"Baja La Janda" endurance rally

Back in January we spent our Sunday nights glued to the TV watching Jesús Calleja and the Spanish teams taking part in the Dakar Rally, bouncing across the dunes and deserts of Chile and Argentina in a series of unlikely-looking vehicles.  This weekend we had our own local version:  Baja Comarca La Janda - organised by RS Sport and Andinas Racing, and part of the Campeonato de Andalucía de Enduro Todo Terreno (All-Terrain Endurance Championships of Andalucia).

Thirty-nine teams took part, inlcuding some who had taken part in the Dakar Rally.  They lined up on the Paseo de la Playa on Saturday morning, before roaring past the bemused market shoppers towards the hills and valleys of La Janda - a route made especially challenging by the heavy rains we have seen in recent weeks.

The winners were José Antonio Hinojo and Israel Diego Gilabert from Almeria, in a Toyota Land Cruiser.

Photos by Chemary Gómez Reyes: