For Krzysztof Holowczyc, the Baja Italy was the first rally following his accident in the 2013 Dakar. By finishing – together with his German co-driver Andreas Schulz – second, the MINI ALL4 Racing driver demonstrated that he still has got what it takes to make it to the very top. In the end, the pairing crossed the finish line just 12 seconds behind the Brazilians Reinaldo Varela und Gustavo Gugelmin in a Toyota. Third place was secured by Frenchman Jean-Louis Schlesser in a buggy.
Holowczyc made a successful start into the event by winning the ‘Superspeziale’ on Friday. On the following days, he also succeeded in winning several special stages and the MINI ALL4 Racing survived another event without encountering any technical problems whatsoever. The final special stages turned out to be a tough and extremely close battle for the win between Holowczyc and Varela, with the Brazilian getting the upper hand, in the end.
“The Baja went very well for us and we are happy with our achievements,” said Monster Energy X-raid Team Manager Sven Quandt. “We congratulate Toyota on their win – they were really fast, in Italy. And the battle between Krzysztof and Reinaldo was a true thriller until the rally was over.”
Result Baja Italy:
1st R. Varela (BRA) / G. Gugelmin (BRA) Toyota – 3h 42m 11s
2nd K. Holowczyc (POL) / A. Schulz (GER) MINI ALL4 Racing – 3h 42m 23s
3rd J.-L. Schlesser (FRA) / K. Zhiltsov (RUS) Buggy – 3h 49m 45s
