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The “Gurtam Toyota Gazoo Racing Baltics” crew, piloted by Benediktas Vanagas and navigated by Aisvydas Paliukėnas, successfully completed the prologue. In the standings, the Lithuanians are third in the absolute classification and first in the European Cup. The crew completed the track in 03:59 minutes.
Engine stalled after just 100 meters
Today, the athletes began their battle in a short but strategically important 6.17 km prologue. Its results will determine the starting positions for Saturday’s and Sunday’s main mountain stages.
“The prologue is finished. I feel a bit like a first-grader because just 100 meters from the start, in a sharp turn, I managed to lock the wheels and stall the engine. We had to restart the car, so we lost some time. But overall, I think the result is very positive,” commented B. Vanagas, the Lithuanian who has started in the Dakar Rally the most times, on the start.
An interesting engineering detail – for these races, the anti-lag operating principle of the “Black Hawk” engine was changed. Since the “Baja Greece” tracks are particularly narrow, the engineer programmatically reduces the engine’s anti-lag after heavy braking to make it easier to turn into such corners. Turn-in increases, but engine power decreases in such places – this led to the unexpected stall.
Navigator Aisvydas Paliukėnas adds: “The prologue was slippery in places, we once plunged into a wall of dust, and apart from the stall, which cost us some time, everything else was fine.”
What awaits tomorrow?
This evening, the top ten will choose their starting positions for tomorrow. The real challenge of the race will begin on Saturday, as the prologue time does not count towards the overall race distance.
According to the crew, Saturday will be long, fast, narrow, hot, and quite difficult. The specifics of the track require not only maximum speed but also technical precision, as narrow mountain roads leave no room for even the slightest piloting errors.
According to experts, not only surgical driving but also the ability to manage technical overheating will determine who will stand on the winners’ podium this weekend.
Double FIA Championship Status
“Baja Greece 2026” holds a unique place in the international motorsport calendar this year, as the event simultaneously counts towards two tournaments: it is the third stage of the “FIA World Baja Cup” and the second stage of the “FIA European Baja Cup.”
In the European Cup, Dakar Rally legend Benediktas Vanagas faces his biggest challenge from Frenchman Lionel Baud, driving a “Mini JCW Rally” car.
In the World Cup standings, Saudi Arabian racer Dania Akeel, representing the “Overdrive Toyota” team, is considered one of the main favorites. However, she faces very serious resistance from European aces.
FIA European Baja Cup
“Baja Greece” is one of eight stages of the FIA European Baja Cup. The total race route is as much as 800 kilometers, of which 550 kilometers will be special stages. The “Gurtam Toyota Gazoo Racing Baltics” team is attacking the race with the “Toyota GR DKR Hilux EVO T1+ Ultimate” car. In the final cup standings, six results from each crew will be counted.
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