Baja Greece has a remarkable winner. Mitchel van den Brink and Bart van Heun claimed overall victory in their Can-Am Maverick R for South Racing, winning not only the Challenger class but the general classification as well. It is the first time Mitchel has taken an overall win, and he did so on his debut in the Challenger category.
Vanagas and Aisvydas Paliukenas started Sunday’s closing stage with a comfortable lead. Around fifty kilometres from the end of the first timed section of the day, the suspension on his Toyota GR DKR Hilux gave out. “We started hearing strange noises,” said Vanagas. “We thought we could hold on, but it was impossible. You cannot reach the finish on three wheels.” The cause turned out to be a broken wheel hub.
With victory out of reach, the team immediately switched to damage limitation. The Hilux was recovered, given a complete new suspension in the service park, and then placed in parc fermé. That approach resulted in a significant time penalty but secured an official classification and preserved the points the duo had gathered with two stage wins on Saturday. Those points carry considerable weight for Vanagas in the FIA European Baja Cup, particularly after his retirement in the previous European round in Cuenca. He ultimately crossed the line in sixteenth place.
Van den Brink finishes the job
When Vanagas retired, Van den Brink took the lead and never relinquished it. On the nearly 109-kilometre test, run twice, he won the first pass with a 52-second advantage over Lionel Baud. On the final run he conceded just 48 seconds to the Frenchman in his much faster T1+ Mini, despite competing in the lighter Challenger class. That was more than enough for overall victory, with a margin of over 22 minutes on second place.
“The first overall Baja win is in the bag,” said the 24-year-old Van den Brink after the finish. “We take the maximum championship points. Compliments to South Racing, that team has built a truly outstanding car. This T3 can go head to head with the Tauruses, and it is great to have won with such a large margin.” He also praised navigator Van Heun for his work. In the FIA World Baja Cup points standings, the Dutch duo scored 81 points, the highest tally of any registered crew.
Akeel fights back
World Cup leader Dania Akeel had a mixed weekend. On Saturday’s test in the Vitsi area, the Saudi driver slid off the track in a slippery leaf-covered corner and was unable to continue, resulting in significant time loss and a drop to nineteenth place. On Sunday the Overdrive duo responded strongly: fifth fastest and second in the Ultimate class on the first run, followed by third on the repeat. “Day one did not go to plan, but day two delivered a top three, so we head home with very valuable World Cup points,” said Akeel, who finished seventeenth overall and remains in contention for the title.
Standings and class winners
The top five in the final overall classification:
- Mitchel van den Brink / Bart van Heun (Can-Am Maverick R) 8:01:51.9
- Mansour Al Helei / Khalid Alkendi (Can-Am Maverick R) +22:09.3
- Hedda Hosas / Pol Tibau Roura (Can-Am Maverick R) +30:15.4
- Karel Trneny / Vaclav Pritzl (Ford F150 Evo+) +32:51.3
- Murat Kapanoglu / Aleksandar Trendafilov (Can-Am Maverick XRS Turbo RR) +39:46.3
Alongside Van den Brink’s overall and Challenger class victory, the SSV win went to Al Helei ahead of Hosas and Tibau Roura. The Ultimate class was won by Trneny, with Baud second and Khalid Aljafla third. In the Stock class Fernando Barreiros took the honours. Tomasz Bialkowski, still fifth after day one, did not reach the finish and was the only FIA crew not to be classified.
The World Baja Cup continues with the Italian Baja, from 25 to 28 June.
