The Baja TT Cuenca 2026 is over. We look back on a Baja that grew into one of the toughest editions in years. Rain, mud and hail determined the fate of many favourites and turned the opening round of the FIA European Baja Cup into a true battle of attrition. Of the 25 cars that started, only 18 made it to the finish.
Sunshine, downpours, mud and hail alternated throughout, turning the selective sections into extreme tests of endurance, navigation and driving skill. Luis Recuenco and Daniel Cámara in their Toyota Hilux EVO drove flawlessly all weekend and took the lead after the very first selective section. On Sunday, Gaël Queralt claimed the day’s fastest time in his Taurus EVO MAX, but the gap was not enough to take the overall lead. Recuenco won the Baja TT Cuenca in 5:33:02.5. After the finish, Recuenco said there had been a lot of mud and rain on the final stage and that the car was sliding everywhere, but that the team kept pushing. He also praised the organisation and called it an honour to compete in a European championship event held in Cuenca.
For many of his rivals, things went differently. Benediktas Vanagas lost his power steering and retired after the 101.85-kilometre checkpoint in the first selective section. The Lithuanian described the stage as technical and narrow, with plenty of rocks, mountains, trees and meadows, and slippery on top of that due to the rain. João Ramos and Pedro Ré, winners of the prologue, incurred time penalties after failing to complete the first stage and ultimately retired for good in the third selective section. Aliyyah Koloc, Juan Gassó, Josep Solé and Afonso Oliveira also failed to reach the finish.
As for the final results, there are two stories to tell from a FIA European Baja Cup perspective. In the overall classification, Recuenco won ahead of Queralt/Sola and the Portuguese duo Dinis Rogeira/Nelson Ramos. However, neither Recuenco nor Queralt had entered the FIA European Baja Cup. As a result, Rogeira and Ramos, third overall and first in the Challenger category, took the maximum points in the European standings.
Nineteen-year-old Dinis Rogeira reacted enthusiastically afterwards and dedicated his victory to his family, in particular to his father who always supports him and also competed in the race himself. He acknowledged it had not been an easy Baja, with plenty of mud, difficult terrain and rain, but was pleased that they had not suffered any punctures.
In the SSV category, Can-Ams took the top three positions in the European Baja Cup standings. Paulo Rodrigues and Fausto Mota finished fourth overall and first in the SSV class, followed by teammates Rúben Rodrigues and Tiago Magalhães in fifth. Rodrigues noted afterwards that it had been a tough Baja, with early problems and difficult terrain, but that the team had ultimately had the luck that others lacked.
Maria Gameiro and her Spanish co-driver Rosa Romero, competing under the X-Raid Team banner in a MINI JCW Rally 3.0d, lost time to a puncture and a broken driveshaft in the first stage, but finished ninth overall and as the first registered driver in the Ultimate category. Dinis’s father, Jose Rogeira, drove with Paulo Marques in a Ford Ranger to twelfth overall and second position in the European Baja Cup in the Ultimate class.
Final classification top 5 cars:
- Luis Recuenco / Daniel Cámara – Toyota Hilux EVO – 5:33:02.5
- Gaël Queralt / Marc Sola – Taurus EVO MAX – 5:35:46.3 (+2:43)
- Dinis Rogeira / Nelson Ramos – Can-Am Maverick X3 – 5:43:40.7 (+10:38, incl. penalty)
- Paulo Rodrigues / Fausto Mota – BRP Can-Am Maverick R – 5:46:03.1 (+13:00)
- Ruben Rodrigues / Tiago Magalhães – BRP Can-Am Maverick R – 5:50:31.4 (+17:28)
The difficult weather left its mark on the motorcycle class as well, but that did not stop Tosha Schareina from putting in an impressive weekend. The Valencian Honda factory rider dominated the Baja TT Cuenca on his Honda Rally 450 in a weekend defined entirely by rain and mud. Schareina is no stranger to the gruelling rally raid circuit — the Spaniard has multiple Dakar editions to his name and proved in Cuenca that he is equally capable of dominating from start to finish at European level.
Second place went to Alonso Trigo, a multiple Spanish champion, on his KTM 450 EXC-F, 1 minute and 46 seconds behind Schareina. The rider from Toledo had already shown good form in the prologue and maintained a high level throughout the weekend. The podium was completed by Bruno Bozzo on a GASGAS EC 450. Mario Olmedilla finished fourth on a Honda CRF 450, followed by Albert Martín in fifth on his Triumph TF450-E — a notable presence in the field.
Several riders making their Cuenca debut were full of praise for the course afterwards. Madrid talent Miguel Parra described it as a raid to be savoured, with fast and varied tracks and large crowds along the route. Andorran rider Iván Gil called it one of the most beautiful races he had ever competed in, despite — or perhaps because of — the combination of mud, rain and earth.
Final classification top 5 motorcycles:
- Tosha Schareina – Honda Rally 450 – 4:13:20
- Alonso Trigo – KTM 450 EXC-F – 4:16:06 (+1:46)
- Bruno Bozzo – GASGAS EC 450 – 4:17:35 (+4:15)
- Mario Olmedilla – Honda CRF 450 – 4:21:38 (+8:18)
- Albert Martín – Triumph TF450-E – 4:25:30 (+12:10)
The Baja TT Cuenca 2026 counted as the opening round of the FIA European Baja Cup and as a round of the Spanish rally raid championship. The final results were confirmed by the stewards in Cuenca on 10 May 2026.
