Drawsko Pomorskie is a quaint city in northwestern Poland, a stone’s throw away from Szczecin, that regularly roars to life with the sound of tanks and heavy military equipment because the Polish Land Forces and their NATO allies conduct workouts on the Colonel Franciszek Sadowski Land Forces Coaching Centre. This weekend, nonetheless, the grounds will as an alternative hear the sound of rally vehicles and bikes.
The Baja Poland is the fourth spherical of the 2024 FIA World Baja Cup and one among varied cross-country rallies which are held annually on the Drawsko Coaching Floor. The Baja Drawsko is held there in April as a part of the Polish Cross-Nation Rally Championship whereas the Rallye Breslau, the most important newbie rally raid in Europe, takes place in June.
Following the city’s liberation in World Conflict II, the Drawsko camp opened in 1946 for Polish troops and ultimately these from the Warsaw Pact. Britain’s seventh Armoured Brigade was the primary NATO unit to coach there in 1996, three years earlier than Poland joined the navy alliance, and their arrival instantly made Drawsko the most important such space utilized by the British Military.
At almost 350 sq. kilometres in measurement, it is without doubt one of the largest navy polygons on the continent. Drawsko contains a plethora of environments to correctly simulate varied battle situations together with deep sand and water crossings, all of which have been utilized by rally organisers to create a twisting, technical route. Rallye Breslau makes full use of those by way of the Excessive classes, that are for bigger and heavier autos than commonplace cross-country vehicles.
“Fairly tough to navigate: numerous totally different tracks and junctions, very delicate sand, numerous blind crests,” Yazeed Al-Rajhi‘s co-driver Timo Gottschalk advised Cross-Nation Rally Information. “To go quick right here, you need to be utterly assured within the roadbook.”
The Baja Poland’s distant service park for the primary stage is positioned on the coaching floor’s Bucierz capturing vary, which is used for live-fire armoured warfare workouts.
Given the situation, the Baja Poland mandates varied guidelines to adjust to military calls for. For instance, racers and their crews are required to offer identification like passports or European Union ID numbers when registering.
Article 17 of the race’s supplemental laws can’t state this sufficient, proclaiming that “these are strictly managed navy zones with particular guidelines for utilization and conduct. The navy coaching areas of twelfth Mechanised Brigade and CSB Drawsko is a hospitable and extremely revered associate of 2024 Columna Medica Baja Poland and organiser totally complies with the agreements and the necessities of the navy coaching space and won’t tolerate any infringement towards the established guidelines.”
As such, restrictions embody prohibiting race autos from being on the coaching grounds exterior of through the race, whereas media should obtain particular permission whereas service vans can solely drive on a chosen route. Drones should not allowed to fly over the coaching zone for apparent causes.
Albert Veliamovič, the navigator for Karolis Marcinkus, is not any stranger to Drawsko as a multi-time Breslau competitor. Nonetheless, he famous that “regardless of what number of occasions you begin at this vary, it should nonetheless be tough. The route at all times has many problems and surprises. Difficult navigation, loads of roads, turns, junctions, totally different potholes and sand waves on the highway.”
Different rallies on navy installations embody the FIA European Baja Cup’s Baja TT Dehesa Extremadura and Hungarian Baja, respectively on the Base Basic Menacho de Bótoa and Hungarian Defence Forces Bakony Fight Coaching Centre. Breslau is break up between Drawsko and the Żagań military base; the settings imply the rally should function and adapt in response to their hosts’ calls for, which incorporates modifying the route if NATO and Polish forces want it for his or her coaching.
The Prologue on Friday was held in Szczecin earlier than heading to Drawsko for the 2 Selective Sections on Saturday. Sunday will see the race conclude again at Szczecin.
Krzysztof Hołowczyc is the defending winner.
