MEDIA INFORMATION
2019 Baja Spain Aragón
July 25-27, 2019
For immediate release
Tuesday, July 23rd, 2019
CRUCIAL SPANISH T3 SHOWDOWN AWAITS
QATAR’S ADEL ABDULLA IN FIA WORLD CUP FOR BAJAS
TERUEL (SPAIN): Qatar’s Adel Abdulla knows the importance of a top result when he resumes his challenge for honours in the FIA T3 category of the FIA World Cup for Cross-Country Bajas at this weekend’s fourth round of the series in Spain.
Baja Spain Aragón is based at the northern town of Teruel and is renowned for its high summer temperatures, dusty and abrasive special stages, a challenging route and a strong entry in all the FIA categories.
Adel Abdulla and French co-driver Jean-Michel Polato currently hold equal third position in the FIA T3 category with Spaniard Santiago Navarro, but both rivals are 19 points adrift of the Italian early season leader Michele Cinotto, who heads Russia’s Fedor Vorobyev by a single point.
Doha-based Adel switched to the T3 section this season after several years running Nissans and Toyotas in the T2 category for series production cross-country vehicles. He is again set to challenge for honours in a Can-Am Maverick X3 prepared by the FN Speed Team and running with support from Ooredoo, the Qatar telecommunications company.
The Qatari faces a fierce challenge from all his title rivals, in addition to young Belgian Ghislain de Mevius and the Russian driver Aleksandr Dorosinskiy in an impressive 10-car T3 field.
Adel said: “I am in Spain for the Aragón round. I like this race. It is a good race and you really feel the challenge on the stages. We already did this rally before in the same area. It is going to be a tough challenge with the other drivers. They are all fast. It will not be easy for any of us.
“We will do our best to be in a good position. If you look at the difference between me and the drivers in front, it is the fact that I missed the first round in Russia – the Baja Northern Forest. Things go like this. Still the championship is on and we will focus to be in a good situation.”
Scrutineering checks take place in Teruel on Thursday (July 25th) and the timed action gets underway with two selective sections of 170km and 80km on Friday.
The shorter of the two stages begins proceedings on Saturday morning and the 170km timed section is repeated at lunchtime before the return to Teruel for the ceremonial finish podium.
FIA World Cup for Cross-Country Bajas – T3 Trophy standings after round 3:
1. Michele Cinotto (ITA) 52pts
2. Fedor Vorobyev (RUS) 51pts
3. Adel Abdulla (QAT) 33pts
3. Santiago Navarro (ESP) 33pts
5. Abdullah Al-Zubair (OMN) 26pts
6. Dmitrii Ponomarenko (RUS) 15pts
7. Alexey Shmotov (RUS) 12pts
7. Michal Goczal (POL) 12pts
9. Michel Fadel (ARE) 10pts
9. Frederic Chavigny (FRA) 10pts
9. Aleksandr Dorosinskiy (POL) 10pts
12. Maria Oparina (RUS) 6pts
13. Tatjana Sycheva (RUS) 4pts
Ends
For further information: www.bajaaragon.com