It didn’t take long for the Ford Raptor T1+ to be a race winner. Nani Roma set the fastest time to score the overall win at the Hungarian Baja in its competition début, even if it’s not reflected in the FIA results.
Developed by Ford Performance and M-Sport, the Raptor was revealed in mid-July before being brought to Hungary for its first race ahead of the 2025 Dakar Rally. Since it has not been homologated by the FIA for Ultimate regulation, which won’t be completed until the start of next season, the car was limited to the Experimental category (equivalent to Open at other races). Consequently, while Roma set the fastest time and is officially considered the 2024 Hungarian Baja winner by organisers, João Ferreira is the victor among those competing in the FIA European Baja Cup.
Roma’s time of 4:02:58.1 beat Ferreira by a minute and thirty-six seconds, notching him his third crown in the event after previously winning in 2013 and 2018. He had set the third quickest time in the Prologue behind Ferreira and Francisco Barreta, then was thirty seconds off Ferreira in the first Selective Section before topping the final two legs by thirty-five seconds and 1:31.
“It’s a great event for us. First time racing the Ford Raptor, it’s great to be here,” said Roma. “We were well to the team and had a lot of things to do before Dakar. When we’re racing, we see many things. We tested a lot but are always racing, and racing this means that we are happy. We learned a lot from these last two days. There’s more things to do and we hope we are we are ready for the next Dakar.
“It was challenging. All race, it was really challenging. A lot of bumps, a lot of things, this means that we really enjoyed. We must really, really concentrate every kilometre. A lot of right, left, narrow tracks, fast tracks, bumpy areas. It’s great. It’s a great place, and we really enjoy it.”
Ferreira cleared Włodzimierz Grajek by over twenty-one seconds. It is Ferreira’s first victory of the 2024 European Baja Cup and gives the points leader another leg up on the competition in the standings.
Fidel Castillo Ruiz, second in the overall EBC points entering Hungary, rolled his Can-Am Maverick during the third Selective Section and suffered a broken collarbone and pulmonary contusion. Josef Radina, the navigator for František Brutovský, fractured his vertebra in a separate accident that same leg. Both were airlifted to a local hospital and are in stable condition, though Castillo will have to be driven back to Spain by ambulance due to his lung injury.
Castillo had already been in a hole after finishing SS1 fifth in SSV due to three tyre punctures, while Tomasz Białkowski cruised to the class win. In the adjacent Challenger class, Otávio Sousa Leite and João Dias were the only survivors.
Points implications also shook up the FIM Bajas World Cup side as championship leader Bruno Santos was knocked out by a broken rear suspension. David Megre and Mohammed Al-Booshi capitalised to pass Santos for the top spot in the standings, finishing second and third to leave Hungary tied with forty-seven points apiece. Santos falls to fifth behind them, Pedro Bianchi Prata, and winner Martim Ventura.
Pedro Pinheiro was the only other FIM retirement. Seven kilometres into the Prologue, he hit a hole that launched him head- and chest-first into his navigation tower, fracturing his ribs.
Despite his third in the Prologue, Barreto was disqualified for repairing his Toyota Hilux between SS2 and SS3 while inside a control zone, which is forbidden as control zones are deemed parc fermé areas. Barreto had suffered a broken brake disc and flat tyre, and the corresponding fixes resulted in him starting SS3 eighteen minutes after his slotted time.
Besides Roma’s Raptor, the race also saw the first race for Balázs Molnár‘s highly anticipated Can-Am Maverick R on the Hungarian Cross-Country Rally Championship side. The car had undergone a complete rebuild to meet FIA regulation, leading Molnár to dub it the “Maverick EVO R”, though it also has yet to undergo homologation by the sanctioning body. Unlike the Raptor, it was allowed to be categorised alongside other classmates, though Molnár was also not included in the final result; unofficially, he finished second.
Much of the race took place on the Hungarian Defence Forces Bakony Combat Training Centre’s army practice fields, which proved to be twisty and tricky for the field. In line with the rally’s pseudo-military theme, Roma received a sword, medieval helmet, and shield from Thury Castle, which served as the Hungarian Baja headquarters. The castle is located at the centre of Várpalota and used by Hungarian armies between the 14th to 18th centuries, and the prize shield appropriately features a coat of arms depicting Hungarian heraldic symbols: Árpád stripes on the top dexter, the coat of arms of Dalmatia below it, a double cross over green hills on the top sinister like what is on Hungary’s national coat of arms, a Bohemian lion under that, and a turul at the centre.
The Hungarian Baja was the third round of the 2024 FIA European Baja Cup, fourth on the FIM Bajas World Cup, and fifth for the Hungarian Cross-Country Rally Championship.
Overall results
FIA
Ultimate
| Finish | Overall Finish | Number | Driver | Co-Driver | Team | Vehicle | Class | Time | Margin |
| 1 | 1 | 200 | João Ferreira | Filipe Palmeiro | X-raid Mini JCW Team | Mini John Cooper Works Rally Plus | T1+ | 4:04:34.5 | Leader |
| 2 | 2 | 205 | Włodzimierz Grajek | Michał Goleniewski | Grajek Rally Team | Toyota Hilux | T1+ | 4:26:13.4 | + 21:38.9 |
| 3 | 3 | 208 | Vincent Thijs | Tom de Leeuw | Vincent Thijs | Toyota Hilux | T1+ | 4:29:55.7 | + 25:21.2 |
| 4 | 5 | 204 | Daniel Alonso | Cándido Carrera | Past-Racing | Ford Ranger T1+ | T1+ | 4:44:03.0 | + 39:28.5 |
| 5 | 6 | 209 | Pál Lónyai | György Tóth | LP Racing Korlátolt Felelősségű Társaság | LPR Porsche Macan | T1.1 | 4:44:48.0 | + 40:13.5 |
| 6 | 11 | 210 | Vincent Vroninks | Dave Berghmans | Vincent Vroninks | Red-Lined Nissan VK56 | T1.1 | 5:04:15.5 | + 59:41.0 |
| 7 | 16 | 214 | Christof Danner | Herwig Reiger | Danner Racing Team | Puch G320 | T1.1 | 6:17:04.4 | + 2:12:29.9 |
| DNF | DNF | 211 | Sam Heyvaert | Krzysztof Żółty | Sam Heyvaert | Red-Lined Nissan VK56 | T1.1 | DNF | N/A |
| DNF | DNF | 212 | František Brutovský | Josef Radina | MING Racing Sports | Ford F-150 EVO T1+ | T1+ | DNF | N/A |
| DSQ | DSQ | 202 | Francisco Barreto | Carlos Silva | Francisco Barreto | Toyota Hilux | T1+ | DSQ | N/A |
Challenger
| Finish | Overall Finish | Number | Driver | Co-Driver | Team | Vehicle | Time | Margin |
| 1 | 8 | 304 | Otávio Sousa Leite | Valter Cardoso | Santag Racing | GRally OT3 | 4:50:56.3 | Leader |
| 2 | 18 | 300 | João Dias | João Miranda | Santag Racing | Can-Am Maverick X3 | 7:23:18.2 | + 2:32:21.9 |
| DNF | DNF | 301 | Alexandre Pinto | Bernardo Oliveira | Alexandre Pinto | Can-Am Maverick X3 | DNF | N/A |
| DNF | DNF | 302 | Adam Kus | Marcin Pasek | GRallyTeam | GRally OT3 | DNF | N/A |
| DNF | DNF | 303 | Pau Navarro | Jan Ninas Rosa | Santag Racing | GRally OT3 | DNF | N/A |
| DNF | DNF | 305 | Miklós Trébitsch | Sandor Trébitsch | Bedu Racing | Bedu Pro X3 | DNF | N/A |
SSV
| Finish | Overall Finish | Number | Driver | Co-Driver | Team | Vehicle | Time | Margin |
| 1 | 4 | 402 | Tomasz Białkowski | Dariusz Baśkiewicz | Kamena Rally Team | Can-Am Maverick X3 | 4:30:17.5 | Leader |
| 2 | 7 | 408 | Paul Severn | Delphine Delfino | Xtremeplus | Polaris RZR Pro R | 4:46:08.2 | + 15:50.7 |
| 3 | 9 | 410 | Sean Haran | Martin Hales | Xtremeplus | Polaris RZR Pro R | 4:52:29.5 | + 22:12.0 |
| 4 | 10 | 407 | George Hales | Max Delfino | Xtremeplus | Polaris RZR Pro R | 5:00:06.0 | + 29:48.5 |
| 5 | 12 | 401 | Martinez Miquel Prat | Ion del Cid | Martinez Miquel Prat | Yamaha YXZ1000R | 5:19:13.0 | + 48:55.5 |
| 6 | 13 | 409 | Kevin Haran | Hugo Magalhães | Kevin Haran | Yamaha YXZ1000R | 5:20:02.8 | + 49:45.3 |
| 7 | 14 | 411 | András Lukács | Zoltán Palotai | Speedy Motorsport | Yamaha YXZ1000R | 5:46:39.2 | + 1:16:21.7 |
| 8 | 15 | 406 | Graham Knight | David Watson | Xtremeplus | Polaris RZR Pro R | 5:52:50.2 | + 1:22:32.7 |
| 9 | 19 | 404 | Yagiz Birinci | Evangelos Sotrichos | Yagiz Birinci | Can-Am Maverick X3 | 7:42:05.0 | + 3:11:47.5 |
| DNF | DNF | 400 | Fidel Castillo Ruiz | Fausto Mota | Ahúja Racing | Can-Am Maverick X3 | DNF | N/A |
| DNF | DNF | 403 | William Buller | Jorge Daniel Fernandes | William Buller | Yamaha YXZ1000R | DNF | N/A |
| DNF | DNF | 405 | Csucsu | Márk Mesterházi | Speedy Motorsport | Yamaha YXZ1000R | DNF | N/A |
Stock
| Finish | Overall Finish | Number | Driver | Co-Driver | Team | Vehicle | Time | Margin |
| 1 | 17 | 500 | Fernando Barreiros | Antonio Rui Manuel Pereira | Fernando Barreiros | Isuzu D-Max | 7:07:41.6 | Leader |
FIM
Bike
| Finish | Overall Finish | Number | Rider | Team | Bike | Time | Margin |
| 1 | 1 | 9 | Martim Ventura | Martim Ventura | Husqvarna FE 450 | 4:57:59.0 | Leader |
| 2 | 2 | 4 | David Megre | David Megre | Kawasaki KX450X | 5:11:38.3 | + 13:39.3 |
| 3 | 4 | 2 | Mohammed Al-Balooshi | MX Ride Dubai | KTM 450 EXC | 5:28:49.5 | + 30:50.5 |
| 4 | 5 | 3 | Pedro Bianchi Prata | Pedro Bianchi Prata | Honda CRF450RX | 5:33:489.9 | + 35:49.9 |
| 5 | 6 | 11 | Richárd Hodola | Richárd Hodola | KTM 450 EXC-F | 5:46:05.0 | + 48:06.0 |
| 6 | 7 | 12 | Filip Grot | Filip Grot | GasGas RX 450F | 5:46:30.3 | + 48:31.3 |
| 7 | 8 | 18 | Slawomir Sypien | Slawomir Sypien | Husqvarna 450 Rally | 6:03:19.4 | + 1:05:20.4 |
| 8 | 10 | 16 | Paulo Cardoso | Paulo Cardoso | Kawasaki KX450X | 6:13:29.8 | + 1:15:30.8 |
| 9 | 11 | 14 | Robert Przybyłowski | Robert Przybyłowski | KTM 450 Rally | 6:20:31.0 | + 1:22:32.0 |
| 10 | 12 | 8 | Rafael Marques | Rafael Marques | Fantic XEF 450 Rally | 6:23:02.8 | + 1:25:03.8 |
| 11 | 13 | 10 | Joanna Modrzewska # | Joanna Modrzewska | Husqvarna FE 450 | 6:32:10.0 | + 1:34:11.0 |
| 12 | 14 | 7 | Rafic Eid | Rafic Eid | Honda CRF450RX | 6:45:06.9 | + 1:47:07.9 |
| 13 | 16 | 6 | Abdulhalim Al-Mogeera | Abdulhalim Al-Mogeera | KTM 450 EXC-F | 6:54:53.1 | + 1:56:54.1 |
| 14 | 18 | 5 | Abdullah Al-Shatti | MX Ride Dubai | Kawasaki KX450X | 7:21:49.2 | + 2:23:50.2 |
| 15 | 19 | 17 | Aishwarya Pissay # | Aishwarya Pissay | KTM 450 Rally | 7:31:51.8 | + 2:33:52.8 |
| DNF | DNF | 1 | Bruno Santos | Bruno Santos | Husqvarna FE 450 | DNF | N/A |
| DNF | DNF | 15 | Pedro Pinheiro | Pedro Pinheiro | Husqvarna 450 Rally | DNF | N/A |
Italics – Veteran Trophy
# – Women Trophy
Quad
| Finish | Overall Finish | Number | Rider | Team | Quad | Time | Margin |
| 1 | 3 | 55 | Marcin Wilkołek | Marcin Wilkołek | Yamaha Raptor 700 | 5:28:37.7 | Leader |
| 2 | 9 | 52 | Haitham Al-Tuwayjiri | Haitham Al-Tuwayjiri | Yamaha Raptor 700 | 6:11:49.7 | + 43:12.0 |
| 3 | 15 | 51 | Abdulaziz Al-Shayban | Abdulaziz Al-Shayban | Yamaha Raptor 700 | 6:51:18.2 | + 1:22:40.5 |
| 4 | 17 | 53 | Hani Al-Noumesi | Hani Al-Noumesi | Yamaha Raptor 700 | 7:07:47.4 | + 1:39:09.7 |
| 5 | 20 | 54 | Abdulaziz Al-Atawi | Abdulaziz Al-Atawi | Yamaha Raptor 700 | 7:48:05.0 | + 2:19:27.3 |
TROB
| Finish | Class Finish | Number | Driver | Co-Driver | Team | Vehicle | Class | Time | Margin |
| 1 | 1 | 600 | Miroslav Zapletal | Marek Sýkora | Offroadsport | Ford F-150 EVO+ | T1+ | 3:19:21.3 | Leader |
| 2 | 2 | 602 | Karel Trněný | Václav Pritzl | Workoutland ACCR Czech Team | Ford F-150 EVO+ | T1+ | 3:34:37.0 | + 15:15.7 |
| 3 | 1 | 650 | Szilárd Kánnár | Dávid Béres | Garilla Racing | Can-Am Maverick X3 | T4NAT | 3:44:45.8 | + 25:24.5 |
| 4 | 1 | 641 | Norbert Liszi | Dorottya Kapitány | M1 Motorsport | Can-Am Maverick X3 | SSV | 3:49:41.6 | + 30:20.3 |
| 5 | 2 | 661 | André Thewessen | Jeffrey Spoor | ATS Rally | Can-Am Maverick X3 | T4NAT | 3:51:29.6 | + 32:08.3 |
| 6 | 3 | 657 | Ian Donaldson | Bobby Paterson | Ian Donaldson | Yamaha YXZ1000R | T4NAT | 3:57:47.0 | + 38:25.7 |
| 7 | 4 | 662 | Alessandro Tinaburri | Emiliano Tinaburri | Alessandro Tinaburri | Yamaha YXZ1000R | T4NAT | 3:59:39.1 | + 40:17.8 |
| 8 | 5 | 656 | Ján Hnidka | František Macháček | Ján Hnidka | Can-Am Maverick X3 | T4NAT | 4:01:16.2 | + 41:54.9 |
| 9 | 6 | 652 | Norbert Németh | Pálma Németh | Garilla Racing | Can-Am Maverick X3 | T4NAT | 4:07:02.2 | + 47:40.9 |
| 10 | 1 | 630 | Richárd Bruzsa | Nikolett Szőke | Speedy Motorsport | Bedu Pro X3 | T3.1 | 4:08:20.9 | + 48:59.6 |
| 11 | 7 | 660 | Allan Stirling | Christopher McPhee | Allan Stirling | Yamaha YXZ1000R | T4NAT | 4:16:09.2 | + 56:47.9 |
| 12 | 8 | 659 | Marnix Leeuw | Sander Derikx | Marnix Leeuw | Can-Am Maverick X3 | T4NAT | 4:18:30.6 | + 59:09.3 |
| 13 | 2 | 640 | Szabolcs Kollár | Dorottya Kollár | M1 Motorsport | Can-Am Maverick X3 | SSV | 4:23:22.4 | + 1:04:01.1 |
| 14 | 1 | 680 | Bartłomiej Wajzer | Ernest Górecki | Bartłomiej Wajzer | Dacia Duster | TH | 7:10:59.7 | + 3:51:38.4 |
| 15 | 9 | 655 | Tamás Szántó | Anikó Szántó | Garilla Racing | Garilla X3 Evo | T4NAT | 17:16:25.7 | + 13:57:04.4 |
| 16 | 10 | 664 | Egidijus Malinovskis | Albert Veliamiovic | Albert Veliamiovic | Can-Am Maverick X3 | T4NAT | 17:44:44.8 | + 14:25:23.5 |
| 17 | 11 | 658 | Bartłomiej Kotwica | Arkadiusz Jędrzejewski | Grupa PBI | Can-Am Maverick X3 | T4NAT | 20:34:02.8 | + 17:14:41.5 |
| DNF | DNF | 651 | Martin Koloc | Vlastimil Miksch | Buggyra ZM Racing | Red-Lined REVO T1+ | T1+ | DNF | N/A |
| DNF | DNF | 601 | Balázs Molnár | Gabriella Molnár | M1 Motorsport | Can-Am Maverick R | T4NAT | DNF | N/A |
UP
| Finish | Number | Driver | Co-Driver | Team | Vehicle | Time | Margin |
| 1 | 801 | Tomas Tóth | Emil Kiss | Tomas Tóth | Can-Am Maverick X3 | 4:49:10.4 | Leader |
| DNF | 800 | Attila Csató | Zoltán Hajas | Garilla Racing | Segway Villain SX10 | DNF | N/A |
MAMS
| Finish | Number | Rider | Team | Vehicle | Class | Time | Margin |
| 1 | 101 | Péter Kárpáti | Laller Racing | KTM 450 RXC-F | Moto | 5:41;24.6 | Leader |
| 2 | 11 | Richárd Hodola | Richárd Hodola | KTM 450 RXC-F | Moto | 5:46:05.0 | + 4:40.4 |
| 3 | 151 | Bence Kanyó | Garilla Racing | Yamaha Raptor 700 | Quad | 6:07:48.0 | + 26:23.4 |
| DNF | 150 | László Balog | Karai Motorsport | Yamaha Raptor 700 | Quad | DNF | N/A |
| DNF | 152 | Attila Gombás | GSG Rally Team SE | Yamaha Raptor 700 | Quad | DNF | N/A |
| DNF | 153 | Máté Krizsanyik | Garilla Racing | KTM 525 XC | Quad | DNF | N/A |
