A rally where 4x4s rule the roost

Round three of the 2024 Defender Rally Series European Baja Championship took place in Spain on May 24 and 25 at Baja Lorca.

Five Defender crews took on the event that challenged competitors with dusty conditions, high temperatures and long stages.

Victory went to Fraser Parish and co-driver Philipp ‘Barney’ Gillespie, who were deputising for Dan Beecroft and co-driver Lee Caroline, the joint championship leaders coming into the event. Second place went to Tom Bell, the other joint championship leader, with a new co-driver for the event in Patrick McMurren. The Finnish duo of Jorman Jokela and Janne Jokela completed the podium.

Winning driver, Parish, said, “Baja Lorca was a fantastic event. It’s the first time I’ve driven competitively in a couple of years and the first time Barney and I have competed together. The main aim was just to enjoy the experience, so for us to come away with the class win is just fantastic. Huge thanks must go to Dave Beecroft for allowing us the opportunity to use his Defender for the event”.

The 11th Baja Lorca event featured nearly 70 competition vehicles, including the five Defender Rally Series Defender 90s. It posed the hardest challenge competitors have faced in the championship so far, with two stages covering just under 400km to be completed in only one day.

With multiple Dakar rallies on his CV, Bell showed his experience by topping the timesheets on the Friday prologue. Only time penalties prevented him from claiming victory on race day, but his second-place finish in Spain ensured he heads into the final round of the championship, at the Icelandic Hill Rally in August, in the outright lead of the championship.

Vanessa Ruck used her rally raid experience on two wheels to finish in fourth place, with co-driver Chris Hammond, while Andrew Burgess and co-driver Daniel Hutchings finished fifth.

In the face of temperatures exceeding 28 degrees Celsius, each Defender was installed with camel bags for the event. Feeding directly into the helmets, they allowed crews to rehydrate on the move. Teams could even use Defender’s production climate control system to cool the cabin, which remains operative amid the host of Bowler modifications.

Calum McKechnie, general manager, Bowler Motors, said, “Baja Lorca has demonstrated the exceptional capabilities of the Defender. The excitement and enjoyment experienced by all participants highlight the vehicle’s dynamic performance, durability and reliability in challenging conditions. This is why we love to come back and add another challenge of endurance in one day to our driver development plans. We are now opening space in our 2025 season and look forward to showing more customers what an amazing match the Defender rally series and Baja Lorca can be”.

The European Baja Championship travels to Iceland for its next round, from August 8 to 12. Round three of the UK Championship, at the Summer Scottish Hill Rally, takes place on May 31 and June 1.

Source: MotorPress