JEDDAH, SAUDI ARABIA – Yazeed Al-Rajhi turned the Jeddah Baja Toyota Rally on its head on Saturday morning, overturning a deficit to Nasser Al-Attiyah on the final stage to claim a record seventh victory at the event.
The Saudi driver and his German navigator Dennis Zenz started the last day in their Overdrive Toyota Hilux 1min 07.8sec behind Qatar’s Nasser Al-Attiyah and French co-driver Max Delfino. The closing stage was only 83.89km long, but its tricky navigation caught out much of the field. Al-Rajhi and Zenz found their way better than anyone and crossed the line 6min 43.8sec clear, a result that also hands them the lead of the Saudi Toyota Rally Championship after round two.
“I am very happy that we won this race,” said Al-Rajhi, who runs with support from Jameel Motorsport. “Dennis did a great job today. It was not easy navigation but we worked together. My team did a great job, like always, and we enjoyed it a lot. A lot of people lost their way today but we managed it.”
Al-Saif completes the podium
Saleh Al-Saif and Albert Veliamovič again had the edge over their Challenger rivals Dania Akeel and Sébastien Delaunay, taking third overall in their G Rally Team OT3. It was Al-Saif’s fourth class win in the last five years, with Akeel fourth overall in a Taurus T3 Max.
The SSV battle went down to the wire. Maha Al-Hamali and Alexsei Kuzmich were quickest on the day in their Can-Am Maverick R, holding off Hamad Al-Harbi and Faisal Al-Suwayh to win the class and finish fifth overall. Both crews passed the Nissan Patrol of Khalaf Joan Al-Shammeri and Mashal Saleh Al-Shammeri on the last stage, dropping them to seventh. Abdulaziz Al-Yaeesh and Omar Al-Lahim were 11th overall in their Isuzu D-Max and topped the Stock category for series-production machines.
Al-Balooshi one-two on two wheels
In the motorcycle race, Mohammed Al-Balooshi let his brother Sultan take the fastest time on the final stage, but the MX Ride Dubai pair still finished first and second, Mohammed winning by 6min 10.0sec. Ibrahim Al-Jaralla passed Dominic Wells on the last stage to complete the podium, with Abdullah Al-Jahdali fifth on his Yamaha.
Haitham Al-Tuwaijri gave up the final stage win in the quad category to Abdulrahman Alabdullatif, but the Yamaha rider had built enough of a cushion over the first two days to win by 16min 57.0sec over his CF Moto rival. It was Al-Tuwaijri’s fourth success at the Jeddah Baja in five years, with Badr Al-Hamdan and Yassin Mahmoud Al-Hamad completing the top four.
The event was organised by the Saudi Automobile and Motorcycle Federation (SAMF) under the supervision of its chairman, H.R.H. Prince Khalid bin Sultan Al-Abdullah Al-Faisal, together with the Ministry of Sport and official partner Jameel Motorsport, with support from Toyota, Lexonz and Brandship.
The Saudi Toyota Rally Championship concludes with the Qassim Baja on December 1–4.
Jeddah Baja Toyota Rally 2026 – unofficial results
Cars: 1. Yazeed Al-Rajhi (KSA) / Dennis Zenz (GER), Toyota Hilux GR, 2hr 26min 38.7sec; 2. Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah (QAT) / Max Delfino (FRA), Optimus MD Rallye, +6min 43.8sec; 3. Saleh Al-Saif (KSA) / Albert Veliamovič (LTU), G Rally Team OT3, +17min 55.4sec; 4. Dania Akeel (KSA) / Sébastien Delaunay (FRA), Taurus T3 Max, +30min 22.5sec; 5. Maha Al-Hamali (KSA) / Alexsei Kuzmich (UAE), Can-Am Maverick R, +45min 58.6sec.
Bikes: 1. Mohammed Al-Balooshi (UAE), Husqvarna 350, 3hr 59min 32.6sec; 2. Sultan Al-Balooshi (UAE), Kove 450, +6min 10.0sec; 3. Ibrahim Al-Jaralla (KSA), Kove 450 Rally EX, +43min 18.0sec.
Quads: 1. Haitham Al-Tuwaijri (KSA), Yamaha Raptor 700, 4hr 22min 03.1sec; 2. Abdulrahman Alabdullatif (KSA), CF Moto C Force 1000, +16min 57.0sec; 3. Badr Al-Hamdan (KSA), CF Moto C Force 1000, +27min 33.8sec.
