ARGOS ORESTIKO, GREECE – Dakar Rally veteran Benediktas Vanagas produced a commanding performance on the opening full stage of Baja Greece 2026, strengthening his position at the head of the FIA European Baja Cup after a demanding day that reshuffled the order across the FIA World and European Baja Cup field.
The Gurtam Toyota Gazoo Racing Baltics crew of Vanagas and co-driver Aisvydas Paliukėnas completed the 375 km selective section in 4h45m45.7s, establishing a clear overall lead after the first major test of the event.
Dutch pairing Mitchel Vandenbrink and Bart Van Heun impressed aboard their South Racing Can-Am Maverick R, finishing second overall and taking Challenger class honours, 3m26.6s behind the leading Toyota.
Third place went to Hamed Al Wahaibi and Maciej Giemza in the Daklapack RallySport Taurus EVO MAX. Despite receiving a 2m20s penalty, the Challenger crew retained the final provisional podium position, ending the day 11m30.4s adrift of Vanagas.
The SSV category was headed by Mansour Al Helei and Khalid Alkendi, whose Can-Am Maverick R finished fourth overall despite a 30-second penalty. They were followed by Hedda Hosas and Pol Tibau Roura, who remained within one minute after incurring a ten-second penalty.
Among the Ultimate contenders, Karel Trneny and Vaclav Pritzl guided their Ford F150 EVO+ to ninth overall, while Magdalena Zajac and Blazej Czekan completed the Ultimate top three in tenth with their Toyota Hilux.
Portuguese crew Fernando Barreiros and José Sá Pires enjoyed a solid opening day, taking the lead of the Stock (T2.1) category aboard their Isuzu D-Max while finishing 16th overall.
The stage also proved costly for several expected front-runners. Dania Akeel and co-driver Sebastien Delaunay were classified 18th after being credited with 12h15m00s, leaving them with a significant deficit heading into the final day.
With one stage remaining around Argos Orestiko, Vanagas carries a comfortable advantage into the closing leg, while the battles for the remaining podium places and class victories remain very much open.
Text: Rally-Raid Network
Photo: Gurtam Toyota Gazoo Racing Baltics // MCH
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