For 10 years, the Wysoka Grzęda Baja Poland has been the most important event in the calendar of baja rallies in Poland. On the last weekend of August the FIA World Cup will again come to Szczecin, Dobra and Drawsko Pomorskie. There will be no shortage of world motorsport stars!

Three days of struggle, seven special stages, over 460 kilometers of rally driving on the longest and most difficult rally routes in Poland - we know the first details of this year's edition of Wysoka Grzęda Baja Poland. 

On the extremely demanding routes we will see not only the fastest rally cars, trucks, SSV vehicles, motorcycles and quads, but also, which will be a novelty, classic cross-country rally cars from the past.

World class rank and championship trophies
The rally routes of the Wysoka Grzęda Baja Poland will be the arena to compete not only for the FIA World Cup titles, but also for a new rally series - the FIA European Cup for Cross-Country Bajas, so as every year there will be no shortage of emotions. 

"It is already the 10th year in a row when the Baja Poland is a round of the FIA World Cup. We are very proud to represent Poland in the prestigious FIA International Sporting Calendar, next to such rally cycles as WRC or ERC" - says Sławomir Wasiak, president of the Baja Poland Foundation, the organizer of the competition.

The first edition of the Baja Poland was held in 2009 and was won by Balasz Szalay and Laszlo Bunkoczi in an Opel Antara, and in 2012 the rally had its debut in the FIA World Cup, when Krzysztof Hołowczyc won it for the third time in a row, this time navigated by Portuguese Filipe Palmerio in a Mini ALL4 Racing. 

Holowczyc is the leader among the rally's winners, with 6 victories (2010 - Nissan Navara, 2011 - BMW X3 CC, 2012 - Mini ALL4 Racing, 2014 - Mini ALL4 Racing, 2015 - Mini ALL4 Racing, 2019 - Mini John Cooper Works Rally) to his credit, including 4 in the FIA World Cup rankings. Two victories (2016 - Toyota Hilux Overdrive, 2017 - Toyota Hilux Overdrive) in Baja Poland can be boasted by the Poles' fiercest rival, Qatari Nasser Al-Attiyah, piloted by Frenchman Mathieu Baumel. The three-time winner of the Dakar Rally Al-Attiyah has often underlined that he really enjoys the Baja Poland routes and is always happy to come to Poland. 

Russian duo Alexander Zheludov and Andrei Rudnitski (2013 - Toyota Hilux Overdrive), Jakub Przygońsk (2018 - Mini John Cooper Works Rally) and last year's triumphant Dutchman Bernhard ten Brinke (2020 - Toyota Hilux Overdrive) each have one victory to their credit. Both Przygoński and ten Brinke were navigated by Belgian Tom Colsoul during their winning runs in Baja Poland, who thus has two wins as a co-driver (2018 - Mini, 2020 - Toyota), alongside such winning co-drivers as Łukasz Kurzeja (2015 - Mini, 2019 - Mini), Frenchman Jean-Marc Fortin (2010 - Nissan, 2011 - BMW) and Frenchman Xavier Panseri (2014 - Mini).

In turn, the FIA European Cup is a newly established series of regional cross-country bajas, similar to the European Rally Championship - ERC. Its interesting and accessible formula makes many drivers interested in taking part in it, which may attract even more interesting drivers and their often no less interesting vehicles to Szczecin, Dobra and Drawsko Pomorskie.

The Baja Poland is also one of the rounds of the FIA Central European Zone Cross-Country Championship, in which Polish rally crews have been playing a dominant role for years. In addition, Polish cross-country rally is a qualifier for championships and cups from Poland and Czech Republic in car and motorcycle sport.

All this guarantees international representation and a long entry list, but the Baja Poland Foundation provides more opportunities for practically all cross-country rally enthusiasts to pursue their passions.  

Baja Poland - a rally for everyone
For the first time this year, there is a special category for classic cross-country rally cars at every level of the competition in Poland. This project was inspired by the Dakar Classic Rally, which showed that cross-country rally cars from years ago still have great potential and can be successfully raced all the time. 

"The first classics have already announced their start at Wysoka Grzęda Baja Poland, so motoring enthusiasts will be able to watch not only extremely fast drives in modern rally cars, but also beautiful and classic lines of cross-country youngtimers" - says Marcin Fiejdasz, the Clerk of the Course of the Wysoka Grzęda Baja Poland Rally.

Apart from the classics, in the Wysoka Grzęda Baja Poland everyone will have an opportunity to try their hand at the same routes as the top competitors from the Polish Championship and the FIA World Cup.

Especially for this purpose, the Baja Poland Foundation has established this season an innovative series of Baja Poland Series, which is dedicated to participants without a license and thus opens the way for them to take part in both the Polish Cup and Polish Championship, as well as many international European and World rallies. It is not only a gateway to " big" motorsport, but first of all it is a formula which provides every enthusiast of cross-country rallies with an opportunity to start, learn, have fun at a high organizational level and follow their passions and dreams.

After a four-month break from the Jordan Baja, the Baja España Aragon, which returns to the FIA World Cup calendar after a year-long break due to the COVID-19 epidemic, will be contested this weekend. In Spain we will see a strong group of Polish drivers, including the winner of the Wysoka Grzęda Baja Drawsko Pomorskie 2021 and Baja Wysoka Grzęda 2021 - Krzysztof Hołowczyc. Baja España Aragon will also start the FIA European Cup.

Before the stars of world motorsport come to Wysoka Grzęda Baja Poland, the FIA World and European Cup drivers will compete in Hungarian Baja in early August and after the Baja Poland we will see them in early September at the 28th Italian Baja and in late October at the Baja Portalegre 500.

The entry list for the Wysoka Grzęda Baja Poland is only open for a short time and already competitors from Poland and abroad are registering and will fill the rally camp at Szczecin-Dąbie Airfield on August 26-29. All entrants will be announced on 19 August, when the entry list for the rally will be published.

The Short Program of Wysoka Grzęda Baja Poland 2021
27 August - Friday
8.00-20.00 Rally Camp - Szczecin-Dąbie Airport
9.00-15.00 - Shakedown - Wołczkowo
16.20 - Competitors presentation - Szczecin, Szafera Street
16.30 - Qualifying Stage "Szczecin". - Szczecin, Szafera street
20.00 - Choosing of starting position by 10th best drivers - Szczecin Sailing Center

28 August - Saturday
9.00-20.00 Rally Camp - Drawsko Pomorskie, Toruńska street
8.20 - "Drawsko Pomorskie" Special Stage - Drawsko Pomorskie military training ground
14.15 - "Drawsko Pomorskie" Special Stage - Drawsko Pomorskie military training ground

29 August - Sunday
8.00-16.00 Rally Camp - Szczecin-Dąbie Airport
8.50 - Special Stage "Lubieszyn-Dobra" - Dobra
9.20 - Special Stage "Dobra-Szczecin". - Dobra / Szczecin, Szafera Street
12.10 - Special Stage "Lubieszyn-Dobra" - Dobra
12.40 - Special Stage "Dobra-Szczecin" - Dobra / Szczecin, Szafera Street
14.30 - Podium Ceremony - Szczecin-Dąbie Airfield

Information about the rally
The Wysoka Grzęda Baja Poland Rally takes place in Szczecin, Dobra and Drawsko Pomorskie on 26-29 August 2021.
The title sponsor of the rally is Farm Wysoka Grzęda, manufacturer of organic eggs www.wysokagrzeda.pl.
The general sponsor of the rally is Columna Medica Rehabilitation Clinic www.columnamedica.pl.
More information about the rally is available at WWW: www.bajapoland.eu Facebook: @bajapolandworldcup Instagram: @bajapoland