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 | 20th Italian Baja: Rally started, G-Force exclusion and Holowczyc winner
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The FIA World Cup for Cross Country Rally started today in Pordenone/Italy, representing the opening race of the FIA World Cup and the Italian Championship for Cross Country Rallies (cars), the FIM World Cup (bikes), the European UEM and the Italian FMI (bikes and quads). Three
trucks of the Orobica Raid Team were be also lined up at the starting line.
Administrative checks and technical controls took part for all 122 participants at the Pordenone Fair, Head Quarter of the race, both Thursday in the afternoon and Friday in the morning. Official start was from Piazza del Popolo in Sacile, with a following transfer until Cordenons, in the "Colonia" area, along the Meduna bank.
Nearly a drama was the exclusion of the three Russian G-Force Prototypes of Boris Gadasin, Vladimir Vasilyev and Bogdan Novitskiy. As the representatives told, the cars didn´t pass the technical scrutineering because of a too big air restrictor. The team made a protest against this descision, we will see what will happen oin Saturday...
Winner of the first short Special was the Polish X-raid driver Kristof Holowczyc with his Mini All4 Racing in his first race after his Dakar-crash in January witrh 6:27 minutes in front of the Brasilian Reinaldo Varela, first time in an Overdrive Toyota Hilux (+8 Sec), Ruslan Misikov from Russia (also Overdrive Toyota, +15s), Miroslav Zapletal (CZ, Hummer, +15s) and Adam Malysz (PL, Overdrive, +19s).
In the evening there was a toast at the extraordinary Galadinner organized at 8:00 inside of the central Fair Pavilion: "A double event" to celebrate the 20th Anniversary of the Italian Baja. Guests are supposed to be over 750, including all participants, authorities, sponsors and special guests, as for example the ACI President, Angelo Sticchi Damiani, the President of the Region Friuli Venezia Giulia, Renzo Tondo, the ex World Rally champion Miki Biasion and even Mrs. Michelle Mouton, the first Lady who won a World Rally race (in the 80s with her Audi A4), nowadays prestigious FIA member.
On Saturday and Sunday challengers will chose other country routes towered by the surrounding mountains and crossed by the Cosa torrent and the Tagliamento river; last days' heavy rains obliged organizers to some small route change along the Selective Sectors "Mosaico" and "Rauscedo", now 73 km long. The Prize Giving Ceremony will be hosted at the Pordenone Fair on Sunday afternoon: at 3:30pm for bikes and quads; at 5:00pm for cars and trucks.
2013/03/15 | 21:25 CET | ARTICLE: MR/HS/IB
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