EUROPEAN BAJA CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND 2, GATINAIS, FRANCE, 26-28 APRIL – WHAT TO EXPECT

Round two of the 2024 Defender Rally Series European Baja Championship takes place this weekend, from Friday 26 to Sunday 28 April, in Gatinais, France. Andrew Burgess and co-driver Daniel Hutchings lead the Championship, followed by Dan Beecroft and Barney Gillespie, in second, and Miles Williams and Matt Lowe, in third. Vanessa Ruck, Works Driver for Bowler, continues into the Year Two of the Bowler Driver Development Programme.

Calum McKechnie, General Manager, Bowler Motors, said: “As we prepare for the second round of the European Baja Championship, fueled by the momentum from the exhilarating Walters Arena event in March, our seasoned drivers are eager to compete in the beautiful landscapes of Gatinais, developing their skills further across difficult terrain. With growing anticipation, we trust in the capabilities of our driver teams and the Defender to excel in this upcoming event. With every rally, driver, co-driver and Defender 90 grow stronger as a team, which is vitally important as we look forward to other European challenging events in 2024.”

The TT Rally “Lands of Gâtinais” is a round of the French Cross-Country Rally Championship and will cover 148km of competitive stages. Made up of mainly on unpaved tracks and paths, there are 72 crews due to compete over the weekend, including six Defender 90s.

Andrew Burgess, winner of the first round of the European Baja Championship, said: “We’re looking forward to the challenge that France will present. We’ve had a good start to the year, and we’re thrilled to be participating in this cross-country endurance event, pitching ourselves into competition against other rally-ready machines.”

Joining RD 2 in Gatinais is Vanessa Ruck, Works Driver for Bowler Motorsport. Vanessa demonstrated how Bowler can take a novice driver and build them up to be an accomplished rally driver in just one year; at the end of 2023, Vanessa had achieved the Year One goal for new drivers of a National Licence, enabling her to compete in rally events abroad. For 2024, Vanessa is showing the journey for Year Two and above drivers in the Bowler Driver Development Programme, and her first event is in Gatinais, France, for the EU Baja Championship.

Ahead of the weekend’s event, Vanessa Ruck commented: “Following a super successful completion of the year one Defender Series in the UK Championship, I’m filled with excitement and energy for kicking off the 2024 European Championship! The Bowler team have helped to build my confidence, my driver skill database and supported me to the point where I achieved 4 podium finishes last year. Whether I will win further podium positions this year remains to be seen, but I can tell you that I’m going to be fighting hard. My goal is to enjoy every moment and find my limits in a new variety of terrain, that the European Baja Championship offers.”

For pricing and information and to register for the 2025 season, visit Tata Elxsi Defender Rally Series 2024 | Bowler Motors

Defender Rally Series – European Baja Championship Standings

Further Information

2024 Defender Rally Series European Baja Championship Calendar

2024 European Baja Championship Competitors (Driver/Co-driver)

• Miles Williams/Matt Lowe
• Dave Beecroft/Fraser Parish
• Dan Beecroft/Barney Gillespie
• Syd Phillimore/Lee Caroline
• Jorma Jokela/Janne Jokela
• Vanessa Ruck/Chris Hammond
• Andrew Burgess/Dan Hutchings
• Paul White/Barney Gillespie/Paul Chambers
• Bruno Arnoud/John Tomley

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