Hołowczyc triumphs for the tenth time in Baja Poland. Polish podium in the European Cup

Krzysztof Hołowczyc and Łukasz Kurzeja (MINI JCW Rally 3.0i) won the 17th edition of Columna Medica Baja Poland, the seventh round of the FIA European Cup in Baja Rallies. For the nine-time winner of this event, it is his tenth victory in the most important off-road rally in the country. The podium in the international classification was completed by Polish crews: Włodzimierz Grajek with Michał Goleniewski (Toyota Hilux) and Michał and Julita Małuszyński (MINI JCW Rally 3.0i), who made up for losses after Saturday’s technical problems.

On Sunday, 31 August, the seventeenth edition of Columna Medica Baja Poland ended in Szczecin, the fourteenth to be held as an international competition. For competitors in the FIA European Cup for Baja Rallies, it was the seventh of nine rounds scheduled for the 2025 season. In addition to the participants of this prestigious series, Szczecin also welcomed crews competing in the FIA Central European Zone Championship (5th round of FIA CEZ), as well as participants of the Polish (5th round of RMPST) and Czech championships (3rd round of MMCR). In addition, the Cross Country Cup (PCC) and the Can-Am Baja Promo series were also contested in the wilderness of the West Pomeranian Province.

Motorcyclists and quad bikers also competed on the route – participants of the Polish Baja Rally Championship (MPRB) and the Polish Baja Rally Cup (PPRB). Off-road enthusiasts without sports licences were also able to take part in the event. The Baja Promo ATV and Baja Promo Adventure competitions were prepared with them in mind.

In this year’s edition, the total distance to be covered was 611.15 km, of which 351.66 km was the total distance of the special stages. On Friday afternoon, a nearly 9-kilometre prologue was held in Szczecin. As is tradition, the Saturday part of the competition took place at the Drawsko Training Ground, where a nearly 150-kilometre stage was prepared, which the car crews covered twice. On Sunday, the field faced two runs of the final special stage Sławoszewo–Wołczkowo (26.08 km). A total of 208 competitors from 13 countries took part in the competition.

LITHUANIAN SURPRISE

Friday’s competition in Columna Medica Baja Poland began at 4:20 p.m. with a spectacular prologue in Szczecin, whose route was enhanced by the spectacular Can-Am Jump. After the motorcycle and quad runs, where the fastest were Kamil Piątek (competing in MPRB, GasGas ECF) and Paweł Nowakowski (competing in PPRB, Suzuki LTR), the car crews took to the stage. As expected, Krzysztof Hołowczyc and Łukasz Kurzeja (MINI JCW Rally 3.0i) set the pace from the start, but reached the finish with the second-fastest time overall. The Lithuanians, Aivaras Kavaliauskas and Mykolas Paulavicius (Can-Am Maverick X3), produced a sensational result, beating the nine-time rally winner by as much as 15.4 seconds.

Hołowczyc and Kurzeja nevertheless won the prologue among the participants of the FIA European Cup (EBC) round. They were followed by Michał and Julita Małuszyński (MINI JCW Rally 3.0i, +10.1 s) and Adam Kuś and Dmytro Tsyro (Taurus T3 Maxx, +13.0 s), who also topped the Challenger group. The winners in the other RMPST classes were: Grzegorz Gąsiorowski and Katarzyna Szałęga (SSV, Polaris RZR Pro R), Paweł Pietranek and Michał Świerczek (UTV, Polaris PRO R) and Grzegorz Szwagrzyk and Paweł Wojtczak (Stock, Mitsubishi Pajero). In the Cross Country Cup (PCC), Adam Goński and Michał Małek (Can-Am Maverick X3) were the best.

According to the regulations, the top ten drivers of the prologue in the European Cup classification chose their starting positions for Saturday’s special stages. Hołowczyc, as the stage winner, had first choice and decided to open the road. He was followed by Michał Małuszyński, with the Lithuanian duo Benediktas Vanagas and Aisvydas Paliukenas (Toyota Hilux) setting off third into the West Pomeranian trails.

As every year, Saturday’s competition at the Drawsko Training Ground proved decisive. The crews completed the nearly 150-kilometre test twice, and the fight was shaped by the weather and changing grip – the morning run, after rain, was partially wet and slippery; in the afternoon the sun came out, the route dried, but it was already rutted and broken up by the full field.

DECISIVE TRAINING GROUND

Krzysztof Hołowczyc and Łukasz Kurzeja dominated the competition, winning both runs at the Drawsko Training Ground. Despite an incident on the second special stage, where they clipped a tree, they extended their lead. “I think the advantage we managed to gain on the first special stage will remain decent. It’s great to see the fans back – Baja Poland really draws people,” summed up the Olsztyn driver.

Their closest rivals hit trouble. In the car of Michał and Julita Małuszyński, the left-rear driveshaft failed. “We only had front-wheel drive, so it was very difficult to enter and exit corners. We lost a lot of time,” said Julita Małuszyńska. Even so, Benediktas Vanagas and Aisvydas Paliukenas set an impressive pace. The Lithuanians, hampered by a gearbox issue limiting top speed to 119 km/h, were second-fastest on the stage. Martin Kaczmarski and Hugo Magalhaes capitalised on others’ misfortune and, with a consistent run, moved up to second in the FIA European Cup standings. “We improved our time by 7 or 8 minutes, so we’re very happy. Our car is performing great,” said Kaczmarski at the finish.

After Saturday, the class leaders in the FIA European Cup were: Adam Kuś and Dmytro Tsyro in Challenger, Balazs and Gabriella Molnar from Hungary in SSV, and Bartłomiej Wajzer and Ernest Górecki in Stock.

In the Polish Championship, behind leaders Hołowczyc and Kurzeja, Włodzimierz Grajek and Michał Goleniewski ended the day second, with Michał and Julita Małuszyński third, 1:50.2 behind the runners-up. RMPST class leaders after Saturday were: in Stock, Grzegorz Szwagrzyk and Paweł Wojtczak (Mitsubishi Pajero), and in UTV, Paweł Pietranek and Michał Świerczek (Polaris PRO R). In SSV, after a drive-belt failure for previous pace-setter Maciej Giemza, the lead passed to Grzegorz Gąsiorowski and Katarzyna Szałęga. “We did well; unfortunately I saw Maciek had an issue, which moved us up a place. We’re very happy,” said Gąsiorowski at the finish.

In the Polish Baja Rally Championship (MPRB), Kamil Piątek (GasGas ECF) strengthened his lead among motorcyclists, while Adam Krysiak (Polaris Scrambler XP 1000S) headed the quad standings. In the Polish Baja Rally Cup (PPRB), motorcyclist Marek Halamunda (Red Moto Honda CRF 450RX) took the lead, while Tymon Baszczyński (Polaris Scrambler) was fastest among quads. Kacper Chromiński and Krzysztof Chromiński (Nissan Navara) remained out front in the Cross Country Cup (PCC).

JUBILEE AND A CLEAN SWEEP OF STAGES FOR HOŁEK

The final leg, two passes of Sławoszewo–Wołczkowo (26.08 km), began without Martin Kaczmarski, who withdrew due to rib pain. In his absence, Włodzimierz Grajek and Michał Goleniewski (Toyota Hilux) moved up to second overall. On Sunday’s first stage, rally leaders Krzysztof Hołowczyc and Łukasz Kurzeja again topped the FIA European Cup times. Second quickest were Bartłomiej Kotwica and Arkadiusz Jędrzejewski (Taurus T3 Maxx), with Michał and Julita Małuszyński third as they resumed their chase for the podium after Saturday’s axle-shaft issue.

In the Polish championship order, the third special stage also went to “Hołek” and Kurzeja, ahead of Giemza/Marton (Polaris RZR PRO R Ultimate, +12.4 s) and Michał Kościuszko/Damian Sytym (Polaris RZR PRO R Ultimate, +23.2 s).

Despite a comfortable cushion, Hołowczyc kept pushing and also won the second pass to Wołczkowo – the rally finale – this time by just 1.3 s over Vanagas. Małuszyński (+34.3 s) secured third in the FIA European Cup round.

Hołowczyc’s SS4 result also sealed first place and a clean sweep of stage wins in the national championship classification. On the final test, Kościuszko (+25.3) and Giemza (+28.3) again completed the top three, swapping positions compared to SS3.

As a result, Hołowczyc and Kurzeja claimed confident victories in both the FIA European Cup and the RMPST. The Olsztyn driver finished with a lead of almost 16 minutes, celebrating his tenth Baja Poland win. Włodzimierz Grajek and Michał Goleniewski (Toyota Hilux) were second in both series. Third place in FIA EBC and RMPST likewise went to Michał and Julita Małuszyński, 1:01.2 behind Grajek/Goleniewski.

“A tenth win is something else! Baja Poland is my second home. I think our work for X-Raid has brought new insights. We know what we can get out of this car, and there is still potential. This time we drove really cleanly, with few technical issues, which immediately changes the result – in our case, for the better,” said Krzysztof Hołowczyc.

“We’re on the podium, so we’re very happy. Cross-country rallying is always about avoiding mistakes and problems. Yesterday we had a puncture because we were a little too fast into a corner and hit something. The key is not to damage the car; the rest – including our pace – brings the result,” assessed Włodzimierz Grajek.

CLASS RESULTS

Alone in the STOCK class (in FIA EBC), Bartłomiej Wajzer and Ernest Górecki (Toyota Land Cruiser KDJ 155) reached the finish with a full haul of points, sealing their European Cup title in the production-vehicle category.

Adam Kuś and Dmytro Tsyro (Taurus T3 Maxx), nearly six minutes clear of their closest rivals, lifted the trophies for the Challenger group – both in FIA EBC and RMPST. In SSV, the Hungarians Balazs and Gabriela Molnar (BRP Can-Am Maverick R) defended first place.

“There is always room for improvement; you can always do better, but we are very satisfied. Saturday was very good for us. On Sunday we also drove without incidents or problems – smoothly and effectively – so we finished with a strong result,” said Adam Kuś.

In the national championship, the best in SSV were Grzegorz Gąsiorowski and Katarzyna Szałęga (Polaris RZR Pro R). “Yesterday at the training ground, with a bit of luck, we built a position and advantage that let us drive our own race on Sunday – calmly, to reach the finish in first place,” said Gąsiorowski, who extended his SSV points lead in RMPST.

The fastest production car overall was the Mitsubishi Pajero of Grzegorz Szwagrzyk and Paweł Wojtczak, who were not registered for the European Cup, so they scored full points only in the national championship. “We started very quickly. We drove Saturday’s stages neatly and briskly, which gave us a big cushion. Today we basically just controlled the situation,” said Szwagrzyk.

RMPST also featured the TH group, where Piotr Brakowiecki and Tomasz Chmielewski in a Dacia Duster were the better of two duos. The national UTV category was convincingly won by Grzegorz Mikuła and Piotr Szczygieł (Can-Am Maverick).

PIATEK SEALS VICTORY ON SUNDAY

Just over half a minute decided the Can-Am Baja Promo victory. Daniel Kocęba and Krzysztof Molendowicz (Can-Am Maverick R) were that much faster than their nearest rivals. They were followed by Jakub Bielski and Przemysław Zadrożny (Polaris RZR Pro R, +32.4 s). The podium was completed by Krzysztof and Dariusz Gołębiowski (Polaris RZR Pro R, +2:50.4 s). The same three crews also formed the top three in the Cross Country Cup standings.

Columna Medica Baja Poland 2025 also featured competition for motorcyclists and quad riders within the Polish Baja Rally Championship and the Polish Baja Rally Cup. In the former, the fastest rider was Kamil Piątek (GasGas ECF). “It’s a pity the rally is already over. We’ve had four great stages. The routes were very well prepared and we could go very fast. Unfortunately, the last stage didn’t go my way – I hit a root with my foot and the rest of the run was a bit of a struggle,” admitted the winner.

In PPRB, the fastest motorcyclist was Marek Halamunda (Red Moto Honda CRF 450RX), and the fastest quad rider was Tymon Baszczyński (Polaris Scrambler).

The next round of the FIA European Cup will be the 37th Baja TT Sharish Reguengos/Mourão. The first of the two Portuguese rounds will take place on 12–14 September.

RMPST competitors have two more events ahead. The nearest is Baja Carpathia based in Stalowa Wola (3–5 October). The season will finish in Żagań at the Independence Rally (8–9 November).

Columna Medica Baja Poland 2025 – final FIA EBC classification:

1. Hołowczyc/Kurzeja (POL/POL, X-raid MINI JCW Rally 3.0i) 3:44:00.1 s
2. Grajek/Goleniewski (POL/POL, Toyota Hilux) +15:47.6 s
3. Małuszyński/Małuszyńska (POL/POL, X-raid MINI JCW Rally 3.0i) +16:48.8 s
4. Vanagas/Paliukenas (LTU/LTU, Toyota Hilux) +17:06.7 s
5. Kuś/Tsyro (POL/UKR, Taurus T3 Maxx) +19:45.3 s
6. Kotwica/Jędrzejewski (POL/POL, Taurus T3 Maxx) +21:24.0 s
7. Baranowski/Dudziński (POL/POL, Toyota Hilux) +37:56.8 s
8. Molnar/Molnar (HUN/HUN, BRP Can-Am Maverick R) +38:51.1 s
9. Lekavicius/Liskus (LTU/LTU, BRP Can-Am Maverick R) +40:56.4 s
10. Sidabras/Gelažninkas (LTU/LTU, BRP Can-Am Maverick R) +41:52.0 s

Columna Medica Baja Poland 2025 – final RMPST classification:

1. Hołowczyc/Kurzeja (POL/POL, X-raid MINI JCW Rally 3.0i) 3:44:00.1 s
2. Grajek/Goleniewski (POL/POL, Toyota Hilux) +15:47.6 s
3. Małuszyński/Małuszyńska (POL/POL, X-raid MINI JCW Rally 3.0i) +16:48.8 s
4. Wiatr/Janda (POL/POL, Ford F150) +20:14.2 s
5. Gąsiorowski/Szałęga (POL/POL, Polaris RZR Pro R) +20:41.9 s
6. Kuś/Tsyro (POL/UKR, Taurus T3 Maxx) +20:47.1 s
7. Kotwica/Jędrzejewski (POL/POL, Taurus T3 Maxx) +21:05.3 s
8. Kościuszko/Syty (POL/POL, Polaris RZR PRO R ULTIMATE) +28:02.0 s
9. Kufel/Chełmicki (POL/POL, Ford Ranger) +33:14.4 s
10. Gałecki/Ragiel (POL/POL, Can-Am Maverick X3) +34:12.5 s