The 2025 edition of the HunGarian Baja concluded with a spectacular final day, as the fast and dusty terrain around Várpalota once again lived up to its reputation as a classic rally raid setting. The closing stages brought intense battles and shifts at the top, but also confirmed the strength of several experienced crews. One of the standout performances came from the Netherlands: Paul Spierings and Mark Salomons not only held onto their impressive prologue result but went on to win the Challenger class (T3.1) outright.
Krotov claims overall victory, Zapletal and Grajek follow
The overall win went to Denis Krotov and Oleg Uperenko from Kyrgyzstan, who dominated the rally in their X-Raid Mini John Cooper Works Rally+. Winning every single stage, they clocked a total time of 3 hours, 38 minutes and 3 seconds, proving to be untouchable. Second place was claimed by Czech driver Miroslav Zapletal and Slovakian co-driver Marek Sykora in their Ford F150 Evo+, finishing nearly five minutes adrift. The third step of the podium was taken by Poland’s Wlodzimierz Grajek in a Toyota Hilux, who impressed on the final day by setting the second-fastest time in SS3.
Spierings & Salomons dominate Challenger Category
For Dutch duo Paul Spierings and Mark Salomons, this rally was nothing short of a success story. They set the tone early with the second-fastest time overall in the prologue. Throughout the weekend, they drove a flawless race, combining speed with consistency. With a final time of 3:45:49.5, they not only took the class victory in T3.1, but also finished a remarkable fourth overall—just seven minutes behind the winner.
Co-driver Mark Salomons looked back enthusiastically:
“It was fantastic. What started as a new adventure quickly felt very familiar, which allowed us to push the pace. We did have to battle with the organisation’s navigation system, which definitely had issues, but apart from that, we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and delivered a fantastic result!”
Other Dutch competitors: Leeuw Triumphs in Truck Class amid high attrition
Aside from the Spierings & Salomons duo, the Dutch contingent had mixed fortunes. Marnix Leeuw, supported by Lambooy and Van Donkelaar, completed the rally in his Iveco Powerstar and finished 21st overall. That result was good enough for victory in the truck category, as many other trucks failed to reach the finish. Marc Leeuw, driving his GINAF X2222, also made it to the end and secured 23rd place overall, despite a tough final day.
On the flip side, several Dutch crews were forced to retire. Sander Derikx and Michael Schuttel had a strong start but retired after SS2. Dirk and Pim Garvelink also failed to finish, as did Andre Thewessen and Jeffrey Spoor, who encountered mechanical issues late in the rally. For all of them, the demanding terrain and hot conditions proved to be a heavy toll.
The 2025 HunGarian Baja once again proved why it remains one of the most popular Bajas on the European calendar. With a technically demanding route, fierce competition and high speeds, the event showcased everything that makes rally raid so captivating. For the Netherlands, it was above all the weekend of Spierings and Salomons—who not only put themselves firmly on the international radar with their Challenger class victory, but also demonstrated a promising glimpse of what’s to come.
