The ever-popular Baja Aragón (25-27 July), the fourth round of the FIA World Cup for Cross Country Bajas, has attracted a bumper entry with 70 cars on the entry list. It is another classic on the calendar with fiercely tricky conditions over dusty and rocky tracks in the Teruel region of eastern Spain. Coupled with scorching summer temperatures, the 36th edition of Baja Aragón promises to deliver another stern test for man and machinery.

Vladimir Vasilyev and Konstantin Zhiltsov currently top the Championship standings with a 22-point advantage after the first three rounds. The Russian pairing, in their Toyota Hilux, will be gunning for their second consecutive victory in Spain and their first win of the season, having twice finished second. Martin Prokop and Jan Tománek are back in action in their Ford Raptor, fresh from another podium placing on the last round in Italy. Prokop trails Vasilyev in the overall standings and the Czech driver will be aiming to better his third position in last year’s Baja Aragón after losing the win with a last stage puncture.

Jakub Przygonski is neck and neck in the standings with Orlando Terranova, the rivals just two points adrift of Prokop in joint third position. Przygonski, co-driven by Germany’s Timo Gottschalk, claimed second last year and goes into the event on an equal footing with Terranova, both on the same points and in MINI John Cooper Works Rally machinery.  Argentina’s Terranova swept into the Championship standings with victory on his first outing of the season on the Italian Baja and is now focused on a potential title bid.

Two top-five placings this season see Benediktas Vanagas sixth in the classification going into Spain, the Lithuanian - co-driven by Sebastian Rozwadowski - just four points further adrift in his Toyota Hilux. Andrey and Vladimir N and Miroslav Zapletal/Marek Sykora join the crews in the car category and Overdrive’s Bernhard Ten Brinke and Tom Colsoul make their first outing in this year’s FIA World Cup for Cross Country Bajas in the team’s Hilux Overdrive, the Dutch/Belgian pairing sure to be front-runners. A trio of Portuguese drivers - João Ramos, Rui Sousa and Paulo Rui Ferreira - round out the FIA priority drivers.

In the fiercely competitive T3 category, Italy’s Michele Cinotto and Fedor Vorobyev top the standings with one win apiece this season. Cinotto, driving a Polaris RZR 1000 Turbo, has a slim one-point advantage over the Russian Can Am Maverick driver as both head into their fourth event of the season. Adel Abdulla is a further 18 points adrift, the Qatari also with a maximum points score on the second round in Dubai and he is joint third alongside Spain’s own Santiago Navarro, who will be looking to uphold honours for his home country. Omani Abdullah Al Zubair is also chasing hard, fifth in the category. Four crews will be fighting for victory in the T2 Trophy for Drivers.

PROVISIONAL RALLY DATA

BAJA ARAGÓN – TIMETABLE & MEDIA OPPORTUNITIES