A week and a half after finishing runner-up in T4, João Dias has been disqualified from the Baja TT Escuderia Castelo Blanco. The FPAK announced Thursday that Dias was using a non-OEM brake master cylinder on his Polaris RZR Pro R during the race.
Dias’ RZR had the AP Racing CP2623 master cylinder installed, which is an aftermarket part not found in Polaris’ public inventory. Since T4 is a production-based SSV class, components must be stock and/or which the average person can buy from the OEM. As such, Article 286A.12.1, Appendix J of the FIA regulations stipulates the master cylinder and tank “must come from the manufacturer’s commercial catalogue and be available for sale to the public.”
The FPAK’s technical delegate spotted the irregularity and submitted a report to race officials, who relayed it to the FIA. The federation in turn contacted Polaris and was told, “there is no AP brake master cylinder in our catalog today.”
Santag Racing boss David Vieira asserted it was due to misunderstanding rather than an attempt to gain an unfair advantage, explaining the team had previously reached out to Polaris’ distributor in Spain about the master cylinders. Still, at the end of the day, the #529 was using noncompliant parts.
Dias had finished second in T4, a minute and 11 seconds behind fellow Polaris driver Gonçalo Guerreiro, and third overall. With his disqualification, Luís Cidade moved up to second and Herlando Araújo into third for the class.
Revised Baja TT Escuderia Castelo Branco T4 results
| Finish | Overall | Number | Driver | Navigator | Team | Vehicle | Total Time | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 519 | Gonçalo Guerreiro | Raquel Jimena | Gonçalo Guerreiro | Polaris RZR Pro R | 2:29:26.0 | Leader |
| 2 | 7 | 508 | Luís Cidade | Valter Cardoso | South Racing Can-Am | Can-Am Maverick R | 2:38:48.6 | + 9:22.6 |
| 3 | 8 | 530 | Herlando Araújo | Tiago Magalhães | Old Friends Rally Team | Can-Am Maverick X3 | 2:40:32.1 | + 11:06.1 |
| 4 | 10 | 531 | Rúben Rodrigues | Rui Paulo | Rio Seco Racing | Can-Am Maverick R | 2:40:54.6 | + 11:28.6 |
| 5 | 12 | 564 | Filipe Lopes | Gonçalo Reis | Rio Seco Racing | Can-Am Maverick X3 | 2:43:06.4 | + 13:40.4 |
| 6 | 13 | 560 | Filipe Ramos | José Marques | Benimoto Racing | Can-Am Maverick R | 2:43:31.6 | + 14:05.6 |
| 7 | 17 | 544 | Afonso Oliveira | Fábio Belo | Santag Racing | Can-Am Maverick X3 | 2:49:09.1 | + 19:43.1 |
| 8 | 19 | 542 | Bruno Oliveira | Vitor Dinis Carita de Jesus | Bruno Oliveira | Can-Am Maverick R | 2:50:12.6 | + 20:46.6 |
| 9 | 21 | 581 | Tomás Lopes | Ivo Prieto | Rio Seco Racing | Can-Am Maverick X3 | 2:53:19.9 | + 23:53.9 |
| 10 | 23 | 517 | Dinis Rogeira | José Carlos Silva | 767 / PRK Sport Rally Team | Can-Am Maverick X3 | 2:57:20.1 | + 27:54.1 |
| 11 | 28 | 521 | Paulo Duarte | Ivo Santos | 767 / PRK Sport Rally Team | Can-Am Maverick X3 | 3:04:55.0 | + 35:29.0 |
| DSQ | DSQ | 529 | João Dias | Rui Pita | Santag Racing | Polaris RZR Pro R | DSQ | N/A |
Featured image credit: Santag Racing


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