During the Columna Medica Baja Poland 2016 this weekend (25-28 August) off road fans will once again have an opportunity to follow the battle of giants as the FIA World Cup for Cross Country Rallies resumes. Key protagonists, German X-raid and Belgium Overdrive Racing, are sure to do battle at the front once again.

For more than 10 years the X-raid team, led by well-known in the world of motor sport Sven Quandt, has been a feature on the routes of cross-country rallies. In the past, Quandt used to be a chief manager of the Mitsubishi works team, which participated in the FIA World Rally Championship. After the adventure with BMW X5 and X3 CC, the X-raid team located in Trebur near Frankfurt have been improving the MINI ALL4 Racing car for a few years. This inconspicuous looking car is a flesh and blood off-road vehicle run by a 3.0-litre Diesel engine producing around 320 horsepower. Obviously, the MINI has a 4-wheel drive, 6-gear sequential gearbox and massive 385 litres fuel tank. It won’t be a lie to state that MINI ALL4 Racing is a machine to win, as the X-raid’s car was unbeatable in the legendary Rally Dakar four times in a row (2012-2015).

The German squad can be also satisfied with superb results in Baja Poland, where in 2012, 2014 and 2015 MINI ALL4 Racing in hands of Krzysztof Hołowczyc managed to win. In this year’s edition, besides Krzysztof Hołowczyc, the MINI’s will be driven by Dutchman Erik Van Loon, the Chilean driver Boris Garafulic and Jakub Przygoński.

The main rival for X-raid will be the slightly younger Belgium Overdrive Racing, led by Jean-Marc Fortin. It is worth mentioning that in 2011 Fortin and Hołowczyc (who drove the BMW X3 CC from X-raid) managed to win Baja Poland.

Overdrive Racing cooperates closely with Toyota and brings the four-wheel drive car run by a 5-litre petrol engine with total output of 350 horsepower. The only common thing with the MINI ALL4 Racing is the same 6-speed gearbox supplied by the French company Sadev. Overdrive Racing, which is still waiting for the final triumph in Rally Dakar, has one win on its account at Baja Poland - Russian driver Alexander Zeludov won the event in 2013. This year Fortin’s team brings as many as six cars to Szczecin, while the entry list of 7th round of this years’ FIA World Cup Cross-Country Rallies is opened by the leader Nasser Al-Attiyah. The driver from Qatar, next to Krzysztof Hołowczyc, is the main pretender for the final victory. The other drivers, are: Marek Dąbrowski, Ronan Chabot, Khalifa Al-Attiyah, Jes Munk and Michał Mułuszyński.

Columna Medica Baja Poland will begin on Friday, 26th of August afternoon and will end on Sunday, 28th of August. The total distance of the rally is 788 kilometers, 472 of which are special stages.   

Columna Medica Baja Poland 2016 schedule (summary)

Thursday, 25th August:

09:00-21:00  administrative checks

10:00-22:00  scrutineering

Friday, 26th August:

09:00-13:00  shakedown, Szafera street, Szczecin

14:30 publication of entry list to 1st leg

14:30  press conference with the leading drivers

17:00  ceremonial start of the rally, Wały Chrobrego, Szczecin

18:00  superstage Szczecin, Szafera Street, Szczecin

Saturday, 27th August:

08:20  SS-2 Drawsko Pomorskie

11:20  first crew at the service park in Drawsko Pomorskie

13:40  SS-3 Drawsko Pomorskie

16:40  first crew at the service park in Drawsko Pomorskie

20:20  first crew arrival on finish line of the 1st leg in Szczecin 

Sunday, 28th August:

08:40  SS-4 Dobra

09:30  SS-5 Lubieszyn

10:25  first crew at the service park in Szczecin

12:30  SS-6 Dobra

13:20  SS-7 Lubieszyn

14:30  finish of the rally, podium ceremony, rally city in Szczecin 

2016 FIA World Cup for Cross Country Rallies calendar:

19/02 – 22/02 Baja Russia – Northern Forest (Russia)

03/04 – 07/04 Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge (Abu Dhabi)

17/04 – 22/04 Sealine Cross Country Rally (Qatar)

23/06 – 26/06 Italian Baja (Italy)

22/07 – 24/07 Baja España Aragón (Spain)

11/08 – 14/08 Hungarian Baja (Hungary)

25/08 – 28/08 Columna Medica Baja Poland (Poland)

01/10 – 07/10 Rallye Oilibya du Maroc (Morocco)

27/10 – 29/10 30 Baja Portalegre (Portugal)

FIA World Cup for Cross Country Rallies 2016 standings after Hungarian Baja:

1. Nasser Al-Attiyah (QAT)          180

2. Yazeed Al-Rajhi (SAU)              92

3. Mikko Hirvonen (FIN)                78

4. Władimir Wasiliew (RUS)          74

5. Bryce Menzies (USA)                55

6. Marek Dąbrowski (POL)            40

7. Aron Domżała (POL)                 35

8. Yuriy Sazonov (KAZ)                 34

9. Maris Neiksans (LVA)                30

10.Yasir Seaidan (SAU)                 25

11. Jakub Przygoński (POL)          20

For more information, go to the event website here.