Krzysztof Hołowczyc and co-driver Łukasz Kurzeja (MINI JCW Rally 3.0i) claimed their 10th victory at Columna Medica Baja Poland, dominating the 17th edition of the country’s biggest off-road rally and the 7th round of the FIA European Cup for Baja Rallies. The Polish legend was joined on the international podium by fellow countrymen Włodzimierz Grajek/Michał Goleniewski (Toyota Hilux) and Michał/Julita Małuszyński (MINI JCW Rally 3.0i).
This year’s Baja Poland covered 611 km, including nearly 352 km of timed stages. The action kicked off Friday in Szczecin with a prologue where Lithuanian duo Aivaras Kavaliauskas/Mykolas Paulavicius (Can-Am Maverick X3) shocked the field by beating Hołowczyc. But once the rally moved to the Drawsko Training Ground on Saturday, “Hołek” set the pace, winning both 150 km runs despite a minor incident with a tree. By Sunday’s finale near Wołczkowo, the Olsztyn driver sealed a clean sweep of stage wins and a margin of almost 16 minutes.
Behind him, Grajek held second overall, while the Małuszyńskis fought back from a broken driveshaft to secure third. Hołowczyc also topped the Polish Championship (RMPST) standings, with Grajek and Małuszyński again completing the podium.
There was plenty of drama in the classes: Adam Kuś/Dmytro Tsyro (Taurus T3 Maxx) dominated Challenger, Hungarians Balazs and Gabriella Molnar (Can-Am Maverick R) took SSV honors, and Bartłomiej Wajzer/Ernest Górecki (Toyota Land Cruiser) clinched the Stock European Cup title. Among bikes, Kamil Piątek (GasGas ECF) was fastest in the Polish Baja Championship, while Marek Halamunda (Honda CRF 450RX) and Tymon Baszczyński (Polaris Scrambler) led the Baja Rally Cup.
Hołowczyc celebrated his milestone: “A tenth win is something else! Baja Poland is my second home. We drove cleanly, without major issues, and that made all the difference.”
Next up in the FIA European Cup: Baja TT Sharish Reguengos/Mourão (Portugal, Sept 12–14), the first of two Portuguese rounds.
Rally-Raid Network
Source of information: Baja Poland
Photo: Baja Poland
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