Baja Portalegre – November 6-7, 2020
2020 FIA World Cup for Cross-Country Bajas, round 3
For immediate release
Saturday, November 7th, 2020
MONSTER ENERGY CAN-AM TEAM’S ARON DOMŻALA CRUISES
TO EMPHATIC FIA T4 VICTORY IN BAJA PORTALEGRE 500
PORTALEGRE (PORTUGA): Monster Energy Can-Am team’s Aron Domżala continued his impressive recent form with a start-to-finish victory in the FIA T4 category at a weather-shortened Baja Portalegre 500 in Portugal.
The Pole and his navigator Maciej Marton won the super special and the first muddy and rain-sodden selective section in the Alentejo region of Portugal in a Can-Am Maverick X3 side-by-side vehicle customised to the technical specification of the new T4 category.
Domżala duly secured a winning margin of 14 minutes over Portugal’s Alexander Ré with the second quickest time behind is rival on Saturday’s shortened run. Dutchman Kees Koolen came home in third place.
A delighted Monster Energy South Racing Can-Am team’s Scott Abraham said: “This was another great rally for the Monster Energy Can-Am Team. Aron and Maciej continue to put more valuable kilometres on the 2021 Maverick that we are taking to Dakar. The conditions again resembled more of a trial but we are really happy to come away with the victory in the T4 category. Now we can focus on Ha’il (Saudi Arabia) in four and a half weeks time.”
Domżala made the perfect start with the fastest time of all the T4 runners through the opening super special stage of 3.36km. The Pole carded a time of 3min 35sec to snatch an early advantage of 5.9 seconds over Ré. Koolen came in third, a further 1.5 seconds adrift.
Crews then tackled a selective section of 75.31km between Ponte Sûr and Cabeço Vide. Heavy rain had caused widespread flooding on the stages and driving conditions were particularly tricky and unpleasant for the open-sided SSVs. That failed to prevent Domżala setting the fourth quickest time of the entire field and the Pole found himself leading the T4 category by 15min 06sec and holding fourth overall from Ré. Koolen was a further 1min 50sec adrift at the night halt.
The weather conditions had forced rally officials to stop the second stage and hand notional times to many competitors. The decision was also taken to reduce the length of the second leg substantially as a result and two long selective sections were replaced by a shorter inundated final stage of 79.12km.
Domżala came home in seventh overall to secure fourth in the general classification and confirm victory in the T4 section, Ré pipping his rival to the fastest time in T4 on the last section.
The revised fourth and fifth rounds of the FIA World Cup for Cross-Country Bajas will take place in Saudi Arabia in mid-December.
2020 Baja Portalegre 500 – T4 results
1. Aron Domzala (POL)/Maciej Marton (POL) Monster Energy Can-Am Maverick X3 2hrs 21min 01sec
2. Alexander Ré (PRT)/Pedro Ré (PRT) South Racing Can-Am Maverick X3 2hrs 35min 01sec
3. Kees Koolen (NLD)/Miriam Pol (NLD) South Racing Can-Am Maverick X3 2hrs 40min 08sec
Ends
For further information: contact Scott Abraham, South Racing, Email: Scott.Abraham@southracing.com, Tel: + 49 172 6662880.
www.southracing.com
Facebook group: Monster Energy Can-Am