- The Columna Medica Baja Poland rally will decide this year's titles in the FIA Baja European Cup. This means that we can expect competition at the highest level to the last meter of the route, especially since the leader of the classification is a Polish driver - Michal Maluszynski.
- The routes of Poland's largest baja September 1-4 will again visit Szczecin, Dobra and Drawsko Pomorskie, and the event will be a round of the FIA European Cup for the second time.
- In most classifications, almost all podium positions remain open, so every second on Poland's toughest and longest rally routes will be of great importance to the competitors.
Apprentice on the way to the title of Champion
The FIA European Cup is a newly established series of regional off-road rallies, created last year, on the model of the European Rally Championship - ERC. Its interesting and accessible formula makes it attended by many successful drivers and new talented contenders for international laurels.
The incumbent and first-ever winner of the FIA European Cup in Baja off-road rallies is none other than Krzysztof Holowczyc, who, among other things, secured the final title with his victory in last year's Highlander Baja Poland. This season, his path is being followed by another Polish driver, Michal Maluszynski, who has been developing his skills under Holowczyc's guidance.
Małuszyński already has a successful performance in Baja Poland in 2020, when he finished second in extremely difficult conditions, behind one of the world's leading off-road rally drivers - Bernhard Ten Brinke.
This season, Maluszynski boasts a victory in the opening round - Baja Dehesa Extremadura in Portugal, a second place on the podium at Hungarian Baja and a fourth place at Rally Greece Offroad. Unfortunately, bad luck did not pass him by during the Italian Baja, where he did not finish the event as a result of a rooftop crash.
"It promises to be probably the toughest fight of my career. I know that during Baja Poland I will have to give 110% to win. Admittedly, we will be fighting on my favorite and well-known routes, but the rivals are very fast and will not slow down even for a moment. During the final round, my wife Julita returns to the right pilot's seat and I hope that together we will reach for the European Cup." - says Michal Maluszynski, leader of the FIA European Cup classification.
The Pole's main rival, is Portuguese Joao Ferreira, who in turn won this year's Italian Baja, and during the Hungarian Baja was just behind Małuszyński on the third place of the podium. Both drivers are racing similar cars, both are using Mini John Cooper Works Rally from X-raid Team, and they are separated by just three points before Columna Medica Baja Poland, so neither of them can afford any point losses anymore.
In the individual groups, the point differences give more comfort to the leaders. Santiago Navarro, piloted by Marco Sola, has won all four rounds so far in the T3 group and is on track to win the title among lightweight off-road prototype vehicles. Leading the T4 group is the Italian duo of Amerigo Ventura Montecamo and Mirko Brun, who will be looking to add a fourth victory of the season to their account at Columna Medica Baja Poland and seal the title among production SSVs.
A challenge for daredevils
The terrain in Szczecin, Dobra and Drawsko Pomorskie are iconic places for off-road rallies. Very difficult, but extremely fun to drive, routes can be laid out here. Virtually everyone who has tackled them stresses that it was an extremely difficult start. "There are special sections on these terrains that match the Dakar Rally in length and difficulty"- emphasizes Krzysztof Holowczyc, a multiple participant in the Dakar Rally, who has been competing in Baja Poland for years.
Baja Poland used to bring drivers victories, but its difficult routes often stopped even the best. Motorsport icons such as Stephane Peterhansel, Jean-Louis Schlesser and Nasser Al-Attiyah, as well as Polish stars such as Krzysztof Holowczyc, Kuba Przygoński and Adam Małysz, have won and lost here. Maintaining a good pace and navigating correctly have always been challenging at Baja Poland, and recently this has been joined by unpredictable weather that can turn everything upside down.
"This year we will again see a fierce and spectacular battle on the routes of Columna Medica Baja Poland. There will certainly be no shortage of excitement until the very end during the final of the European competition. We also expect the top drivers fighting for points for the FIA World Cup classification, which will ensure the highest level of competition. We invite all competitors and fans to take part in the rally and hope they will enjoy not only the magnificent routes, but also the new more convenient location of the rally base." - says Marcin Fiejdasz, rally director.
Columna Medica Baja Poland is also an uninterrupted FIA World Cup qualifier in Baja off-road rallies for 11 years and one of the rounds of the FIA Central European Area Championship in off-road rallies, in which Polish rally crews have played a dominant role for years. In addition, our national off-road classic is a qualifier for championships and cups from Poland and the Czech Republic in motorsports.
Abbreviated Program of Columna Medica Baja Poland 2022
September 2 - Friday
08.00-20.00 - Rally Town Szczecin - Military Shooting Range at Szafera Street
8.00-13.00 - Test Stage - Wolczkowo, Dobra Municipality
From 17.00 - Honorary Start - Rally Village Szczecin
From 17.15 - Qualifying section (QS) "Szczecin". - Rally Village Szczecin
19.30 - Selection of starting positions by the top 10 QS drivers - Netto Arena Szczecin
3 September - Saturday
08.00-20.00 - Service Zone Drawsko Pomorskie - Tactical Exercise Strip - Bucierz, Drawsko training ground
From 08.30 - Special stage "Drawsko Pomorskie 1" - Drawsko training ground
From 14.20 - Special stage "Drawsko Pomorskie 2". - Drawsko military training ground
September 4 - Sunday
08.00-16.00 - Rally Town Szczecin - Military Shooting Range on Szafera Street
From 9.35 a.m. - Special section "Dobra-Szczecin 1" - Dobra Municipality / Rally Town Szczecin
From 12.05 - Special stage "Dobra-Szczecin 2" - Dobra Commune / Szczecin Rally Village
From 14.30 - Finish Ceremony - Netto Arena Szczecin
Automatic Translation from the original Polish version
Source: Baja Poland
