Overdrive Racing is sending a powerful fleet of six Toyota Hiluxes to this weekend’s ORLEN Baja Poland, round nine of the FIA World Cup for Cross-Country Rallies.

Based at Szczecin and taking place on September 1-3, the three-day event attracts one of the largest entries in the cross-country calendar and 134 cars, bikes, quads and trucks will take part on this occasion.

Overdrive Racing has the most impressive team in the entire field with the Dutch trio of Bernhard Ten Brinke, Erik Van Loon and Peter van Merksteijn joining Dane Jes Munk, the host nation’s Aron Domzala and defending FIA World Cup champion Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah in the line-up.

Qatar’s Al-Attiyah and French navigator Matthieu Baumel arrive in Sczcecin directly from competing in the Rally of Lebanon and Al-Attiyah currently has a 72-point lead in the drivers’ standings. Victory in Poland - to follow five previous wins this season in Dubai, Qatar, Kazakhstan, Spain and Hungary - would give Al-Attiyah at least an advantage of 81 points to take to the final two rounds of the series in Morocco and Portugal in October. Al-Attiyah claimed his first victory in Poland last season.

“This is an important rally for me and the whole team and the outcome could put us in a very strong position to retain the FIA World Cup title,” said Al-Attiyah. “It is not an easy rally and there is strong competition, particularly from the local drivers in Poland.”

Poland’s Aron Domzala holds fifth in the championship standings after finishing in a similar position in Hungary earlier this month and claiming victory in Russia in February. The talented young driver again teams up with Szymon Gospodarczyk after working alongside Maciej Marton on the last few rallies in a second Toyota.

The Dutch trio of Ten Brinke, Van Loon and Van Mersteijn have impressive levels of experience in cross-country rallying and have worked with Overdrive Racing in the past. Van Loon and navigator Wouter Rosegaar finished 14^th overall in the Dakar Rally back in January with a Toyota and sixth in April’s Qatar Cross-Country Rally.

Ten Brinke and Belgian navigator Tom Colsoul finished a fine seventh in the Dakar with Overdrive Racing in 2015, although the Dutchman teams up with the experienced Belgian WRC navigator Stéphane Prevot on this occasion.

Van Merksteijn’s return to topflight action with Overdrive Racing sees him team up with the former French Dakar Rally-winning co-driver Pascal Maimon, who worked with the Belgium-based team at the recent Silk Way Rally.

Munk teams up with Poland’s Rafal Marton in the sixth team entry with additional support from Bewa and M-For Sport.

Overdrive Racing’s CEO Jean-Marc Fortin said: “It has been very busy to get the cars ready for this important round of the championship in Poland. It’s a demanding event and one where we have a strong entry and a large team to coordinate. It has been a busy few weeks for everyone with the Silk Way Rally and Spain in July followed by Hungary and Poland in August.”

The seven timed stages are centred around the Dobra and Lubieszyn areas and the military firing range at nearby Drawsko Pomorskie. The action gets underway with the ceremonial start on the scenic Lasztownia island and a timed Prologue stage of 7.08km on Friday evening from 18.00hrs.

There will then two selective sections of around 215.90km apiece on Saturday (September 2) at the firing range from 08.15hrs and 13.45hrs, respectively.

The remaining four timed sections take place on Sunday. There will be two passes through the 18.39km of the Krzekowo stage at 08.40hrs and 12.30hrs and a pair of runs through the 10.50km of Lubieszyn at 09.35hrs and 13.25hrs before the ceremonial finish in Szczecin from 14.30hrs.

FIA World Cup for Cross-Country Rallies – standings after round 8:

1. Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah (QAT)               210pts         

2. Jakub Przygonski (POL)                       138pts

3. Khalid Al-Qassimi (ARE)                        105pts

4. Yasir Saeidan (SAU)                            96pts           

5. Aron Domzala (POL)                           86pts

6. Mohammed Abu Issa (QAT)                84pts

7. Martin Prokop (CZE)                            72pts 

8. Miroslav Zapletal (CZE)                        47pts

9. Leeroy Poulter (ZAF)                           42pts

10. Mikko Hirvonen (FIN)                         37pts, etc

The road had dried up by the second stage of Saturday at HunGarian Baja and the competitors had also become more familiar with the 140-km special stage, so all of them, at least those who did not have any problem, completed the distance faster than in the morning.

The fastest again was Nasser Al-Attiyah, who is faultless up to now (he has won three from three stages), but he cannot not sit back, since Mikko Hirvonen is within reach and he will definitely not give up.

‘The road had been dried up by the second stage and I am very happy that we won the stage, even if we lost around a minute at the end, because I did not want to take any risk in the mud and deep ruts. The car works excellently, but we have to push the pedal on Sunday, too’ said Nasser Al-Attiyah.

However, last year’s winner Mikko Hirvonen has the same plans.

‘We did not slide as much as before and I did not make any mistake, but Nasser was faster anyway, I could not get closer to him. We will drive the same stage tomorrow, but in the opposite direction. It helps a bit, because we more or less know what to expect. It will be difficult to catch Nasser, but I try to push him, since I have nothing to lose, I am not forced to finish the race at all hazards, I can take some risks as well’ said Hirvonen.

Presently Jakub Przygonski lies at the third position. As he admitted it had huge impact on him that there were parallel sections at the stage and he could see Martin Prokop. The Czech was only a bit set back by losing the sixth gear in his car at the beginning of the day. However, now he has big gap behind the Polish, more than 5 minutes, which is not easy to recuperate.

‘We had a great fight with Prokop. Sometimes we could see each other due to the lay-out of the stage and certainly it gave me some motivation, I pushed the gas more’ said Przygonski. ‘We found good pace and we were much faster due to the fact that we had known the stage.’

By the end of the day Pál Lónyai became the best Hungarian with his ninth position. In the morning he had to stop three times due to the steamy windscreen, and once because he wanted to know whether Conrad Rautenbach after having slid into the ditch had no other problems. However, by the afternoon his times improved a lot. ‘That is what it means if I can see’ joked Lónyai. ‘Some people say it is boring to drive the same stage twice, but I must deny it, because this track is extremely enjoyable.’

The Hungarian World Cup race will close with two 98-km stages on Sunday.

HUNGARIAN BAJA, WORLD CUP RACE

Overall classification after 3 stages. Cars:

1. Nasser Al-Attiyah, Mathieu Baumel (Qatari, French, Toyota Hilux) 3:21:40,

2. Hirvonen, Schulz (Finnish, German, Mini John Cooper) +1:24 min,

3. Przygonski, Colsoul (Polish, Belgian, Mini John Cooper) +4:18 min,

…9. Lónyai, Horn (Hungarian, Porsche Macan) +25:44 min.

It was demanding. So much that two-time Dakar winner Nasser Al-Attiyah yet forgot to drink at the nearly 100-km special stage, because he had so many things to do with the track.

Certainly he tried to keep the pace, since he was being hunted by a factory Mini driven by Mikko Hirvonen, who had finished second in the overall classification of the World Rally Championships four times. By the way, the Finnish driver – in the Qatari’s absence – won the Hungarian World Cup race, HunGarian Baja last year.

Hirvonen aimed at repeating his success this year as well, but he did not have any chance, since Nasser Al-Attiyah confirmed his dominancy by winning four from five stages and lost the last one by only 1 second (against Aaron Domzala).

‘I am very happy that I could win in Hungary for the fourth times. I have loved this race since I came here for the first time in 2008. It was not easy at all, I had to focus on until the end, so much that I realised I had forgotten to drink only at the end of the first stage on Sunday. But the weather was great and so is the track, we could see lots of fans by the road and our car worked perfectly, too. Overall we enjoyed it very much’ said Nasser Al-Attiyah.

Mikko Hirvonen already knew after the first stage on Sunday, when his gap behind the leader was more than 3 minutes, that he had chance for the victory only if Al-Attiyah had made mistake. However, the Qatari did not do a favour.

"Nasser (Al-Attiyah) was again very fast, while we had no proper pace to beat him’ said Hirvonen.

"Though I pushed the first 40 km of the morning session to the limit, but later I had some risky moment, so I hold back a bit, but really a bit, because I felt, if I had not done it, we would have rolled over. The second place is not that bad, but surely it never makes me perfectly satisfied."

"I am glad though that although this is our second race with Andy (Schultz), we have worked more and more in harmony. Nasser is a very strong opponent, it will be difficult to make up those seconds and minutes, but I do believe that it can happen.’

The Polish Kuba Przygonski held his third position very steadily. He fought a big battle with Martin Prokop during the weekend, who was eventually hunted by Miroslav Zapletal. By the way, the Czech performs well in the Hungarian championships.

"The first stage of the last day went very well, we pushed the gas and had a great fight with Prokop. The track was a bit different from the one on Saturday, because we arrived at the jumps from the opposite direction, but at least we had some familiar places."

"It was a great race, totally different from the other World Cup races: rather bumpy and due to the rain full of water splashes – that meant the biggest challenge. I am satisfied with the third place, because we achieved it among excellent drivers, in front of us Nasser and Mikko, behind us Prokop, so it can be considered as a quite nice company."

As the best Hungarian Pál Lónyai finished ninth. He competed focusing all the way down and managed to hold his position.

"We drove at the same stage as yesterday, but in the opposite direction and I have to say that it was even more difficult. It meant big challenges for all cars and drivers. We managed to keep the car on the road, but we had some risky moments, when we were just hoping not to turn over."

"It was a real Baja race. The difficulties of today’s stage lied in the fact that it had rained yesterday and the day before, so the field had made lots of ruts and it was not really pleasant to arrive at them from the opposite direction."

Among bikes the second placed biker of last year’s Dakar, the Slovakian Stefan Svitko emerged absolutely from the field. He was extremely fast and he won all the stages even so he fell down at the first one on Sunday.

"The morning session did not go well, because about 50 km after the start the bike slid from under me on the slippery stones, but fortunately either me or my bike had no trouble. Then 30 km before the finish the rear brake was lost, it also caused some difficulties. Overall I am very happy to win my first HunGarian Baja."

Alessandro Ruoso could step on the second place of the podium. He was not unsatisfied either, since the Italian confirmed his leading position in the overall classification of the World Cup.

"It was a great stage, faster than yesterday. I had no problems, everything went well. I know that many people complained about the wind, but it did not disturb me at all and it blew everyone equally. I am at the second place and leading the World Cup overall classification, I do not have anything to complain about."

For the Polish Jan Brabec this race can be regarded as a kind of home race.

"It was a great stage, but I do not like the strong wind yet, it is a bit risky. The track is a technical one. It was slippery on the stones, but overall I like the Hungarian race and I had no problem at all weekend."

As the best Hungarian Richárd Hodola finished 2nd in the European Championships classification. ‘It was a great challenge in this strong international field. I would have been happy to finish in top 10 in the overall what I achieved. I was on my maximum’ – said Hodola.

Overall classification. Cars:

1. Nasser al-Attiyah, Mathieu Baumel (Qatari, French, Toyota Hilux) 5:24:54,

2. Hirvonen, Schulz (Finnish, German, Mini John Cooper) +3:38 min,

3. Przygonski, Colsoul (Polish, Belgian, Mini John Cooper) +8:02 min,

Bikes:

1. Stefan Svitko (Slovakian, KTM) 5:37:54,

2. Ruoso (Italian, KTM) 16:53 min,

3. Brabec (Polish, Husqvarna) 22:20 min

The official starting ceremony and a short special stage launched the Hungarian cross-country World Cup race, the HunGarian Baja.

Óváros Square of Veszprém was filled with life – with bikers, car and truck drivers. Nobody knew what to prefer: looking at the vehicles or trying to catch the competitors for a photo.

The starting ceremony took place in nice atmosphere, but it seemed obvious that the entrants were already thinking of the first stage. The crowd pleaser super special being full of jumps was not a long one (only 11 km), but it served as the starting of the race, moreover the first best ten drivers could choose their starting position for Saturday. Tactically it was not irrelevant, since rain was forecasted by night, so it may mean a lot, who cleans the road on Saturday.

The winner of the super special, Nasser al-Attiyah – as opposed to his normal routine – was not daredevil this time, but even more tactical: he chose the fourth starting position, while last year’s winner Mikko Hirvonen could start from tenth position.

‘The Hungarian race is always difficult, so I expect big battle, but certainly my aim cannot be else, but victory. First I competed here in 2008 and since then I always return with great pleasure. And what is my tactics? There is no tactics, I just push the pedal as much as I can’ said Nasser al-Attiyah. And then while answering a bit funny question that he comes here so many times as if he comes home as a Hungarian citizen, he said ‘Why not? It is a beautiful country’.

By the way, at the press conference held before the starting ceremony they continuously pulled each other’s leg with Mikko Hirvonen, who told that since the Qatari driver had kicked his bottom at the Spanish World Cup race, now he decided to take a revenge. ‘I expect huge battle, because last year the organisers laid down very difficult stages, I liked the forest roads as well as the shooting range. There is no room for tactics, Nasser is a very strong opponent’ said Hirvonen.

The best Hungarian was Imre Fodor, who finished at ninth place and finally he could start from the same position.

Among bikes Stefan Svitko was the fastest at the 11-km super special. It may be interesting that the Slovakian competitor, who finished second at last year’s Dakar, has never competed in Hungary even if we are speaking of two neighbouring countries. ‘I do not know the stages at all, but the others advised me to pay attention for using the road book. I do feel it is time to learn how to use it properly’ he joked, but at the same time it seemed he would take on the race very seriously regarding it as important training for Dakar.

Italian Alessandro Ruoso finished second behind him. He knows perfectly how to win in Hungary, because once he did it, although that particular race was taken place on different stages. ‘I am leading the championships, but my situation is not easy, so this race is very important for me considering the overall result’ declared Ruoso.

Among bikes the best Hungarian was Richárd Hodola with his 12th position.

The 140-km stage, which is completed twice on Saturday, will provide perfect occasion for the competitors to gain some gaps.