#Baja Russia Northern Forest

[crosscountryrally]

Vladimir Vasilyev remontó y se quedó con la Baja Russia Northern Forest 2022

El local Vladimir Vasilyev debió sacar su mejor ritmo en la jornada final de la Baja Russia Northern Forest para llevarse su cuarta victoria en casa. Vasilyev estaba a 49 segundos de la punta antes de largar el último día, pero fue capaz de superar al polaco Tomasz Bialkowski, que al final tampoco podría terminar segundo y caería al tercer puesto detrás de otro local, Sergey Uspensky.

Así, Vasilyev es el primer líder del Mundial de Bajas FIA 2022. Yazeed Al-Rajhi, que había esperado comenzar la defensa de su título luchando por la victoria en St. Petersburgo abandonó después de golpear una roca apenas en el segundo día de carreras.

Destacable la actuación de la local Anastasiya Ninfontova que obtuvo la victoria en la categoría T3, en tanto que Sergei Remennik ganó la categoría T4. 

El Mundial de Bajas FIA no descansa ya que esta semana se correrá la Baja Jordania entre el 17 y el 19 de febrero.

Imagen: Prensa Baja Russia Northern Forest

[ainawgsd]

Sea Otter Expressions-Part 1

read below the break for information on the fur trade, the path toward extinction, and recovery and conservation

In the wild, sea otters live to a maximum age of 23 years, with average lifespans of 10–15 years for males and 15–20 years for females. Several captive individuals have lived past 20 years, and a female at the Seattle Aquarium died at the age of 28 years. Sea otters in the wild often develop worn teeth, which may account for their apparently shorter lifespans. 

Sea otters live in coastal waters 50 to 75 ft deep, and usually stay within a kilometer (⅔ mi) of the shore. They are found most often in areas with protection from the most severe ocean winds, such as rocky coastlines, thick kelp forests, and barrier reefs. Their northern range is limited by ice, as sea otters can survive amidst drift ice but not land-fast ice. Individuals generally occupy a home range a few kilometers long, and remain there year-round.

The sea otter population is thought to have once been 150,000 to 300,000, stretching in an arc across the North Pacific from northern Japan to the central Baja California Peninsula in Mexico. The fur trade that began in the 1740s reduced the sea otter's numbers to an estimated 1,000 to 2,000 members in 13 colonies. In about two-thirds of its former range, the species is at varying levels of recovery, with high population densities in some areas and threatened populations in others. Sea otters currently have stable populations in parts of the Russian east coast, Alaska, British Columbia, Washington, and California, with reports of recolonizations in Mexico and Japan. Population estimates made between 2004 and 2007 give a worldwide total of approximately 107,000 sea otters.

Archaeological evidence indicates that for thousands of years, indigenous peoples have hunted sea otters for food and fur. Large-scale hunting, part of the Maritime Fur Trade, which would eventually kill approximately one million sea otters, began in the 18th century when hunters and traders began to arrive from all over the world to meet foreign demand for otter pelts, which were one of the world's most valuable types of fur. 

In the early 18th century, Russians began to hunt sea otters in the Kuril Islands. Russia was also exploring the far northern Pacific at this time, and sent Vitus Bering to map the Arctic coast and find routes from Siberia to North America. In 1741, on his second North Pacific voyage, Bering was shipwrecked off Bering Island in the Commander Islands, where he and many of his crew died. The surviving crew members, discovered sea otters on the beaches of the island and spent the winter hunting sea otters and gambling with otter pelts. They returned to Siberia, having killed nearly 1,000 sea otters, and were able to command high prices for the pelts. Thus began what is sometimes called the "Great Hunt", which would continue for another hundred years. The Russians found the sea otter far more valuable than the sable skins that had driven and paid for most of their expansion across Siberia. In 1775 at Okhotsk, sea otter pelts were worth 50–80 rubles as opposed to 2.5 rubles for sable.

Russian fur-hunting expeditions soon depleted the sea otter populations in the Commander Islands, and by 1745, they began to move on to the Aleutian Islands. By the 1760s, the Russians had reached Alaska. In 1799, Emperor Paul I consolidated the rival fur-hunting companies into the Russian-American Company, granting it an imperial charter and protection, and a monopoly over trade rights and territorial acquisition. Other nations joined in the hunt in the south. n 1778, British explorer Captain James Cook reached Vancouver Island and bought sea otter furs from the First Nations people. When Cook's ship later stopped at a Chinese port, the pelts rapidly sold at high prices, and were soon known as "soft gold". As word spread, people from all over Europe and North America began to arrive in the Pacific Northwest to trade for sea otter furs.

Eventually, sea otter populations became so depleted, commercial hunting was no longer viable. It had stopped the Aleutian Islands, by 1808, as a conservation measure imposed by the Russian-American Company. Further restrictions were ordered by the Company in 1834. When Russia sold Alaska to the United States in 1867, the Alaska population had recovered to over 100,000, but Americans resumed hunting and quickly extirpated the sea otter again. Prices rose as the species became rare. During the 1880s, a pelt brought $105 to $165 in the London market, but by 1903, a pelt could be worth as much as $1,125. In 1911, Russia, Japan, Great Britain (for Canada) and the United States signed the Treaty for the Preservation and Protection of Fur Seals, imposing a moratorium on the harvesting of sea otters. So few remained, perhaps only 1,000–2,000 individuals in the wild, that many believed the species would become extinct.

The beginning of commercial exploitation of sea otters had a great impact on the human, as well as animal, populations  the Ainu and Aleuts have been displaced or their numbers are dwindling, while the coastal tribes of North America, where the otter is in any case greatly depleted, no longer rely as intimately on sea mammals for survival.

During the 20th century, sea otter numbers rebounded in about two-thirds of their historic range, a recovery that is considered one of the greatest successes in marine conservation. However, the IUCN still lists the sea otter as an endangered species, and describes the significant threats to sea otters as oil pollution, predation by orcas, poaching, and conflicts with fisheries – sea otters can drown if entangled in fishing gear. The hunting of sea otters is no longer legal except for limited harvests by indigenous peoples in the United States.

The most significant threat to sea otters is oil spills. They are particularly vulnerable, as they rely on their fur to keep warm. When their fur is soaked with oil, it loses its ability to retain air, and the animals can quickly die from hypothermia. The liver, kidneys, and lungs of sea otters also become damaged after they inhale oil or ingest it when grooming. The Exxon Valdez oil spill of 24 March 1989 killed thousands of sea otters in Prince William Sound, and as of 2006, the lingering oil in the area continues to affect the population. Describing the public 

The small geographic ranges of the sea otter populations in California, Washington, and British Columbia mean a single major spill could be catastrophic for that state or province. Prevention of oil spills and preparation for the rescue of otters in the event of one are major areas of focus for conservation efforts. Increasing the size and range of sea otter populations would also reduce the risk of an oil spill wiping out a population. However, because of the species' reputation for depleting shellfish resources, advocates for commercial, recreational, and subsistence shellfish harvesting have often opposed allowing the sea otter's range to increase, and there have even been instances of fishermen and others illegally killing them.

In the Aleutian Islands, a massive and unexpected disappearance of sea otters has occurred in recent decades. In the 1980s, the area was home to an estimated 55,000 to 100,000 sea otters, but the population fell to around 6,000 animals by 2000. The most widely accepted, but still controversial, hypothesis is that killer whales have been eating the otters. The pattern of disappearances is consistent with a rise in predation, but there has been no direct evidence of orcas preying on sea otters to any significant extent.

Another area of concern is California, where recovery began to fluctuate or decline in the late 1990s. Unusually high mortality rates amongst adult and subadult otters, particularly females, have been reported. Necropsies of dead sea otters indicate diseases, particularly Toxoplasma gondii and acanthocephalan parasite infections, are major causes of sea otter mortality in California. The Toxoplasma gondii parasite, which is often fatal to sea otters, is carried by wild and domestic cats and may be transmitted by domestic cat droppings flushed into the ocean via sewage systems. Although disease has clearly contributed to the deaths of many of California's sea otters, it is not known why the California population is apparently more affected by disease than populations in other areas.

Predation of sea otters does occur, although it is not common. Many predators find the otter, with their pungent scent glands, distasteful. Young predators may kill an otter and not eat it. Leading mammalian predators of this species include orcas and sea lions; bald eagles also prey on pups by snatching them from the water surface. On land, young sea otters may face attack from bears and coyotes. In California, bites from sharks, particularly great white sharks, have been estimated to cause 10% of sea otter deaths and are one of the reasons the population has not expanded further north. The great white shark is believed to be their primary predator, and dead sea otters have been found with injuries from shark bites, although there is no evidence that sharks actually eat them.

[okeanisorg-blog]

New Post has been published on http://www.okeanis.org/sickening-truth-behind-holiday-park-dolphins-brutally-hunted-in-the-wild-world-news-mirror-online/

Sickening truth behind holiday park dolphins brutally hunted in the wild - World News - Mirror Online

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Nereis Project

The sea otter (Enhydra lutris) is the only member of the genus Enhydra. It is the largest member of the family Mustelidae which includes approximately 70 species; the sea otter is also the smallest marine mammal. The sea otter is limited in distribution to nearshore waters of the northern Pacific Ocean. Sea otters once ranged from northern Japan to the Alaskan peninsula and along the west coast of North America to Baja California in Mexico. Until the 1700s, sea otters were abundant throughout the waters of the North Pacific and for centuries native groups, such as the Aleuts, hunted them. During this time, the worldwide sea otter population probably numbered 150,000 to 300,000 animals. By the mid-1700s, Russian hunters had coerced the Aleuts to exploit sea otters for the fur trade, and the once abundant sea otter population plummeted. The otters that remained were chased down by English, French, Japanese and American traders. By the 1900s, the sea otter was nearly extinct with only 1,000 to 2,000 left. Only 13 remnant sea otter colonies existed from Russia to Mexico when the International Fur Seal Treaty, which banned the hunting of sea otters and fur seals, was established in 1911 (Kenyon 1975, 1981; Johnson 1982; Riedman and Estes 1990).

​Based on morphological differences in color, body and skull sizes, three sub-species of sea otters have been proposed historically: Enhydra lutris lutris from the western Alaska archipelago, Enhydra lutris kenyoni from Prince William Sound, Alaska, and Enhydra lutris nereis, the California or southern sea otter (Anderson et al. 1996). Cronin et al. (1996) proposed the classification of otters from the Kuril Islands as Enhydra lutris gracilis but this nomenclature has not been officially recognized.

The status of sea otter populations is currently an issue of concern at the international level. Except for the California sea otter population, which has never increased more than 5.5% annually, all other populations have increased up to 20% per year from the time of their re-establishment in the late 1960s through the late 1980s (Estes 1990). Since then, there have been new and unexplained declines throughout the majority of the southwest Alaska stock which is now proposed as “threatened” under the Endangered Species Act (USFWS 2001; Burn et al. 2003; Doroff et al. 2003). As of summer 2003, the number of sea otters in the Aleutian archipelago has declined to about five-percent of its estimated pre-decline abundance and the rates of decline in this region appear to be increasing at an alarming rate (Maldini et al. 2004).

Once ranging from Baja California, Mexico all the way to Oregon and the southeast Alaska border, the southern sea otter is now confined to waters along the central California coast from Point Aňo Nuevo, Santa Cruz County south to Purisima Point, Santa Barbara County (Wilson et al. 1991). A small experimental population has been re-introduced at San Nicolas Island, one of the Channel Islands in Ventura County with mixed success (Jameson et al. 1992).

By the 1930s, the California sea otter population consisted only of a small group of 50 to 300 sea otters restricted to the Big Sur coast of central California. Under the protection of the International Fur Seal Treaty, this small population began a slow and steady climb from nearly extinct to a fairly stable population. From the mid 1970s to the mid 1980s, the southern sea otter population began to decline once again. In 1977, the southern sea otter was listed as “threatened” under the Endangered Species Act.  About 1,000 sea otters died over a 10 year period due to entrapment in gill nets. When gill net legislation was passed in the late 1980s requiring gill nets to move farther off shore, the sea otter population began to grow again until the mid-1990s (Siniff and Ralls 1988; Estes 1990; Estes et al. 1995; Ralls et al. 1996).

From 1995 until the present, southern sea otter numbers have declined in five out of the last six years. Some of the possible causes include entrapment in fisheries gear, disease, food limitations, and habitat loss and degradation due to contaminants (Wendell et al. 1986, Estes 2003, Miller et al. 2005). Sea otter protection is a source of ongoing conflict between the California shellfish (abalone, sea urchin, crab, lobster) industries and conservation groups (Estes and VanBlaricom 1985). While fishermen view the shellfish eating sea otter as a threat to their livelihood, conservation groups and scientists see the sea otter as a keystone species because their activity is central to the nature of their ecosystem. By consuming large numbers of sea urchins, sea otters have been shown to be instrumental in maintaining the health and persistence of kelp forest habitats in Alaska waters (Estes et al. 1978; Estes et al. 1982). Without the balancing presence of sea otters, sea urchins end up overgrazing kelp forests and creating underwater deserts known as “urchin barrens.” A sea otter’s effect on the ecosystem is disproportionate to how many sea otters there are. Very few sea otters can have a large effect.

The California sea otter population, currently at about 2,000 individuals, is well below the estimated carrying capacity (16,000 animals) for the State of California. Because of its small size, sluggish growth, and numerous perceived threats, the California sea otter population is also listed as “threatened” under the US Endangered Species Act. High mortality rates appear to be largely responsible for the sluggish growth and abundance fluctuations (Estes 2003, Hanni 2003, Kreuder et al. 2003). The causes of this mortality are not well understood, and are being studied both by examining stranded carcasses and by conducting detailed longitudinal studies of living sea otters (Kreuder et al. 2003). One poorly understood threat is toxoplasmosis, an often lethal and otherwise debilitating infection caused by Toxoplasma gondii, a micro-organism that has as intermediate host wild, feral and domestic cats. Oocysts are released in cat feces and can persist in the environment for up to two years. The main infection mechanisms is thought to be the ingestion of oocysts either directly from seawater or concentrated in filter feeding invertebrates which are the otter’s staple diet.

The Importance of Male Areas

California sea otters are concentrated in numbers around Monterey Bay where several territorial male areas are found in prime feeding habitat, especially in dense kelp forest areas. These territories are held long-term by males fit enough to maintain them and the chance for young males to supplant the extant territorial males are infrequent. Young animals not holding a territory and recently weaned pups ousted from their natal area by the adult male tenant, and probably father, generally congregate in “male areas” which are found at the periphery of the sea otter range, and are supposed to be the areas where expansion into new unoccupied territories should occur. Otherwise, these young males may eventually supplant older adults in extant territories.

Not much effort has been devoted by researchers into understanding the dynamics of male areas and their importance to the health and increase of the sea otter population in California. High mortality in the young adult population, both male and female, has been advocated as a potential threat to the longevity of the California population and, as mentioned before, disease may currently play a large role in the mortality rate.

Males in male areas tend to rest in large rafts which are dynamic social units. The social role of male rafts has not been investigated. We hypothesize that male rafts play an essential role in developing young males’ fitness potential by providing “role modeling” by older mature males, which are generally found interspersed with large number of immature males and young adults. Rafts also provide shelter and potential protection by predators using the safety in number model. In addition, we propose that the social skills acquired by male otters in the social context of male areas are as important as the skills acquired by the pup form its mother up to weaning. Rafts provide tactile stimulation to young otters that have been in constant body contact with their mother up to weaning, and are a forum for mock fighting which helps develop the skills necessary to confront territorial males when young adults are ready to claim a territory. 

Elkhorn Slough and Sea Otter Population Dynamics

An important male area in Monterey Bay is located at the center of the bay, around the coastal shallow waters between Moss Landing and the Pajaro River mouth and, principally, inside Elkhorn Slough, a seasonal estuary and the second most important wetland area along the California coast. Elkhorn Slough is part of the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary and is a National Estuarine Research Reserve.

The first documented invasion of Elkhorn Slough by male sea otters occurred between 1994 and 1995 (Maldini-Feinholz 1998). Up to 4% of the California population and a more significant percent of the juvenile male sea otter population used Elkhorn Slough during the past 10 years making the slough a significant sea otter habitat along the California coast (Kieckhefer et al. 2004).

Between 1994 and 2001, the research teams associated with this study counted up to 81 otters using the slough. From a maximum mean number of 52 otters in 1998, otter counts then dropped sharply to 27 in 2001, and have remained low until recently (Hoffman 2003, Maldini unpublished data). Aerial surveys in 2002 and 2003 showed an increase in otter counts in offshore areas adjacent to Elkhorn Slough, suggesting that the otters had relocated (Kieckhefer 2004). In 2006, we documented up to 83 animals in using Elkhorn Slough for resting, although the majority of the population still foraged mainly in the harbor channel and in the nearshore sandy bottom coastline rather than in the main slough channel as in the past (Maldini unpublished data).

The long term monitoring of sea otter use of Elkhorn Slough as a foraging area revealed patterns of sea otter invasions of the main channel, with animals penetrating up to five miles inland to the limit of the distribution of clam beds in the estuary, and subsequent retreat from the main channel as food resources were depleted (Kieckhefer et al. 2004). In soft-bottomed habitats like the Elkhorn Slough area, sea otters prefer clams, innkeeper worms and other burrowing invertebrates that live in mud (Kvitek and Oliver 1986; Anderson and Kvitek 1987; Jolly 1997, Maldini et al. 2010 click here for paper). It is still unclear whether prey may have decreased due to over-foraging by otters, or by severe erosion of the slough banks due to tidal flow, which changed the substrate from mud to bedrock. Some researchers theorize that the unusually high number of otter mortalities in 2003 may have been related to the slough otters’ diet shift to offshore crabs (predominantly Dungeness). In addition, high levels of domoic acid (a fatal neurotoxin produced by oceanic diatoms) recorded during this time period may have played a significant role in sea otter mortality in 2004 (Kieckhefer, unpublished data).

Human-Related Disturbance and Habituation

In the last decade there has been an approximately 12% growth in total population in Monterey Bay (U.S. Census Bureau, 2005 American Community Survey). In addition, infrastructure development and increase in eco-tourism and recreational activities have increased access to many of natural areas in Monterey Bay.

Tourism activity in Elkhorn Slough has increased dramatically from 1990 to today with Kayak Outfitters increasing their business activities and tours becoming more popular especially on the week-ends. Boat traffic is also high in Moss Landing Harbor, at the mouth of the slough, and occasionally, small fishing vessels use the slough for recreational activities (Rodriguez et al. 2010 click here for poster).

Sea otters rest and forage right in the midst of intense human activity spending a large portion of their time budget in the middle of the boat channel and near the main launch ramp at Moss Landing Harbor. In the last couple of years, residents and our research team have documented an increase in human-sea otter interactions, with animals climbing on kayaks, coming to shore to chase people, and showing little fear of humans while in the water. Otters can inflict serious bite injuries if molested and rehabilitated animals released into the wild have been documented to attack or harass people or to beg for food.

Little is knows about how habituation will impact the animal fitness in the wild and whether these patterns of habituation will result in detrimental consequences for sea otters which will have to be removed from the area if they become a hazard to humans. Conversley, the consequence of human activities on the sea otter behavioral budget and resting patterns has been poorly studied. Moss Landing Harbor is an ideal location to monitor human-sea otter interactions and the potential consequences of human related traffic and activities on sea otter behavioral budgets, especially in relation to resting activities (Rodriguez et al. 2010 click here for poster).

Sea otters spend a considerable amount of time foraging to compensate for their high metabolic rate and can consume up to 25% of their body weight every day. An increase in energy expenditure by sea otters will result in increased metabolic requirements and therefore in increased feeding rates. Resting is a way to save energy. Resting in a raft may also provide additional insulation from severe weather conditions. When sea otters rest their body is raised as far out of the water as possible and their paws are kept out of the water and extended upward to keep them dry. This saves additional energy. The most cost efficient resting behavior is probable obtained by hauling out onto shore and becoming completely dry (Maldini et al. 2012 click here for paper).

Every time resting otters are disturbed, the animals roll out of sleep and often start moving away from the disturbance or dive if startled. This causes the animal to become wet and therefore consuming more energy to stay warm.

Our hypothesis is that, as a consequence of human activities, sea otters spend longer times in activities other than resting causing the animals to have to forage longer or more efficiently to make up for the loss in calories. In the long-run, this upsets the otter metabolic cycle and potentially affects them physiologically.

[magwayer]

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#rally #russia🇱🇮Александр Терентьев один из соорганизаторов гонки Северный лес о самой Бахе. 🇬🇧Alexander Terentyev - one of the co-organizers of baja RUSSIA - Northern Forest welcomes the participants and the fans to the race! 🎥 @bajarussia ⠀ 🚙💦🚙💦🚙💦🚙💦🚙💦🚙💦🚙💦🚙💦🚙💦🚙 #карелия #4x4 #magwayer #ралли #rallyraid #baja #offroad #toyota #полныйпривод #внедорожник #Внедорожные #новости 📰 👉 @magwayer_ 🏁 (at Карелия) https://www.instagram.com/p/Bt1HB-xgFkc/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=2vndq2o2a3jw

[rallyes-info]

RALLYES.INFO > El programa de Nasser Al-Attiyah en el WRC y en la Copa del Mundo se tambalea

No están saliendo los planes cómo deberían para Nasser Al-Attiyah durante las últimas semanas. El qatarí, gran ausente de la Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge se está complicando la posibilidad de renovar su título, junto a Matthieu Baumel de Campeones de la Copa FIA de Rallyes Cross-Country después de haber ganado la cita inaugural con la Baja Russia – Northern Forest, Ya habiéndose saltado la Dubai International Baja a principios del mes de marzo, la no presencia de la pareja de Overdrive en la lista de inscritos deja entrever que algo está pasando con el programa de Nasser para esta temporada. Las informaciones apuntan a que Nasser se estaría viendo seriamente afectado por los bloqueos y sanciones que están ejecutando los países de Oriente Medio sobre Qatar, algo que está perjudicando sin duda a Al-Attiyah y a sus patrocinadores. Recordemos que el cuatro veces campeón había mostrado la firme intención hace unas semanas de disputar el Rally Ruta de la Seada tras la invitación de su organiz..

. Más info en > https://rallyes.info/wrc/el-programa-de-nasser-al-attiyah-en-el-wrc-y-en-la-copa-del-mundo-se-tambalea/ . #WRC | #Rally | #Rallye | #Rallyes | #NoticiasRallyes | #NoticiasWRC | #RallyesInfo | #WRCNoticias | #NoticiasRally | #RallyNoticias | #RallyEspaña | #RallyDeEspaña | #RallyCataluña | #RallyCatalunya | #RallyRACC‬

[welcomeqatarr]

  19 Feb 2018 – 11:51 Qatar’s Adel Abdulla (right) and Nasser Al Kuwari celebrate after the race. The Peninsula KARELIA, RUSSIA: Qatar’s Adel Abdulla recovered well from his stage delay yesterday to confirm third position in the T2 category at the finish of Baja Russia Northern Forest Rally on Sunday afternoon. The 2016 FIA T2 champion …

[wheelsguru]

Erik Van Loon – A Dakar Rally Raid Driver From The Netherlands

AN INTRODUCTION:

Date of birth: 29/08/1968 at Reusel

Height / weight : 1.88 m / 84 kg

Sponsors: Heisterkamp, Van Loon Group, Euro, SeaVSat, Rosegaar.NL, Wilvo

Website: http://ift.tt/2nEOldN

DAKAR RECORDS:

2016: 13th (2nd in stage 9)

2015: 4th

2014: 27th

2013: Ab. Stage 6

2012: 16th

2011: 11th

2010: 46th

2009: Ab. Stage 11

OTHER PALMARES:

2016: OiLibya rally du Maroc (ab), Baja Poland (5th), Hungarian Baja (ab), ELE Rally Holland (1st).

2015: Baja Russia Northern Forest (5th), Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge (2nd), Qatar Sealine Rally, Pharaons Rally (7th), Baja Poland (12th), Baja Aragon (6th), OiLibya du Maroc (12th).

2014: Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge (6th), Egypt Rally (3rd), Morocco Rally (3rd), Baja Spain.

2013: Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge.

2012: Morocco Rally, Dutch rally championship, Baja Espana, Dutch rally champion 2010, Estoril-Marrakech (11th).

VEHICLE:

Hilux Overdrive Toyota

Mark: TOYOTA

Model: HILUX OVERDRIVE

Performance tuner: Overdrive/ Van Loon Racing

Assistance: Van Loon Racing / Overdrive

Class: T1.1: 4×4 tout-terrain modifiés essence

Erik van Loon is a busy bee. His business of meat-packing is expanding and a new, bigger plant is about to be opened in the first quarter of 2017. The new plant is a next step businesswise to Erik van Loon, the Dakar 2017 is supposed to become a next step sports wise. In the last two numbers of the Dakar, Van Loon wrote history. First by finishing fourth overall: the best result ever for a Dutchman with the cars.

In 2016 by finishing second in the grueling stage 9: the best result ever for a Dutchman in an official stage.

from Erik Van Loon – A Dakar Rally Raid Driver From The Netherlands

[arabasiajournal]

poles head from frozen russian forests to dubai desert looking to build on world cup lead

poles head from frozen russian forests to dubai desert looking to build on world cup lead

Dubai, UAE – Poland’s Aron Domzala switches from the frozen forests of Northern Russia to the Al Qudra desert next week when he looks to build on his early lead in the FIA World Cup for Cross Country Rallies during the inaugural Dubai International Baja.

Partnered by Szymon Gospodarczyk in an Overdrive Racing Toyota Hilux, Domzala lines up in the second round of the World Cup series full of…

[crosscountryrally]

Yazeed Al-Rajhi se anima a la nieve: El saudí aparece en la lista de inscritos de la Baja Russia Northern Forest

Después de una temporada soñada en el Mundial de Bajas FIA, donde consiguió el título, y un notable tercer puesto en el Dakar 2022, Yazeed Al-Rajhi continuará abriendo camino y aparece en la lista preliminar de inscritos de la Baja Russia Northern Forest. La Baja Rusia es la única carrera del calendario del Mundial de Bajas FIA que se realiza en la nieve y hielo y abre el calendario del Mundial 2022. 

Dada esta noticia, podría esperarse que Yazeed defienda su título en el Mundial de Bajas FIA este 2022. En Rusia, deberá enfrentar al campeón defensor de este evento el Top 10 del Dakar 2022, Vladimir Vasilyev.  Andrey Rudskoy, Evgeny Sukhovenko y Alexey Ignatov también son pilotos locales rápidos que están en la lista de inscritos provisional. La lista final se cierra el 1 de febrero.

En las categorías de SSV, T3 y T4, destacan nombres que estuvieron en la pelea dakariana:  Fernando Alvarez, Saleh Al-Saif y Dania Akeel. También disputará la carrera en esta clase Anastasiya Nifontova y el piloto de rally Sergei Remennik, que hará su debut con un auto facilitado por Sergei Kariakin. 

La Baja Russia Northern Forest se disputa entre el 10 y el 13 de febrero en el Complejo Igora Drive, St. Petersburgo en la región de Leningrado.

Imagen: Yazeed Racing

[crosscountryrally]

Vladimir Vasilyev gana la Baja Russia Northern Forest por segundo año consecutivo

El ruso Vladimir Vasilyev continúa con una seguidilla de buenos resultados después de haber ganado el Mundial de Bajas FIA en 2020. Vasilyev, que fue sexto en el Dakar 2021 ahora obtuvo por segundo año consecutivo y por tercera vez en su carrera, la victoria en la Baja Russia Northern Forest en la región de Leningrado en Rusia. La competencia es la primera fecha del Mundial de Bajas FIA 2021. 

Con un BMW X3, Vasilyev tomó 5 horas y 37 minutos para completar los 480 kilómetros de carrera entre viernes y domingo. Pese a que cedió algo de tiempo en la etapa 2 del sábado, hoy volvió a ganar la especial para terminar con una ventaja de 8 minutos sobre su más cercano perseguidor, Andrey Novikov con su prototipo G-Force Bars. En tercera posición terminó Boris Gadasin con un G-Force T3GF y que ganó la categoría T3. En quinto general y segunda en la categoría T3 terminó la dakariana Anastasiya Nifontova. 

"¡Todo está bien! La carrera es hermosa, y el clima, lo más importante, ¡también es hermoso! Hay escarcha y sol, un día maravilloso. Pero ayer el tiempo nos defraudó. Decidió ponerme a prueba, ya veo, había mucha nieve. Me gustó, el clima es realmente invierno. Incluso la ventisca de ayer no lo estropeó, pero le dio su propio encanto. Este año no tengo planeado ir a la Copa del Mundo FIA de Cross-Country Bajas, participaré en los maratones y la Copa del Mundo FIA de Cross-Country Rallies. No estoy seguro si participo en toda la temporada, veamos cómo va, planeamos correr maratones. Y corrimos esta Baja para el calentamiento, tenemos que correr la carrera de casa ” comentó Vasilyev en la meta después de su triunfo.

Resultados Baja Russia Northern Forest

1. Vladimir Vasilyev (BMW) 5:37:58

2. Andrey Novikov (G-Force) 5:46:27

3. Boris Gadasin (G-Force, T3) 6:10:54

4. Evgeni Sukhovenko (GAZ) 6:18:00

5. Anastasiya Nifontova (Can-Am, T3) 6:28:04

Imagen: Baja Russia Northern Forest

[crosscountryrally]

Vladimir Vasilyev mantiene el liderato de la Baja Russia después de la segunda etapa

A pesar de que no fue el más rápido hoy, Vladimir Vasilyev sigue en camino a la victoria en la Baja Russia Northern Forest. El ruso marcó el segundo mejor tiempo detrás de Andrey Novikov, cediendo unos 33 segundos con respecto a su compatriota con el prototipo G-Force Bars. Aún así, la diferencia a favor de Vasilyev se mantiene y el piloto de VRT lidera la primera fecha del Mundial de Bajas FIA por cerca de 3 minutos y 30 segundos.

La carrera se vio afectada por una fuerte tormenta de nieve en el inicio del día, que complicó particularmente a Vasilyev que abría pista por la mañana. El ruso debió limpiar de nieve el trazado para sus rivales, lo que aprovechó de forma Andrey Novikov. 

“Por la mañana, todo estaba resbaladizo y todo blanco, lo que significaba que apenas podía distinguir el camino en la nieve. Pero durante la segunda mitad el tiempo se despejó y la pista se hizo más visible y condujimos más rápido. En la primera sección perdimos mucho tiempo debido a la poca visibilidad. ¡Tenemos la moral más alta para mañana!” comentó Vasilyev en la meta de la segunda etapa de la Baja Russia Northern Forest.

Denis Krotov también marcó tiempos rápidos en la mañana pero sufrió una salida de pista y debió ser remolcado de regreso al trazado, perdiendo valioso tiempo y quedando sin opciones a la victoria general. 

Todo indica que Vasilyev y Novikov definirán al campeón de la primera fecha del Mundial de Bajas FIA mañana en la región de Leningrado en Rusia.

Imagen: Baja Russia Northern Forest

[crosscountryrally]

Vladimir Vasilyev lidera las posiciones de la Baja Russia Northern Forest después del primer día de acción

El piloto ruso Vladimir Vasilyev partió de la mejor forma la defensa del campeonato del Mundial de Bajas FIA al conseguir el mejor tiempo en las dos especiales disputadas hoy viernes en el Igora Drive, a 50 kilómetros de San Petersburgo en Rusia. Vasilyev, pilotando su BMW X3, logró un tiempo de 2 horas y 6 minutos en los primeros 94 kilómetros de carrera en la Baja Russia Northern Forest. 

"El clima es magnífico, es invierno de verdad aquí, el sol brilla, la nieve es brillante, ¡un verdadero placer! ¡La pista es perfecta! La pista es en realidad la misma que condujimos el año pasado, pero esta vez la superficie es definitivamente más difícil. Los saltos y baches son bastante duros para la suspensión, ¡pero la pista es realmente maravillosa!” comentó Vasilyev después de un exitoso primer día en la región de Leningrado. 

Sin embargo, el local no puede estar tranquilo ya que otros dos compatriotas lo tienen apretado bastante cerca: En segunda posición se ubica Andrey Novikov a 4 minutos y 14 segundos de Vasilyev y tercero, otro dakariano en Denis Krotov  a 5 minutos y 32 segundos del líder. Quedando más de trecientos kilómetros de carrera, las opciones están abiertas en la Baja Russia Northern Forest. 

“Ha sido una etapa muy interesante. Nos habíamos olvidado un poco de la pista del año pasado y teníamos que recordarla sobre la marcha, nos gustó mucho, estaba soleado, el tiempo era perfecto, la pista estaba muy bien preparada y la visibilidad era alta. ¡Fue un gran placer! En la segunda vuelta, la pista era más lenta, por lo que tomamos algunos cuidados, especialmente con todos los baches que salían más descubiertos. Aquellos inexpertos que han cruzado los vados a toda velocidad tuvieron que perder algo de tiempo después porque los splshes se estaban congelando momentáneamente, y deberían haber ido muy lento. ¡Pero la escarcha no fue un problema! A pesar de que solo logramos arrancar nuestro auto en el tercer intento, los amortiguadores se calentaron y ¡comenzamos a rodar!” comentó el segundo clasificado Novikov, que no le pierde pisada a Vasilyev en la general. 

Mañana continua la actividad de la Baja Russia con seis tramos más cortos que totalizan 104 kilómetros. 

Imagen: Baja Russia Northern Forest

[crosscountryrally]

38 tripulaciones inscritas para la Baja Russia Northern Forest de la próxima semana

La primera fecha del Mundial de Bajas FIA tendrá 38 vehículos inscritos entre autos y SSV. Los principales competidores locales y algunas tripulaciones internacionales viajarán a las cercanías de San Petersburgo para disputar la única carrera del Mundial del año que se realiza en nieve y hielo: La Baja Russia Northern Forest. El local Vladimir Vasilyev es el campeón defensor de la carrera y favorito a repetir el triunfo.

Vasilyev es uno de los piltoos que estuvo en el Dakar 2021 que estarán presentes en el evento en el complejo Igora Drive, a 50 kilómetros de San Petersburgo en la región de Leningrado, Rusia. El ruso viene de terminar sexto en el Dakar 2021 en un intenso duelo con Nani Roma y Khalid Al-Qassimi. Vasilyev ganó la Baja Russia Northern Forest en 2020 camino al título del Mundial de Bajas FIA.

Otro de los pilotos que estuvieron el Dakar y estarán en un terreno completamente diferente en Rusia será Denis Krotov, 30° en la general del Dakar 2021. Con un MINI JCW Rally, Krotov será uno de los principales rivales de Vasilyev en este rally. Andrey Novikov también será una amenaza con su prototipo G-Force, un auto especialmente diseñado en Rusia para estas condiciones. El año pasado logró un podio con este mismo auto. 

La Baja Russia Northern Forest estará compuesta de tres días de actividad: El primer día será el viernes 5 de febrero con dos vueltas al tramo Novaya derevnya de 94 kilómetros cada una. El segundo día habrá seis tramos para un total de 104 kilómetros. Finalmente el domingo 7 se correrá nuevamente el tramo del viernes, pero en sentido contrario, para sumar otros dos tramos y el total de 480 kilómetros.

Imagen: Baja Russia Northern Forest

[crosscountryrally]

La Baja Russia Northern Forest abrirá el calendario 2021 de carreras después del Dakar

No tenemos que esperar mucho para volver a tener acción de Rally Raid después de un excelente Dakar 2021. La Baja Russia Northern Forest abrirá el calendario de carreras de este año, siendo la fecha inaugural del Mundial de Bajas FIA. La carrera en Rusia se disputará entre el 4 y el 7 de febrero en el complejo Igora Drive, a cerca de 50 kilómetros de San Petersburgo. La característica de esta carrera es que es la única del calendario FIA que se disputa en hielo y nieve en todo el año.

La nieve y hielo de la región de Leningrado recibirá a al menos 12 pilotos prioritarios de la clase T1 además de SSV de las clases T3 y T4 buscando la gloria en la primera fecha del año del calendario internacional del Mundial de Bajas FIA. Las Bajas son carreras de menor duración, que permiten que haya mayor cantidad de inscritos ya que los costos son menores que carreras de larga duración como las del Mundial de Cross Country como el Silk Way Rally  que tienen entre 5 y 12 etapas. Las carreras están limitadas a 500 kilómetros distribuidas como máximo en tres días. En este caso, la actividad de la Baja Russia Northern Forest estará limitada a 10 tramos para un total de 480 kilómetros contra el reloj. Otro elemento diferenciador es que las Bajas tienen menor componente de navegación, por lo que son ideales para los novatos en el deporte.

El primer día será el viernes 5 de febrero con dos vueltas al tramo Novaya derevnya de 94 kilómetros cada una. El segundo día habrá seis tramos para un total de 104 kilómetros. Finalmente el domingo 7 se correrá nuevamente el tramo del viernes, pero en sentido contrario, para sumar otros dos tramos y el total de 480 kilómetros.

Esta semana se realizaron los últimos reconocimientos por parte de la organización y la FIA y el veredicto fue que el trazado se encuentra en perfectas condiciones para la carrera, que tendrá mucha más nieve que el año pasado, cuando temperaturas altas pusieron en riesgo la realización del evento.

Imagen: Baja Russia Northern Forest

[crosscountryrally]

Vladimir Vasilyev recibe invitación gratis al Silk Way Rally por su triunfo en la Baja Rusia

Hasta aquí todo sigue dentro de lo programado para el Silk Way Rally, el evento más largo del Campeonato Mundial de Rally Cross Country de la FIA y de la FIM en 2020. El coronavirus ha bajado ya al ePrix de Sanya de la Fórmula E y al Gran Premio de China de Fórmula 1, pero los organizadores del Silk Way Rally cuentan con más tiempo para planificar y no han hecho anuncios sobre la carrera, que también podría mantenerse dentro de las fronteras de Rusia.

Como todo sigue igual, el plan continua y el Silk Way le entregó a Vladimir Vasilyev, campeón de la Baja Rusia, la participación gratis para la carrera que está programada para Julio de este año. Esta es una tradición de colaboración entre las dos competencias más importantes de cross country en Rusia.

El Silk Way Rally 2020 está programado para largar el 3 de Julio y terminar el 16 de Julio tras 12 etapas abiertas a autos, SSV, camiones, motos y quads. El rally tiene planificado recorrer Rusia, Kasajistán y China. 

Imagen: Silk Way Rally 

[crosscountryrally]

Vladimir Vasilyev gana la Baja Rusia

Con una carrera sólida sin errores y dominada de principio a fin, desde el shakedown hasta los dos días de carrera, el ruso Vladimir Vasilyev dejó la victoria en casa en la Baja Russia Northern Forest 2020. Esta carrera es la primera fecha del Mundial de Bajas FIA y la única fecha que se corre sobre nieve y hielo. El podio lo completaron  Andrey N. y  Denis Krotov, todos de Rusia. El ganador del 2019, el finlandés Tapio Lauronen, abandonó tras encontrarse segundo al final del día 2. 

Vasilyev corrió con un BMW X3 y se anota una valiosa victoria en camino al título del Mundial de Bajas FIA que espera disputar después de ser tercero en 2019. 

Fedor Vorobyev ganó la categoría SSV.

Resultados

1. Vladimir Vasilyev (BMW X3)  04:27:44

2. Andrey N. (G-Force BARS)  04:45:34

3. Denis Krotov (BMW X3)  04:56:13

Imagen: FIA