2022 Italian Baja: CST Xtremeplus at Baja Italy with Lina Van de Mars and Giulia Maroni

Seventy-one competitors from 18 countries and 3 continents (Europe, Asia, America). There are a lot of expectations for the 2022 edition of the Baja Italy that will kick off tomorrow. At the start also 8 female drivers, among them Lina Van De Mars behind the steering wheel of a Polaris of the CST Xtremeplus Team. With Giulia Maroni at her side, as a co-driver, the female crew with the race number 408 is ready to tackle the 3 demanding days of racing on the banks of Meduna, Cosa and Tagliamento. The torrid heat will add an extra challenge to the rocky terrain with the tyres playing a key role.

“I really like Baja Italy”, states Lina Van De Mars, “This is my second time, and we are excited to do well. We will start on Friday with a 14 kilomtres prologue without roadbooks. This means that we will do the recco ourselves. This is something I really like because it’s unusual for a Baja. I’m used to it because in the German championship we do the same”. Lina is a well known in the motorsport scene: she is a TV presenter, commenting also the ExtremeE for the German TV. She has a huge passion for cars, design and music. She loves extreme sports, and of course rally raid.

“I was competing in the German Rally Championship with Opel, when Jutta Kleinschmidt strongly advised me to try off-road because it suited more my style. I have to say that she was right. In 2018 together with Jutta we did the German Offroad Master: a 24h race and we finished second. In 2019 I bought my own Polaris and built a team with a female mechanic. Then the pandemic arrived”.

Lina’s dream is to compete the Dakar Rally one day. Meanwhile she has a busy racing program which includes the FIA European Cup for Cross-Country Bajas alongside Giulia Maroni in the T4 category.

"I’m a great passionate about motorsport, off-road rallies, especially Dakar Rally”, explains Giulia Maroni, an HR Manager when she doesn’t wear the racing suit. She can boast many races on her sporting curriculum. She recently won the title of Italian Co-driver Cross Country Rally 2021 Champion and then she crossed the finish line of the 2022 Dakar Classic in Saudi Arabia. “This season I will compete the European championship at alongside Lina Van De Mars on Polaris T4 . We raced together in Baja Extremadura in April. It’s a busy calendar with Italian Baja this weekend and then Hungary and Poland”.

Traditionally competed on rocky terrain, the robustness of the CST tyres will be a precious support for the 408 crew.

Source Xtremeplus