Drawsko Pomorskie is a quaint city in northwestern Poland, a stone’s throw away from Szczecin, that incessantly 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 a substitute hear the sound of rally vehicles and bikes.
The Baja Poland is the fourth spherical of the 2024 FIA World Baja Cup and one in all varied cross-country rallies which are held every year 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 biggest novice 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 biggest such space utilized by the British Military.
At practically 350 sq. kilometres in measurement, it is without doubt one of the greatest navy polygons on the continent. Drawsko incorporates 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 via the Excessive classes, that are for bigger and heavier automobiles than commonplace cross-country vehicles.
“Fairly difficult to navigate: a number of completely different tracks and junctions, very mushy sand, a number of blind crests,” Yazeed Al-Rajhi‘s co-driver Timo Gottschalk informed Cross-Nation Rally Information. “To go quick right here, it’s important 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 rules can not 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 embrace prohibiting race automobiles from being on the coaching grounds exterior of throughout the race, whereas media should obtain particular permission whereas service vehicles can solely drive on a chosen route. Drones usually are 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 instances you begin at this vary, it would nonetheless be tough. The route all the time has many problems and surprises. Difficult navigation, a variety of roads, turns, junctions, completely different potholes and sand waves on the street.”
Different rallies on navy installations embrace the FIA European Baja Cup’s Baja TT Dehesa Extremadura and Hungarian Baja, respectively on the Base Common Menacho de Bótoa and Hungarian Defence Forces Bakony Fight Coaching Centre. Breslau is cut up between Drawsko and the Żagań military base; the settings imply the rally should function and adapt based on 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.
