MOTOR SPORTS NEWS

Latest News

  • Josh Moffett lifts another Clonakilty Park Hotel West Cork Rally winner’s trophy
  • Big win for Nasser & Toyota GR DKR Hilux in the Qatar International Baja
  • Alfa Romeo F1 Driver Valtteri Bottas picks up his new Alfa Giulia GTAm
  • All go at Mondello Park – Events during 2023
  • Alpine A110 San Remo 73 limited edition pays tribute to the brand’s glorious rallying past
  • Home
  • News
  • Dakar
    • DAKAR 2016
    • Dakar 2015
  • Cross-Country Rally
  • Notice Board
  • Rally
  • Motorbike
  • Touring Cars
  • Circuit Racing
  • Events
  • follow
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Google+
    • Pinterest
    • RSS Feed
    • Linked
    • Youtube

5 TOYOTA’s entered by Overdrive Racing in Baja Aragón Teruel 2018

Jul 14, 2018


  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
Tweet
  • Russian former FIA World Cup winner Vladimir Vasilyev joins Overdrive Racing
  • Domzala, Pons, Van Loon and Calleja to drive further Toyotas in Spain

Overdrive Racing kick-starts a hectic two weeks of global motor sport activity when it fields five cars in Baja Aragón Teruel 2018, the seventh round of the FIA World Cup for Cross-Country Rallies,this weekend.

The Belgian car preparations company will also be running cars in the Silk Way Rally in Russia next week but the team’s focus switches to the baking heat of central Spain and the challenges that await on the three-day Spanish round of the FIA World Cup that the team has won for the last two years with Qatari Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah.

Russian driver Vladimir Vasilyev has switched allegiance and will drive a Toyota Hilux with Overdrive Racing for the first time in Spain. The 48-year-old 2014 FIA World Cup winner currently holds third position in the Drivers’ Championship standings behind Poland’s Jakub Przygonski and Czech Martin Prokop and realises the importance of a podium finish if he is to close in on his rivals with five rounds still to run. Vasilyev, who currently trails the leader by 61 points after six rounds, will be partnered by his usual navigator Konstantin Zhiltsov.

Aron Domzala has endured mixed fortunes this season on select rounds of the FIA World Cup and the talented young Pole teams up with Maciej Marton to drive the second of the Toyota Hiluxes. Domzala finished 12th in Spain last season and his best result of the season thus far was fourth place in Qatar back in April.

Erik van Loon returns to cross-country action for the first time since the Qatar Cross-Country Rally where he finished ninth. The Dutchman and fellow countryman Wouter Rosegaar survived two gentle rolls in Qatar but set some competitive stage times on the other three selective sections to finish ninth overall. They will be targeting the podium on this occasion.

Former WRC driver Xavier ‘Xevi’ Pons has tackled select rounds of the FIA World Cup and the Dakar Rally in recent seasons and the Spaniard joins Overdrive Racing for the first time to drive the fourth Toyota Hilux. He will be partnered in Teruel by fellow Spaniard Diego San Juan.

Pons’s pace is undeniable on select special stages and the 38-year-old Catalan will be aiming to repeat the five fourth-placed finished he earned at the WRC rounds in Spain in 2005 and in Sardinia, Turkey, Australia and New Zealand the following year.

A fifth Toyota Proto will be driven by the Spanish television personality, mountaineer and adventurer Jesús González Calleja. The rookie driver will be partnered by Jaume Aregall.

Born in Fresno de la Vega, the 53-year-old climbed Mount Everest in 2005 and completed the Seven Summits (the highest mountains on each continent) ascents between 2006 and 2008. A renowned pilot, he also presents and stars in the programmes Calleja of Cautro and Volando Voy and Energy television channels.

Calleja has tackled the Dakar Rally in the past and also select cross-country rallies in T2 and club level T1. The progression to a factory-specification T1 car is an impressive step-up for the Spaniard.

Overdrive Racing’s CEO Jean-Marc Fortin said: “Baja Spain is the strongest of the shorter rounds of the FIA World Cup in terms of the strength of the entry and it is always a very  demanding rally with tricky stages and very high summer temperatures. I am delighted to welcome Vladimir and Konstantin to the team and also Xevi and Jesús and their teams.

“We have a strong driver line-up and will be pushing hard for the podium and also trying to support Vladimir in his challenge for the FIA World Cup title this year.”

After technical scrutineering and administration checks on Thursday (July 19) and Friday morning (July 20), the competitive action gets underway with a timed 13.46km super special stage from 18.21hrs on Friday evening.

The bulk of the 521.42km of action takes place on revised stages on Saturday (July 21) and Sunday (July 22). There are two selective sections of 227.51km (08.03hrs – first car) and 154.85km (13.31hrs – first car) on Saturday and one of 125.60km from 11.25hrs on Sunday before the podium ceremony in Teruel on Sunday afternoon.

FIA World Cup for Cross-Country Rallies – standings after round 6:

  1. Jakub Przygonski (POL) 216pts
  2. Martin Prokop (CZE) 158pts
  3. Vladimir Vasilyev (RUS) 155pts
  4. Yazeed Al-Rajhi (SAU) 60pts
  5. Yasir Seaidan (SAU) 58pts
  6. José Luis Pena Campo (ESP) 45pts
  7. Ahmed Al-Shegawi (SAU) 40pts
  8. Claude Fournier (FRA) 31pts
  9. Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah (QAT) 30pts
  10. Aron Domzala (POL) 24pts
  11. Cyril Despres (FRA) 24pts, etc


  • tweet
Related articles
  • Josh Moffett lifts another Clonakilty Park Hotel West Cork Rally winner’s trophy
    Josh Moffett lifts another Clonakilty...

    Mar 20, 2023 Comments Off on Josh Moffett lifts another Clonakilty Park Hotel West Cork Rally winner’s trophy

  • Big win for Nasser & Toyota GR DKR Hilux in the Qatar International Baja
    Big win for Nasser & Toyota GR DKR...

    Mar 20, 2023 Comments Off on Big win for Nasser & Toyota GR DKR Hilux in the Qatar International Baja

  • Alfa Romeo F1 Driver Valtteri Bottas picks up his new Alfa Giulia GTAm
    Alfa Romeo F1 Driver Valtteri Bottas...

    Mar 18, 2023 Comments Off on Alfa Romeo F1 Driver Valtteri Bottas picks up his new Alfa Giulia GTAm

  • All go at Mondello Park – Events during 2023
    All go at Mondello Park – Events...

    Mar 18, 2023 Comments Off on All go at Mondello Park – Events during 2023

More in this category
  • Josh Moffett lifts another Clonakilty Park Hotel West Cork Rally winner’s trophy
    Josh Moffett lifts another Clonakilty...

    Comments Off on Josh Moffett lifts another Clonakilty Park Hotel West Cork Rally winner’s trophy

  • Big win for Nasser & Toyota GR DKR Hilux in the Qatar International Baja
    Big win for Nasser & Toyota GR DKR...

    Comments Off on Big win for Nasser & Toyota GR DKR Hilux in the Qatar International Baja

  • Alfa Romeo F1 Driver Valtteri Bottas picks up his new Alfa Giulia GTAm
    Alfa Romeo F1 Driver Valtteri Bottas...

    Comments Off on Alfa Romeo F1 Driver Valtteri Bottas picks up his new Alfa Giulia GTAm

  • All go at Mondello Park – Events during 2023
    All go at Mondello Park – Events...

    Comments Off on All go at Mondello Park – Events during 2023


Fleet Car Magazine

Notice Board

  • For Sale! 1991 Jordan-Ford driven by Mick Schumacher at Bonhams Grandes Marques du Monde à Paris auction
    For Sale! 1991 Jordan-Ford driven by Mick Schumacher at...

    Jan 18, 2023

    Tweet1991 Jordan-Ford driven by Mick Schumacher in 2021 to...
  • Opel Ireland partners with Mondello Park to launch 2022 EARLY-DRIVE road safety programme
    Opel Ireland partners with Mondello Park to launch 2022...

    Aug 21, 2022

    TweetA unique young driver education programme, developed...
  • Goodyear FIA ETRC pays tribute to Anthony Janiec
    Goodyear FIA ETRC pays tribute to Anthony Janiec

    Aug 07, 2022

    Tweet The Goodyear FIA ETRC, ETRA Promotion and the entire...
  • Killarney Forestry Rally to raise funds for Air Ambulance
    Killarney Forestry Rally to raise funds for Air Ambulance

    Feb 03, 2022

    TweetRally drivers from across Ireland will help fund...
  • McHugh’s Service Station, Ballindine Mayo Stages Rally, 6 March 2022
    McHugh’s Service Station, Ballindine Mayo Stages Rally, 6...

    Jan 27, 2022

    TweetMayo & District Motorsport Club, organisers of the...

Categories

  • Africa Eco-Race
  • Baja
  • BRC
  • Circuit Racing
  • Cross-Country Rally
  • Dakar
  • Dakar 2015
  • DAKAR 2016
  • DAKAR 2017
  • DAKAR 2019 PERU
  • DAKAR RALLY 2018
  • EV Motorsport
  • Events
  • EverGreeens: Irish Abroad
  • Extreme E
  • Forestry Rally
  • Formula 1
  • Hillclimb
  • IndyCar Series
  • Interview
  • Middle East Rally Championship
  • Morocco Rally
  • Motorbike
  • News
  • Notice Board
  • Rally
  • RallyX
  • Related products
  • Review
  • Sportscars
  • Touring Cars
  • Tribute
  • Truck Racing
  • Uncategorized
  • Video
  • WRC
Tweets by @IrMotSportNews

Recent Posts

Big win for Nasser & Toyota GR DKR Hilux in the Qatar International Baja

Big win for Nasser & Toyota GR DKR Hilux in the Qatar...

Mar 20, 2023

TweetQatar’s Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah and co-driver Mathieu Baumel clinched victory in the car category in their Toyota GR DKR Hilux, while Polish KTM rider Konrad Dabrowski stayed clear of late...
Read More
Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah wins the 2023 Qatar Baja in the Toyota GR DKR Hilux

Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah wins the 2023 Qatar Baja...

Mar 18, 2023

2 new winners at Season 3 opener hints at closest Extreme E Championship yet

2 new winners at Season 3 opener hints at closest...

Mar 18, 2023

RECORD QUALITY ENTRY FOR 2023 QATAR INTERNATIONAL BAJA

RECORD QUALITY ENTRY FOR 2023 QATAR INTERNATIONAL...

Mar 15, 2023

Excitement builds for closest Extreme E season yet

Excitement builds for closest Extreme E season

Mar 10, 2023

Copyright 2016 / All rights reserved