don’t hesitate and give your best to win this race,” Moraes joked, who, along with Bentivoglio, has the support of Red Bull, Toyota Gazoo Racing, SpeedMax, Strava and Zapalla in his 2023 campaign.
The time today adds to the result of the Prologue (short test to define the start order) played yesterday, when the Brazilians were badly damaged by a slow car on the track, ending in 12th place, with a disadvantage of 11s9 for the winner of that practice. In the sum of two days, Moraes and Bentivoglio are 21s2 in the overall leadership of Baja España Aragón, ahead of the current Dakar champions.
This Saturday, the Baja de Aragón enters its last day, with two specials. The first is scheduled for 7:30 local time, on a 155 km stretch between Bañon and Celadas. The third special of the event is scheduled to start at 12:19 local time, with 171 km between Monreal and Gea.
Automatic translation from the original Brazilian Portuguese version
Source: Lucas Moraes / Best PR
Photo: Marian Chytka / Red Bull Content Pool
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