Dakar Rally legend Benediktas Vanagas and his co-driver Aisvydas Paliukėnas look to get their European campaign back on track in the mountains of Greece this week. Following a disappointing points haul at the season opener in Spain, the Gurtam Toyota Gazoo Racing Baltics team enters the longest event on the FIA European Baja Cup calendar.
The Championship Math
The 2026 European campaign is a tactical chess match. While the calendar spans eight rounds, only six selected stages count toward the final standings. After failing to secure projected points at Baja TT Cuenca, Vanagas knows the pressure is firmly on his shoulders.
"In terms of points, I am not happy with what we brought back from Spain," Vanagas, Baltic's highest-ranked driver in the Dakar Ultimate category, admitted. "The price of responsibility in Greece is now even higher. But this is a technical sport. Sometimes you are at the mercy of the machinery."
The Ultimate Endurance Test
Baja Greece (June 4-7) presents a brutal physical challenge. The event features 600 kilometers of competitive special stages and a total route approaching 850 kilometers.
It officially ranks as the longest and most grueling round on both the World and European Baja calendars this year.
The elements will test both man and machine to the absolute limit. The Terrain is punishing: technical tracks cutting through the treacherous Vitsi and Grammos mountain ranges, featuring massive elevation shifts.
This marks Vanagas' second appearance in Greece. In 2023, he entered the race with Estonian navigator Kuldar Sikk, at that time the region was battered by unseasonable torrential rain. This year, they face the opposite extreme – heat waves.
The Co-Driver's Altitude Test
The relentless terrain places an immense burden on co-driver Aisvydas Paliukėnas. This marks his first European outing in high-altitude mountain topography. Success will demand flawless execution. Extreme altitude changes and rapid-fire corners require the road book to be read with split-second precision.
FIA European Baja Cup
Baja Greece kicks off on Friday, June 5. The winners will be crowned on Sunday, June 7.
The Gurtam Toyota Gazoo Racing Baltics crew will field their Toyota GR DKR Hilux EVO T1+ Ultimate. They take to the start line race number 203.
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