FIA World Baja Cup
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An eight-round calendar will decide the outcome of the FIA World Baja Cup with the best six scores to count from the eight rounds. It has been harmonised with the FIA World Rally-Raid Championship (W2RC) to avoid date clashes and to provide competitors with a diverse calendar of challenging events on different surfaces.
Two sets of events in the Middle East bookend four Bajas in Europe with the four Middle Eastern Bajas also forming the FIA Middle East Baja Cup.
To help reduce shipping and logistical costs, the opening round will be the Ha’il-based Saudi Baja, which takes place through the An-Nafud desert less than two weeks after the Dakar Rally on January 30th-February 1st.
The Holy Month of Ramadan will take up most of March, so the second round of the series will be the Jordan Baja that switches from a mid-November date back to April 10th-12th. Based in the Red Sea city of Aqaba, the event is organised by Jordan Motorsport and utilises stunning Martian-type terrain in nearby Wadi Rum.
The series then heads to Europe for four Bajas in Greece, Italy, Spain and Portugal in May, July and October.
Baja Greece graduated from the FIA European Baja Cup in 2024 and takes its place in the calendar on May 29th-June 1st. The Pordenone-based Italian Baja replaces Baja Poland and returns to the calendar after a one-year absence on July 3rd-5th.
The Teruel-based Baja Spain Aragón will be round five on July 24th-27th and the European segment of the championship is rounded off by the ACP’s Baja Portalegre 500 on October 23rd-25th.
The FIA World Baja Cup then returns to the Middle East for the Qatar International Baja on November 6th-8th and the finale in Dubai on November 20th-23rd.
FIA World Baja Cup events last no more than four days and offer two days of competition and a minimum of 350 competitive kilometres.
Titles will be awarded to Overall Drivers and Co-drivers, Teams, Ultimate Drivers and Co-drivers and Challenger and SSV Drivers and Co-drivers.
There will also be a Junior and Master Cup to reward younger and older drivers. To be eligible, a Junior must be under 26-years-old on January 1st, 2025 and must not be a Platinum or Gold driver. Master Cup entrants will be over 50 on January 1st, 2024 and not a Platinum or Gold driver either.
The points-scoring system that was introduced in 2024 has been reviewed and its impact assessed by the Cross-Country Rally Commission. A revised format will be adopted in 2025 with points from both the overall and group classifications integrated to ensure that absolute performance and group-specific achievements are rewarded.
Points will now be awarded to registered competitors for each Baja by combining their final overall classification and group classification results. From 1st position to 15th and beyond, points will be awarded as follows: 30, 25, 20, 17, 15, 13, 11, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3 and 2, with one point allocated to retired crews.
Points will also be awarded to registered competitors for each Baja stage under the same format. The winner will earn five points with points decreasing to one point for fifth place. Three points will be awarded for first place on the Prologue stage, two for second and one for third, and new rules will govern the starting order after the Prologue.
Rule changes for 2025 will also see points awarded to highlight various skill sets. In addition, a Power Selective Section has been recommended to organisers in 2025 and will become mandatory in 2026. This will be held at the end of an event and will be the final sprint to the finish stretching for between five and 30 kilometres.
The 2025 Cross-Country Rally Sporting Regulations are available here.
