There was no beating the Polish pair of Krzysztof Holowczyc and Lukas Kurzeja at the Baja Poland. The MINI JCW Rally duo won round six of the FIA World Cup for Cross-Country Bajas in commanding fashion. Yasir Seaidan (KSA) and Alexey Kuzmich (RUS) finished fourth in a MINI JCW Rally. In doing so, Seaidan successfully defended his lead in the overall FIA standings. Russians Denis Krotov and Konstantin Zhiltsov came home tenth on their debut in a MINI JCW Buggy. Michal Maluszynski and Julita Maluszynska (both POL) suffered an issue with their electronics and were unable to resume on Sunday.
Holowczyc was unbeatable at his home event. The Pole finished over ten minutes clear of the second-placed car. The MINI JCW Rally driver clocked the fastest time on five of the seven stages.
Seaidan took another step towards winning the FIA World Cup for Cross-Country Bajas. Fourth place in Poland was good enough to maintain his lead in the overall standings. The Saudi driver still has two events to come.
“The first days were very nice and the Baja went well for us,” Seaidan reports. “On the last day it rained a lot and heavily. It was difficult for me to drive in the conditions. I am happy with fourth place.”
The Baja Poland was Krotov’s first rally in the MINI JCW Buggy. Right from the word go, he was at one with the two-wheel drive vehicle. However, the narrow and winding routes in Poland do not suit the Buggy. As such, Krotov repeatedly lost time on the stages.
The ninth and penultimate event of the FIA World Cup for Cross-Country Bajas is the Italian Baja, which takes place from 9th to 12th September 2021.
Baja Poland overall standings
1. K. Holowczyc / L. Kurzeja – MINI JCW Rally – 4h 53m 01s
2. Y. Al-Rajhi / M. Orr – Toyota – 5h 03m 44s
3. B. Vanagas / F. Palmeiro – Toyota – 5h 07m 49s
4. Y. Seaidan / A. Kuzmich – MINI JCW Rally – 5h 08m 54s
5. M. Zapletal / M. Sykora – Ford – 5h 16m 40s
