Fernando Álvarez hopes to return to racing at the Jordan Baja on April 10–12, his first action since suffering a sciatic nerve injury at January’s Dakar Rally. However, it means he will have to skip the Safari Rally Kenya on March 20–23.

Álvarez was scheduled to run the Safari Rally in WRC2, driving a Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 in what would have been his World Rally Championship debut. The Spaniard, who has a home in Buenos Aires, had been mainly competing in the Argentine Rally Championship for the past decade.

At Dakar, he was running sixth in SSV before withdrawing in Stage #5 when he started experiencing pain in his leg and lower back. The condition persisted before he was diagnosed with the injury.

He was forced to miss the FIA World Baja Cup-opening Saudi Baja as a result. Fortunately, the two-month break until the next round in Jordan as well as the series letting drivers drop two races from the final points tally gives him time to recover without losing too much ground in the championship.

Álvarez won the 2024 World Baja Cup in the SSV class and placed second in the overall standings.

Featured image credit: Gigi Soldano / DPPI