CHIPPING Campden's Mike Jones has established himself in the motor sport world over the years, competing successfully in all sorts of on and off-road events in an interesting variety of motor vehicles.

But, with challenge' and endurance' being the watchwords for his motoring activities, he is now establishing a new team - AIP Motorsport - around him that is to enter the prestigious FIA Baja Championship - the world's grand prix series of cross-country events.

As the Desert Warrior with which the team is to compete is nearing completion, the team had a very successful first test in competition on the Winter Stages Rally in mid-Wales.

The team's practice car - a Super Production class Land Rover Defender 90 - competed against conventional rally machines, such as Subaru Imprezas, Mitsubishi Evos and Ford Escorts, famed for their speed and agility over the typical Welsh gravel tracks.

Impact However, Jones was sure that many of the team's ideas included on the Defender that are being incorporated into the build of the Warrior would make an impact among even this sort of competition.

Impressively quick off the start line of the first stage, spectators and fellow competitors were initially amazed with the traction and power of the development vehicle, then shocked by the vehicle's sheer speed and, subsequently, with the stage times that Jones and fellow Quinton Motor Club member and co-driver, Chris Ratter, started to put in.

What most didn't realise was that the pair were driving blind, without any sort of the usual pacenotes, for this is how it will be in the Baja Series and so it seemed logical to get used to operating that way!

The Defender performed well during the day, finishing 19th out of some 54 competitors and fifth in a very competitive class.

The Rally Raid Desert Warrior, which resembles a Land Rover Freelander, but is running a BMW 3.0 diesel engine with a single turbo at present and with potential to go to a twin-turbo set up, will start testing in earnest upon its completion later this month.

Despite this year's FIA Baja Championship having already started, Jones is anxious for the team not to join the FIA circus until the team and the car are full readied.

This may mean that the first event is the Baja Espana Aragon in Spain in July and then the Hungarian and GB Bajas, before the final round in Portugal in November.

Then, the team should be fully readied for a full-out attack on the T1 Class of the championship next year.