The Spanish opener will be followed by rounds in Greece, Italy, a second event in Spain, Hungary, Poland and a pair of Portuguese events in the autumn.
Club Deportivo Cuenca Motor 4×4 established Rallye TT Cuenca in 2016 and it became a round of the Spanish All-Terrain Rally Championship (CERTT). The event made the step up to becoming the opening round of the FIA European series this year.
Changes to the format of the championship means that six designated scores from eight rounds will count towards points on this occasion. Titles will be awarded to overall drivers, navigators and teams, in addition to crews in the Ultimate, Challenger, SSV and Stock categories and to the leading Junior and Master driver.
Baja TT Cuenca has attracted a 26-car entry with 11 crews registered for the FIA European Baja Cup. Half a dozen will be chasing Ultimate honours, with a single entrant competing in both Challenger and Stock and three aiming to score points in the SSV category.
Benediktas Vanagas and Aisvydas Paliukenas are the top seeds in their Gurtam Toyota Gazoo Racing Baltics-entered Hilux Evo. The experienced Lithuanian will be hoping to make the perfect start to his European Baja campaign, although he faces stiff competition in the Ultimate section.
Toyota Gazoo Racing Caetano Portugal has entered a Hilux for João Ramos and Pedro Ré and the Trebur-based X-Raid team fields a Mini JCW Rally 3.0d for Maria Gameiro and her Spanish navigator Rosa Romero. Gameiro will tackle both the FIA European Baja Cup and the Spanish Off-Road Championship this year.
Poland’s Magdalena Zając returns for more European Baja action in her Proxcars TME Rally Team Toyota Hilux alongside navigator Blazen Czekan. UAE-based Aliyyah Koloc is more at home over desert terrain but teams up with Poland’s Marcin Pasek in a Buggyra ZM Racing Red-Lined Revo GTR.
Jose Rogeiro and Paulo Marques wheel out a PRK Sport Rally Team Ford Ranger to round off the list of registered Ultimate crews.
Non-registered teams include Luis Recuenco and Daniel Cámara in a GPR Sport Toyota Hilux and Alejandro Martins and David Monteiro in a diesel-engined Mini JCW Rally.
Only one of the five Challenger crews will be chasing FIA championship points in Spain. Portugal’s Dinis Rogeira and Nelson Ramos will be aiming for a strong finish in a PRK Sport Rally Team Can-Am.
Three of the eight SSV crews are chasing championship points in Can-Am Maverick Rs. Rúben Rodrigues and Tiago Magalhães lead the way and face competition from the fellow Portuguese crews of Paulo Rodrigues/Fausto Mota and Filipe Lopes/Gonçalo Reis.
Santag Racing’s Afonso Oliveira and Rui Pita are not registered for the FIA European Baja Cup but crew the first of three Polaris RZR Pro Rs on the entry list.
The Portuguese duo of Fernando Barreiros and Jose Sa Pires return to action in the Stock category in their trusty Isuzu D-Max. They are the only team in the class for series-production cross-country machines.
The Polish duo of Bartlomiej Wajzer and Ernest Górecki used the points-scoring system to full advantage last year to confirm the overall Driver and Navigator and Stock titles. The Pole was also the leading Master driver, while Afonso Oliveira topped the Juniors and the SSVs with his navigator Fabio Belo.
Wlodimierz Grajek and his navigator Michal Goleniewski topped the Ultimate standings. Success in Challenger went to Miguel Angel Valero and Carlos Ruiz.
Action gets underway with a Prologue of 10.20km to determine the starting order on Friday (May 8th), close to the city of Cuenca which is the capital of the province of the same name.
Competitors will then tackle two stages of 170.08km and 101.09km on Saturday (May 9th) and a further 108.50km on Sunday (May 10th). In a route of 525.18km, 389.87 kilometres will be timed against the clock.
Ultimate
200. Benediktas Vanagas (LTU)/Aisvydas Paliukenas (LTU) Toyota Hilux EVO*
201. João Ramos (POR)/Pedro Ré (POR) Toyota Hilux*
202. Jose Rogeira (POR)/Paulo Marques (POR) Ford Ranger T1+*
203. Aliyyah Koloc (UAE)/Marcin Pasek (POL) Red-Lined Revo GTR*
204. Alejandro Martins (POR)/David Monteiro (POR) Mini JCW Rally 3.0d
205. Luis Recuenco (ESP)/Daniel Cámara (ESP) Toyota Hilux Evo
206. Mariusz Wiatr (POL)/Lukasz Laskawiec (POL) Ford F-150
207. Adam Lacko (CZE)/Mirko Brun (ITA) Red-Lined Revo T1+
208. Maria Gameiro (POR)/Rosa Romero (ESP) Mini JCW Rally 3.0d*
209. Magdalena Zając (POL)/Blazej Czekan (POL) Toyota Hilux*
210. Miguel Casaca (POR)/Carlos Mendes (POR) Volkswagen Amarok
211. Josep Sole (ESP)/Oscar Bravo (ESP) Century CR6
Challenger
300. Dinis Rogeira (POR)/Nelson Ramos (POR) Can-Am Maverick X3*
301. Gaël Queralt (ESP)/Marc Sola (ESP) Taurus Evo Max
302. Juan Gasso (ESP)/Ion Del Cid (ESP) G-Rally Team OT3
303. Luis Climent (ESP)/Ricardo Ranero (ESP) Can-Am Maverick X3
304. Alexis Romero (ESP)/Javier Alvarez (ESP) Herrator Inzane 901
SSV
400. Rúben Rodrigues (POR)/ Tiago Magalhães (POR) Can-Am Maverick R*
401. Paulo Rodrigues (POR)/Fausto Mota (POR) Can-Am Maverick R*
402. Filipe Lopes (POR)/Gonçalo Reis (POR) Can-Am Maverick R*
403. Afonso Oliveira (POR)/Rui Pita (POR) Polaris RXR Pro R
404. Federico Mogni (ESP)/David Aguado (ESP) Polaris RXR Pro R
405. Kevin Haran (GBR)/Daniel Jordão (POR) Polaris RXR Pro R
406. Enrique Reyes (ESP)/Carlos Ruiz (ESP) Can-Am Maverick R
407. Philip McVay (ESP)/Santiago Costa (ESP) Can-Am Maverick R
Stock
500. Fernando Barreiros (POR)/Jose Sa Pires (POR) Isuzu D-Max*
*denotes registered for FIA European Baja Cup
Timetable of events
Administration checks 15.00-18.00hrs, Rally HQ, Cuenca
Scrutineering checks 16.00-21.30hrs, Rally HQ, Cuenca
Friday, May 8
Shakedown 09.00-13.00hrs, TBA
Prologue – Cuenca, 10.20km 17.30hrs – first car
Ceremonial start, Plaza La Hispanidad 9, Cuenca 19.45hrs
Saturday, May 9
SS1 – Nohales-Colliguilla, 170.08km 10.15hrs – first car
SS2 – Nohales-Colliguilla, 101.09km 16.40hrs – first car
Sunday, May 10
SS3 – Colliguilla-Villar de Domingo Garcia, 108.05km 09.25hrs – first car
Prize giving ceremony 16.00hrs, Rally HQ, Cuenca
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