Birinci and Tepe, the Can-Am duo, triumph in the Baja Troia Turkey race.
Turkish duo Yagiz Birinci and Ugur Tepe clinched a victorious run in the Baja Troia Turkey, the third round of the 2025 European Baja Cup, aboard their Can-Am Maverick XRS Turbo RR. In addition to their overall victory, they also triumphed in the SSV class.
Regrettably, the event only attracted five starting entries, with a single contestant in each of the Ultimate, Challenger, and Stock categories, and two competing in the SSV division.
Poland's Barthomiej Wajzer and Ernest Górecki took the top spot in the Stock category, competing in their Toyota Land Cruiser KDJ. They had emerged victorious in the same class at the Baja TT Dehesa Extremadura in Spain and started the event in fourth place in the Drivers' and Navigators' Championship. When their competitors encountered difficulties on Saturday, the Poles held firm to secure a strong second-place finish, boosting their chances of winning the European Baja Cup title.
The second Polish pairing, Magdalena Zając and Błażek Czekan, led the Ultimate category in their Proxcars TME Rally Team Toyota Hilux. Despite facing challenges on Saturday, they managed a third-place finish.
Hungary's Csucsu and Márk Mesterházi were the lone crew competing in the Challenger section, driving a Speedy Motorsport Can-Am Maverick X3. They concluded the race in fourth place overall.
Murat Kapanoğlu, accompanied by Alexsandar Trendafílov, ran their Can-Am Maverick XRS Turbo RR under North Macedonian competition licenses. However, they withdrew after incurring significant time penalties on the first day.
Organized by the Istanbul Offroad Sports Club (OFF), the event was based in the northwestern seaport city of Çanakkale in the Marmara region, on the Dardanelles Strait, approximately 300km southwest of Istanbul.
The competition began with a five-kilometer Prologue stage on Friday afternoon and was followed by the Dardanelles stage of 93.70 kilometers between Kirazli and the village of Denízgöründü on Saturday morning. Teams then faced a five-kilometer Terzioğlu Vakfi spectator stage around midday before a second pass through the 93.70-kilometer special.
On Sunday, two passes through a stage of 110.05 kilometers in the Ida mountain range between Kirazki and Denízgöründü were conducted, with a third pass through the five-kilometer Terzioğlu Vakfi spectator stage separating them. The longer stage ran between the provinces of Çanakkale and Balikesir, southeast of the ancient city of Troy, on the Gulf of Edremit.
Kapanoğlu set the fastest time under overcast skies and slippery conditions on the Prologue with a time of 3 minutes and 38.7 seconds, just ahead of Birinci, Zając, Csucsu, and Wajzer.
Birinci won the opening stage by a margin of over two minutes from SSV rival Kapanoğlu, with Zając taking third place, and Wajzer finishing just ahead of Csucsu. The Turk also triumphed in the short spectator stage, but only he, Zając, and Wajzer survived to attempt the repeated longer stage.
Birinci was again the quickest on the second pass and reached the night halt in Çanakkale 1 hour and 6 minutes and 36 seconds ahead of Wajzer after Zając encountered difficulties.
Zając bounced back on Sunday morning in drier conditions to win the opening 110.05-kilometer stage, but Birinci maintained a comfortable advantage throughout, finishing third and securing a comfortable cushion over Wajzer. Kapanoğlu did not start the stage.
Birinci then edged out Zając in the third pass through the five-kilometer Troia stage and went on to victorious concludes the longer final stage, securing the win in his Can-Am.
The 2025 European Baja Cup continues with Baja Greece from May 29th-June 1st, also serving as the third round of the World Baja Cup.
Final Result:
- Yagiz Birinci (TUR)/Ugur Tepe (TUR) - Can-Am Maverick XRS Turbo RR - 7 hours, 8 minutes, and 18.3 seconds
- Barthomiej Wajzer (POL)/Ernest Górecki (POL) - Toyota Land Cruiser KDJ - 8 hours, 47 minutes, and 46.3 seconds
- Magdalena Zając (POL)/Błażek Czekan (POL) - Toyota Hilux - 9 hours, 33 minutes, and 45.3 seconds
- Csucsu (HUN)/Márk Mesterházi (HUN) - Can-Am Maverick X3 - 18 hours, 16 minutes, and 7.7 seconds
Murat Kapanoğlu (MKD)/Alexsandar Trendafílov (MKD) - Can-Am Maverick XRS Turbo RR - RETIRED
The 2025 European Baja Cup includes multiple international events, with Turkey among the participating nations. Although specific details for the Baja Troia Turkey event have yet to be released, it is known for attracting both international and national competitors and featuring challenging terrains.
Despite a relatively low number of competitors, the SSV class in the Baja Troia Turkey witnessed intense racing, with Yagiz Birinci and Ugir Tepe clinching victory aboard their Can-Am Maverick XRS Turbo RR, outpacing SSV rival Murat Kapanoglu. The racing in the racing category was equally competitive, with Poland's Barthomiej Wajzer and Ernest Górecki securing second place in their Toyota Land Cruiser KDJ, nipping at the heels of the SSV class winners.
