Almost 200 competitors have entered AKPOL Baja Poland 2026. A Dakar star, a leading FIA World Rally Championship driver and a ten-time Baja Poland winner are among those heading to Poland’s West Pomeranian region from 27–30 August. The field also contains the top four in the FIA European Baja Cup standings and the leading six in the Polish Cross-Country Rally Championship.
This year marks the 18th edition of Poland’s largest and most prestigious cross-country rally. At the forefront is the battle for points in round four of the FIA European Baja Cup. AKPOL Baja Poland 2026 also counts as round six of the FIA Central European Zone Championship, round five of the Polish Cross-Country Rally Championship and round three of the Czech championship.
The same weekend also features the Cross Country Cup and Can-Am Baja Promo, while motorcycle and quad riders contest the Polish Baja Rally Championship, the Polish Baja Rally Cup and Baja Promo ATV.
The 104 entries comprise 89 cars, SSVs, UTVs and trucks carrying 179 competitors, plus six solo motorcyclists and nine quad riders. After the host nation, the Czech Republic provides the largest contingent with eight competitors, followed by Hungary with seven.
DAKAR AND WRC STARS
Three of the headline drivers bring experience and success from the highest levels of international motorsport. Krzysztof Hołowczyc and Łukasz Kurzeja line up in an X-raid-prepared MINI JCW Rally 3.0i. The Olsztyn driver, the 1997 European rally champion and a three-time Polish champion, is a true legend of Polish rallying and Baja Poland alike. He calls the event his second home and has won it a record ten times, most recently alongside Kurzeja in 2025.
Mattias Ekström’s record includes two DTM titles, an FIA World Rallycross Championship crown and back-to-back third-place finishes on the Dakar Rally in 2025 and 2026. The Swede enters the Challenger group at the wheel of a BRP Can-Am Maverick X3, navigated by Emil Bergkvist. The 2015 FIA ERC Junior champion and 2018 Junior WRC champion has since successfully switched from driving to navigating.
Mārtiņš Sesks makes his first-ever cross-country rally start in the same group. The Latvian is no stranger to success in Poland, having won Rally Poland in 2023 and 2025. With Didzis Zarins navigating, Sesks takes the wheel of a Bairons SRT Viking built by Latvia’s Sports Racing Technologies. The 2018 ERC3 Junior champion has also won eight WRC special stages, while his career-best world championship result remains fifth place at Rally Poland in 2024.
“This will be a completely new experience for me and a major challenge. Rally-raid requires a different approach and strategy from conventional rallying. My aim is to learn as much as possible about the discipline,” said Sesks.
EUROPEAN CUP TOP FOUR READY FOR POLAND
The 28-crew FIA European Baja Cup field includes 16 Ultimate cars, representing the event’s top category. Eight crews are entered in lightweight, purpose-built Challenger machinery and four in SSVs.
All of the top four in the FIA European Baja Cup standings line up in Poland. Portugal’s Paulo Rodrigues leads the series on 148 points and shares a Can-Am Maverick R in the SSV group with Fausto Mota. Second-placed Benediktas Vanagas has 132 points. The Vilnius-born driver and navigator Aisvydas Paliukenas compete in a Toyota Hilux.
Karel Trněný is just two points further back. The Czech teams up with Václav Pritzl in a Ford F150 Evo+, while fourth-placed Magdalena Zając, on 115 points, shares a Toyota Hilux with Błażej Czekan.
Murat Kapanoglu and Maria Gameiro, on 108 and 91 points respectively, are also inside the championship’s top 10. The Cascais-based Portuguese driver is joined by Annett Quandt in an X-raid MINI JCW Rally 3.0d. Kapanoglu, fifth in last year’s SSV standings, pairs up with Aleksandar Trendafilov in a BRP Can-Am Maverick X3. The Challenger field also includes Lorinc Meszaros, runner-up in the category in 2025.
Experienced Czech Miroslav Zapletal is targeting another victory in Poland. Partnered by Slovak navigator Marek Sykora, Zapletal has 43 cross-country rally wins to his name and has collected numerous titles in the Czech Republic, Poland and Hungary. They compete in a Ford F150 Evo+. Another Toyota Hilux is shared by Poznań driver Włodzimierz Grajek, the 2025 FIA European Baja Cup Ultimate winner, and Szymon Marciniak.
48 CREWS IN THE POLISH CHAMPIONSHIP FIELD
The combined field for the FIA Central European Zone Championship, Polish Cross-Country Rally Championship and Czech championship comprises 48 crews. Of those, 47 are also entered for FIA CEZ points and 45 in the Czech series. Several also appear on the FIA European Baja Cup entry list.
Mariusz Wiatr leads the Polish championship after the opening four rounds with 227 points and shares a Ford F150 Evo+ with Łukasz Łaskawiec. Adam Kuś is second on 193 points, with Maciej Giemza navigating. Giemza made his Dakar debut in that role in January after seven previous appearances on a motorcycle. The AKPOL Recykling Team crew competes in a Taurus Evo Max.
Only five points separate third-placed Kacper Melzig on 97 from Mateusz Matczak in fifth on 92. Melzig is joined by reigning FIA ERC co-driver champion Szymon Gospodarczyk, while Artur Kordala navigates for Matczak. Between them in the standings is Przemysław Matulka on 93 points, entered with Mateusz Martynek. All three crews use lightweight SSV machinery.
Two rally trucks also feature in the field. Czech trio Tomáš Vrátný, Adam Peschel and Jaromír Martinec take on the event in a Tatra FF7. The second three-person crew comprises Dariusz Łysek, Darek Rodewald and Artur Janda in an MM Technology MMT Dakar Evo 04. Rodewald became the first Pole to win the Dakar Rally in 2012, serving as the onboard mechanic alongside driver Gerard de Rooy and navigator Tom Colsoul.
FROM CARS TO MOTORCYCLES AND QUADS
The Cross Country Cup has attracted 20 crews, while 30 entries have been received for Can-Am Baja Promo. Every PCC entrant also appears on the Can-Am Baja Promo list, as one crew can be classified in more than one series. SSVs dominate these competitions, accounting for 22 entries.
Six motorcyclists and nine quad riders are also entered. The field includes the leaders of the Polish Baja Rally Championship: Kamil Piątek in motorcycles, Paweł Nowakowski in the 2WD quad standings and Adam Krysiak in the 4WD quad standings.
WHAT, WHERE AND WHEN?
The action begins on Friday, 28 August, with shakedown on the Dobra–Wołczkowo route from 10:00 to 14:00. The 8.85km prologue gets under way in Szczecin at 17:20, followed by the ceremonial start at Wały Chrobrego at 20:00.
Saturday’s programme features two passes over a 149.75km special stage at the Drawsko Military Training Ground, starting at 09:15 and 13:40. The military terrain means that both runs will be closed to spectators, although fans will be able to visit the remote service park beside the railway siding in Drawsko Pomorskie.
Sunday brings two passes over the Sławoszewo–Wołczkowo–Szczecin special stage, beginning at 09:05 and 13:05. The podium ceremony and trophy presentation outside Enea Arena in Szczecin are scheduled for 14:30.
AKPOL BAJA POLAND 2026 BY NUMBERS
- 194 – competitors entered;
- 13 – nations represented;
- 104 – vehicles entered;
- 89 – cars, SSVs, UTVs and trucks;
- 28 – crews on the FIA European Baja Cup entry list;
- 48 – crews entered in the Polish Cross-Country Rally Championship;
- 6 motorcyclists and 9 quad riders will take part;
- 10 – Baja Poland victories for event record-holder Krzysztof Hołowczyc.
