Although the name "West" may lead you to think of big open spaces, wide and dusty tracks, and lots of sand as in the USA, the new Portuguese race, valid for all the Portuguese championships ( including cars, motorcycles, quads, and SSV) and also valid for the FIM Baja World Cup and FIM Baja European Championship, will have everything but that, presenting a new challenge for all, in an area never explored before by these type of competitions.
A few kilometers north of Lisbon, the "West Region" covers a vast area that is limited on the west side by the spectacular coastal zone of the Atlantic Ocean and where the is famous Nazaré wave - the biggest ocean wave in the world, and limited on the east the the "Leziria do Tejo", the fertile valley created by the Tagus River which is the largest river in the Iberian Peninsula, which has its source in the distant Sierra de Albarracin in Spain, very close to the area where the famous Baja Aragon is disputed and also passes through the region where the Baja de Portalegre takes place.
The "West" will offer the pilots an unexplored terrain, over the 1000 hills and valleys of the region, through forests and cultivated areas including orchards and vineyards, crossing the municipalities of Torres Vedras, Alenquer, Sobral de Monte Agraço, Cadaval, and Bombarral.
This new race offers the foreigners a chance to get closer to the strong local field, usually unbeatable on their home territory. But here any previous knowledge of the route or terrain is almost unexistent, putting all at the same level.
Although the precise details of each stage are not yet known, a demanding course is to be expected, in a terrain that in many areas will be mostly made of clay and in others will certainly have some stones, and could sporadically pass through sandy areas. Many turns and junctions are also expected, following narrow roads, that from time to time will "open" and allow for some "breathing space".
Portugal has experienced a period with little rain, and if this type of weather conditions continues, there will certainly be some dust, nevertheless this region has a very particular micro-climate, with frequent days of "drizzle" or fog, and especially since the race is already in autumn, even some rain could show up, which, on the one hand, could eliminate the dust, but on the other could bring a completely different set of challenges, with mud and very slippery roads.
The race will be held on October 15th, 16th, and 17th, with the HQ located in Torres Vedras. On the morning of Friday the 15th, the usual scrutineering will take place. During the afternoon of the same day, the participants will have their first contact with the local roads, racing the 5.5km Prologue held in the vicinity of Torres Vedras, after which they will head for Alenquer, to leave their racing machines in the "Park Fermé".
Saturday 16th will be the big day of the race, with more than 200 kilometers of specials to run. The first competitors will set off at 8 a.m. for SS1, which will start near Alenquer and will have a length of 139 kilometers. Once the special is finished the competitors will return to Alenquer for regrouping before contesting SS2 of 74.4 kilometers, which will take back to Torres Vedras.
On Sunday the 17th, only one special awaits the riders, this time 126 kilometers starting and finishing near Torres Vedras making a kind of a loop to the north, in what is expected to be another demanding stage.
This information is only related to the FMP and FIM race, i.e. motorcycles, quads, and SSV (not FIA). For the cars program, we are still waiting for some more information.
Baja TT do Oeste is organized by Escuderia de Castelo Branco and you could find more information about it here: https://escuderiacastelobranco.pt/prova/baja-tt-ecb-ii/
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