After being pushed back from its August slot due to fires in the area, the 23rd Hungarian Baja will take place on November 12–15. Race organizers officially confirmed the new date on Thursday.

This date slot overlaps with the Raid of the Champions, the sixth and final round of the Magyar Terep-Rallye. Rather than moving the finale, both races’ routes will be blended together. The Hungarian Baja is primarily held in Várpalota while the Raid of the Champions is in Tapolca, though both are located in the province of Veszprém and thereby makes the joint route easier to organize.

“After the August postponement, we want to return with a race that will provide a truly special experience for riders, teams and spectators alike,” explained the Hungarian Baja organizers. “The new stages, the two race centers, the unpredictable conditions of November and the four-day, intensive program all create all the conditions for the 23rd HunGarian Baja to be an unforgettable season finale.”

The Hungarian Baja was originally slated for August 13–15, but drought and fires pushed on by intense heat across Europe prompted the postponement. The Baja Aragón, also on the FIA European Baja Cup slate, had also been pushed from August to this weekend due to wildfires. With the new date, Hungary is now the ninth and final round of the EBC.

While this is the latest that the Hungarian Baja has taken place, it won’t be the first time it was held in the fall rather than the traditional August slot. The inaugural race in 2004 ran on the last weekend of October.

“We would like to experience in real conditions how the event works during this period, and from 2027 the first weekend of November may become the new, permanent date of HunGarian Baja,” added the organization.

István “Baba” Gál won the first ever Hungarian Baja in his G-Baba Proto 5 Despite falling 1:30 behind Sándor Kis’ Nissan early on, he made up the gap in the special and won by 18 seconds. Liszi László rounded out the overall podium in his Pajero.

Zoltán Szaller won the truck class after Hans Bekx rolled in the first stage. Bekx, a Dakar Rally veteran who finished runner-up for trucks at the inaugural Africa Eco Race, was among six foreign crews signed up; Gerald Jacoby’s Mitsubishi Pajero was the only one to reach the finish in ninth.