NISSAN Victorious as Marc Blázquez takes Title

Portalegre, Portugal (Oct 14 –15, 2006) Spanish driver Marc Blázquez, driving a NISSAN Navara T1, has taken his first back-to-back FIA Baja World Cup title with victory on the 20th Baja Anta Da 500 Serra Portalegre, held over the October 14-15 weekend.

Blázquez was the undisputed leader of the event right from the first day. Particularly in the hardest stages, Saturday’s 400 kilometers of tests, the Nissan pilot prevailed by 3 minutes 30 seconds over his rivals. These included local man and fellow NISSAN pilot Miguel Barbosa, who finished the event second. The rally’s final leg was its shortest, and again it was Blázquez who led the way, covering the day’s 120-kilometre single stage in 1 hour 37 minutes 7 seconds, maintaining his position as leader until the finish.

It was a NISSAN 1-2-3-4 at the end of the very demanding leg, with the new Pathfinder piloted by the Re brothers settling into third place on its debut. It was a clean sweep for the Japanese manufacturer as both Barbosa and the Re brothers kept their position until the end of the event and Nissan the squad dominated the podium.

In their Nissan Navara T1, Marc Blázquez and Jordi Merchant took stage wins on the opening two tests of the rally’s longest leg. Blázquez and co-driver Merchant immediately swept into the lead on the day’s opening stage when fellow NISSAN driver Miguel Barbosa was delayed with a puncture.

The difficulty of the stages was in evidence as the Spaniard’s chief rival, Czech Josef Sykora, went out of the event, virtually guaranteeing Blázquez his second consecutive title in the FIA Baja World Cup. This result also leaves Blázquez in a strong position to take the Spanish title, to be decided in three weeks’ time in Cuenca, on the final round of that series.

Marc Blázquez: "I am incredibly happy with this victory because it has a special meaning for the entire team. We have been saddened recently by the loss of one of our own, Mr Santi Gal???E and this triumph is our best tribute to our companion. To take a second title in this Baja World Cup is very important for me and the team. Getting it here on this most difficult of rallies makes it even better."