Pordenone, 6th July_
In 6 years the Italian Baja couldn’t take Argentinian Juan Cruz out of its mind - and now, at the end of 430 timed km of track, the podium is his and of his Toyota Hilux with a total time of 5:40’40’’2’. In 2019 Oralndo Terranova on a Mini X-Raid was able to conquer the victory, eased by a broken wheel on his teammate Jakub Przygonski’s vehicle. Now another Argentinian from Mendoza - frequent stop for climbers on their way to Aconcagua, the highest peak in the South American continent (says Wikipedia) - is now ascending at the top of the Italian stage of the World Cup FIA Baja. Unquestioned protagonist since yesterday morning’s prologue on the riverbed of Meduna in Cordenons and in the two laps of 35 km of “Rivignano” raced in 26’30’’ and 25’51’’, Yacopini woke up this morning demoted of three positions due to a penalty of 2’ for exceeding the speed limit in a sector, given just a few minutes before midnight. Behind him, on a Toyota Hilux too, the most efficient and suitable pick-up on the insidious riverbeds, the rivals Portuguese Francisco Barreto, Lithuanian Benediktas Vanagas and Polish Martin Kaczmarski, who would have been first without a 1’ penalty.
This morning Yacopini took the first selective sector “Tagliamento” by storm - 120 km subdivided in two parts by a neutralization near Madrisio’s bridge between Morsano al Tagliamento and Varmo - fighting his way to the top finishing at 1:39’01’ and, therefore, reassessing the ranking: Kaczmarski second, Vanagas third and Barreto fourth. The ranking didn’t change after the second lap finished by Yacopini at 1:34’24’’, except for wider time gaps and a very deep trench dividing the “fab fours” from the rest of the contestants. The same happened in the third and in the last “Tagliamento” where Yacopini sprinted with no pity in 1:32’51’’ to underline a his supremacy to his colleagues on the podium - Kaczmarski at 5’10’’ and Vanagas at 7’16’’.
Far but stubborn Miroslav Zapletal, coming to Pordenone from his Czec Republic as a provisional World Cup leader, put in trouble by some mechanical problems on his Ford F150 Evo.
NATIONAL RACE. Most difficult and intriguing challenge, the most indigestible and engaging. The Italian Baja, jewel in the crown both for the Italian Championship and for the hosted Hungarian cup, stressed the vehicles competing, even thought with one lap less on Friday in “Rivignano” and yesterday in “Tagliamento”. At the end the winner was Manuele Mengozzi on Toyota Hilux Overdrive navigated by Elisa Tassile in 4:12’38’’, seconds cum laude Andrea Castagnera and Alberto Marcon on a Brp Can Am Maverick, thirds Magiars Zsolt Hoffer and Robert Tagai on Overdrive Ot3. To the initial blitz in the Cordenons prologue by Federico Buttò on a Can Am (8’48’’) followed the Castagera’s attack on “Rivignano” (27’53’’) with Mengozzi taking over and then yesterday morning he conquered his rivals in the first “Tagliamento” (1:43’48’’) to the point of getting into “traffic mode”, blessing Zoltan Garamvolgyi on Garilla X3 Evo (1:47’14’’) with the last car honk. For the Italian overall Cross Country ranking Italian Baja’s double coefficient makes Mengozzi take off.
Italian Baja Press Office
