Saturday, 22 July was a long, frustrating day for Toyota Gazoo Racing SA’s Leeroy Poulter and navigator Dirk von Zitzewitz. The pair battled with the dust of slower competitors throughout the two competitive loops that the Baja Aragon offered on the day, finishing seventh in the overall standings after a total of 350 km of racing.
“It all started with the draw for starting positions on Friday,” said Toyota Gazoo Racing SA Team Principal, Glyn Hall, from the race bivouac in the Spanish town of Teruel. “Leeroy and Dirk came fourth in the prologue, but then the draw for road position saw them starting in eight place on the road. Unfortunately, this put them behind a number of slower competitors, and the dusty conditions really slowed them down.”
Saturday’s race consisted of two race loops, with a service in between. The first loop comprised 217 km, and the second 133 km of fresh tracks. Poulter/Von Zitzewitz started the race with a bang, quickly setting the overall pace and establishing themselves as one of the fastest crews in the field.
“But then we ran into the dust of the car ahead of us, and with complete still air, the dust just hung there,” said Poulter after completing the opening loop. “We pushed as hard as we dared, but could never quite get close enough to consider overtaking.”
Things improved slightly during the second loop, as Poulter/Von Zitzewitz managed to overtake João Ramos (Toyota Hilux) in a riverbed, where the dust was somewhat mitigated. But then the Toyota Gazoo Racing SA crew suffered a puncture on their Toyota Hilux, and Ramos retook his position.
“We got going again after the puncture, and caught Ramos again. This time he let us through, but then we caught Ricardo (Porem, Ford Ranger) and couldn’t get past,” continued Poulter.
In the end Poulter/Von Zitzewitz lost 09:30.0 to race leader Miko Hirvonen (MINI) on the day. Nasser Al Attiyah and navigator Mathieu Baumel (Toyota Hilux) are in second place overall, just 10.2 seconds behind Hirvonen.
Baja Aragon, Round 7 of the FIA’s Cross Country World Cup, concludes on Sunday with a 184 km stage. The event is based around the Spanish town of Teruel, which will also be the scene of the finish podium.
BAJA ARAGON
OVERALL CLASSIFICATION AFTER STAGE 3 of 4:
Hirvonen (MINI) 4:28:52.8
Al Attiyah (Toyota Hilux) +00:10.2
Terranove (MINI) +00:20.3
Roma (Toyota Hilux) +05:52.6
Domzala (Toyota Hilux) +06:42.8
Przygonkski (MINI) +08:54.9
POULTER (Toyota Hilux) +09:30.0
Toyota Gazoo Racing SA’s Leeroy Poulter and navigator Dirk von Zitzewitz at Baja Aragon https://t.co/PBWri4DHmq @ToyotaSA #ArriveAlive pic.twitter.com/PejzEzDLJg
— Arrive Alive (@_ArriveAlive) July 23, 2017
