Official Yamaha factory rider Adrien van Beveren heads an impressive motorcycle and quad entry for the two Hail Bajas on December 10-12 and 14-16.
The Frenchman leads an entry of 31 motorcycles and 21 quads for the FIM-sanctioned event organised by the Saudi Automobile and Motorcycle Federation (SAMF), a perfect chance for competitors to practise their navigation before January’s Dakar Rally. Officials will release the FIA car, truck and national category entries on Saturday.
Van Beveren is one of the most talented cross-country riders of the current generation, a Dakar stage winner who has led the event in the past. He injured his wrist in a fall last year but is fully fit again and finished second at the Andalucia Rally in southern Spain in October. The Yamaha WR 450F rider will use the back-to-back Hail Bajas to finalise his preparations before the Japanese manufacturer takes on KTM, Honda, Husqvarna, Sherco and Hero at the Dakar.
His main international rival could be young Konrad Dabrowski on a KTM 450 Rally for the Duust Rally Team. The Pole is the son of former professional rider Marek Dabrowski, who spent the latter part of his career on four wheels in FIA World Cup events with the Overdrive Toyota team.
A strong regional entry
Saudi riders dominate both categories, but Ali Ashoor, Rashed Al-Hassan, Othman Al-Ghfeli and Rashid Abdullah represent the UAE on bikes, and Khalifa Al-Raeesi rides a Honda TRX 450 ER quad. Kuwait is represented by Mohammed Jaffar on his KTM.
Several Saudi riders have contested the Hail International Rally before, including Mishal Al-Ghuneim (KTM), Sufyan Al-Omar (Honda) and Sultan Al-Masoud (Yamaha Raptor). Al-Omar and Al-Masoud were second and third in their category behind Riyadh Al-Oraifan at the Hail International Rally in February 2020.
The route
Baja Hail 1 offers 592 competitive kilometres in an 890km route through the An Nafud desert. Baja Hail 2 is slightly shorter, with 479 competitive kilometres in a 780km route.
Both Bajas run under the supervision of the Hail Regional Development Authority in co-operation with the General Authority for Tourism and National Heritage and the General Authority for Sport. Covid-19 precautions and requirements for foreign visitors are available on www.bajahail.com.