Mitchel van den Brink and navigator Bart van Heun are embarking on a new chapter in their careers this weekend. The duo, who became world champions in the SSV class (T4) last year, are stepping up to the Challenger class (T3) and targeting the title in the FIA World Baja Cup. The opening round is this weekend’s Baja Greece.
The move Van den Brink and Van Heun are making is a logical one from a sporting perspective. The FIA World Baja Cup awards titles across multiple categories, including Challenger (T3) and SSV (T4). In 2025, the pair dominated the SSV class from start to finish. With a win in the final round in Dubai, Van den Brink and Van Heun sealed their SSV title in the Baja World Cup while finishing fifth overall.
Now comes the step up. The T3 class, also known as the Challenger class, consists of lightweight prototype vehicles. They are faster than the production SSVs in T4, but slower than the full-sized prototypes in T1. Mitchel himself describes it as “the fastest class after the Ultimate.” That also means: heavier competition in the field, more rivals, and greater technical demands on the machinery.
South Racing and Can-Am
The duo will race for South Racing for a second consecutive year, the official Can-Am factory team. The partnership is not new: through their own MB Rally Experience, Van den Brink and Van Heun have maintained a working relationship with the team for some time. Making the switch to T3 within the same team provides stability, but also brings additional responsibilities.
Van den Brink and Van Heun will also serve as test drivers for South Racing this season. That means they are involved in the setup and further development of the updated Can-Am. An extensive test session has already taken place in Portugal. It is a role that combines experience with responsibility: they are directly involved in the technical development process, but that demands effort that goes beyond pure racing.
The championship
The 2026 FIA World Baja Cup consists of eight rounds. Following an opening in Saudi Arabia and Jordan in January and February, four European Bajas follow: Greece (4-7 June), Italy (25-28 June), Spain (23-26 July) and Portugal (15-18 October). The season concludes with Qatar (28-31 October) and Dubai (5-8 November). Six of the eight results count towards the final standings, and competitors must declare in advance which six rounds they will count for the championship.
Van den Brink and Van Heun are skipping the first two rounds. They will contest the remaining six: Greece, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Qatar and Dubai. That leaves them no margin for setbacks, as they are using their full available allocation.
In the Challenger class, Al Wahaibi from Oman and Alkuwari from Qatar, both driving a Taurus, are among the expected contenders. After Baja Greece, there will be a clearer picture of what the competitive balance looks like in practice.
Baja Greece: the programme
Baja Greece is taking place for the fifth consecutive year from Argos Orestiko in Macedonia. In terms of distance it is one of the toughest Bajas of the season, with a total of over 830 kilometres, more than 500 of which are in the special stages. For 2026, the organisers are introducing a new route on Mount Grammos for one of the stages, while the other stage remains on the familiar course.
The weekend programme: Thursday technical scrutineering and briefing, Friday shakedown and prologue (6 kilometres), Saturday two stages of 163 kilometres and Sunday two closing stages of 109 kilometres.
South Racing will again field Erik van Loon this year, albeit in the SSV category. For Van den Brink, that is a familiar face on the start line.
