Jordan Baja – November 14th-16th, 2024   

FIA World Baja Cup, round 7 of 8

For immediate release

Saturday, November 16th, 2024

SOUTH RACING CAN-AM TEAM’S ALVAREZ AND PANSERI TAKE FIA WORLD BAJA CUP BATTLE TO THE FINAL ROUND IN DUBAI

  • South Racing Can-Am Team secures FIA World Baja Cup Teams’ Championship
  • Alvarez and Panseri confirm both SSV titles in the FIA World Baja Cup
  • South Racing’s Martinez and Lafuente finish third in Challenger standings

AQABA (JORDAN): The outcome of the 2024 FIA World Baja Cup’s Driver and Co-driver Championships will be settled in a final weekend showdown in Dubai after the South Racing Can-Am Team’s Fernando Alvarez and Xavier Panseri picked up points for finishing third in their SSV category at the Aqaba-based Jordan Baja.

The result meant that the Spanish driver and his French navigator confirmed the Driver and Co-driver Championship titles in the SSV category with one round to spare. The South Racing Can-Am Team also secured the prestigious Teams’ Championship in the FIA World Baja Cup.

Team-mates Diego Martinez and Sergio Lafuente overcame a 20-minute time penalty to finish third in their Challenger category in a Can-Am Maverick X3 and head to Dubai still with a chance to take class success themselves.

Argentina-based Alvarez finished seventh overall in his Conarpesa-backed Can-Am Maverick XRS Turbo after passing Saudi Arabian driver Dania Akeel on the final stage.

Alvarez said: “We did well. We finished third (in SSV), so we win the World Cup in T4 (SSV). We are the new champions. We are happy. That was our objective. In the overall, I think we lost the first position but it’s okay. We go to Dubai just to see what happens and then we will stay two days testing the new car for Dakar.”

South Racing Can-Am Team’s managing director Scott Abraham said: “It is great to be able to wrap up both the SSV Drivers’ and Co-drivers’ Championships and the Teams’ Championship with a race to go. It has been a long year and adding this to our W2RC Challenger win has made it another great year for Can-Am and South Racing. Can-Ams, once again, filled all three podium spots at the Jordan Baja.

“Now it’s the race for the championship at the final event in Dubai. Huge thanks to all the team for the hours, days and months they have put in and we are looking forward to a good race in Dubai to end the season.”

A timed Prologue stage of just three-kilometres at South Beach, near the Aqaba Sea Port, was used to determine the starting order the opening stage through Wadi Rum that was split into two sections of 200.60km and 133.53km by a short liaison and an opportunity for refuelling.

Martinez stole the regional media headlines with the fastest time of all the cars, while Alvarez played the cautious role and finished as the fourth of the registered SSV drivers. The Argentine opted to start the opening stage in seventh with Alvarez following in 13th.

Martinez and Alvarez finished the first section of the special in third in their respective FIA World Cup categories and reached the finish in similar positions to set up a storming finale on the last day, although a 20-minute time penalty for an overtaking infringement didn’t help Martinez’s cause.

Alvarez said: “We did a good job. It was not easy, the navigation in the last part, and we had a puncture, so we stopped a little bit to push, maybe two minutes. We decided just to finish, taking care for the last day. We will see.”

Action concluded with a stage of 185.30km through Wadi Rum before the ceremonial finish at the historic Arab Revolt Plaza in Aqaba. Both Alvarez and Martinez delivered strong finishes to set up a fascinating finale to the season.

The South Racing Can-Am Team receives valuable support for the race programme from BRP, Rotax, Method Wheels, Tensor Tires, Motul, J.Juan Brake Systems, Oakley and Sparco.

The FIA World Baja Cup concludes with the Dubai International Baja on November 28th-December 1st.

Jordan Baja (Challenger – final result):

  1. Khalid Al-Jafla (ARE)/Andrei Rudnitski (LTU) Taurus T3 Max 6hr 17min 04.3sec*
  2. Eduardo Pons (ESP)/Jaume Betriu (ESP) Taurus T3 Max 6hr 26min 03.4sec*
  3. Rashid Al-Muhannadi (QAT)/Szymon Gospodarczyk (POL) Taurus T3 Max 6hr 33min 03.8sec
  4. Hamad Al-Harbi (SAU)/Aleksei Kuzmich (ARE) Can-Am Maverick X3 6hr 57min 01.5sec
  5. Diego Martinez (ARG)/Sergio Lafuente (URY) Can-Am Maverick X3 6hr 58min 58.8sec*
  6. Maha Al-Hameli (SAU)/Oriol Mena (ESP) Can-Am Maverick X3 7hr 00min 51.2sec
  7. Abdulaziz Al-Kuwari (QAT)/Nasser Al-Kuwari (QAT) Taurus T3 Max 15hr 20min 50.0sec
  8. Khalifa Saleh Al-Attiyah (QAT)/Enio Bozzano (BRA) Taurus T3 Max 19hr 33min 37.0sec

Jordan Baja (SSV – final result):

  1. João Ferreira (PRT)/Filipe Palmeiro (PRT) Can-Am Maverick XRS Turbo RR 6hr 17min 42.8sec*
  2. João Dias (PRT)/Gonçalo Reis (PRT) Can-Am Maverick XRS Turbo RR 6hr 21min 08.4sec*
  3. Fernando Alvarez (ARG)/Xavier Panseri (FRA) Can-Am Maverick XRS Turbo RR 6hr 33min 11.0zec*
  4. Dania Akeel (SAU)/Sébastien Delaunay (FRA) Can-Am Maverick XRS Turbo RR 6hr 34min 00.3sec
  5. Ahmed Al-Kuwari (QAT)/Augusto Sanz (ARG) Yamaha YXZ 1000R Short Shift 6hr 47min 38.5ec
  6. Amerigo Ventura (ITA)/Erika Mingozzi (ITA) Yamaha YXZ 1000R 7hr 18min 54.9sec*
  7. Ibrahim Al-Muhanna (SAU)/Faisal Al-Suwayh (SAU) Can-Am Maverick XRS Turbo RR 9hr 10min 35.1sec*

*registered for the FIA World Baja Cup

Ends

For further information: contact Scott Abraham, South Racing, Email: Scott.Abraham@southracing.com, Tel: + 49 172 6662880.

www.southracing.com

Facebook group: South Racing Can-Am

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                            

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Published On: 16 November 2024