Leading Saudi drivers Yazeed Al-Rajhi and Yasir Seaidan head the international FIA entry announced by the Saudi Automobile and Motorcycle Federation (SAMF) for this weekend’s third round of the 2021 FIA World Cup for Cross-Country Bajas.
Subject to scrutineering, 18 crews from 13 nations will contest the three-day event, which starts with a timed 10km super special on Thursday (March 4th) and continues with two selective sections through the Eastern Province deserts on Friday and Saturday.
The front-runners
Fresh from winning the Dubai International Baja, Al-Rajhi and Ulster co-driver Michael Orr drive one of two Overdrive Racing Toyota Hiluxes. The second is in the hands of Dutchman Erik van Loon and French co-driver Sébastien Delaunay.
Seaidan partners Russian navigator Alexey Kuzmich in a lone X-raid-built Mini John Cooper Works Rally, while experienced Czech Miroslav Zapletal completes the four FIA seeds in his self-built Ford F-150.
Saudi drivers fill much of the midfield, with last year’s Hail International Rally winner Saleh Al-Abdelali in his powerful Hummer, along with Essa Al-Dossary, Khalid Al-Feraihi, Mohammed Al-Tuwaijri, Ibrahim Ben Salman, Yousef Al-Suwaidi and Saudi female driver Dania Akeel, who teams up with French co-driver Laurent Lichtleuchter in a Can-Am Maverick X3 in FIA T3.
T4 battle
The rest of the field contests FIA T4, with seven Can-Am Mavericks hoping to start. Category leader Claude Fournier heads three South Racing Can-Ams alongside Kuwait’s Meshari Al-Thefiri and Dubai-based Thomas Bell, who is co-driven by Spanish former enduro rider and China Grand Rally-winning biker Armand Monleón.
Local driver Saleh Al-Saif hopes to bounce back from a disappointing Dubai outing, facing Saudi rivals Ahmed Al-Shegawi, Hamad Al-Harbi and motorsport all-rounder Saeed Al-Mouri.
Competitors in a National Rally, counting as the opening round of the 2021 Saudi Toyota Desert Rally Championship, join the international field, and there is a separate section for motorcycles and quads.
The event runs under the supervision of H.R.H. Prince Khalid bin Sultan Al-Abdullah Al-Faisal, SAMF President and Chairman of the Organising Committee, with official partner Abdul Latif Jameel Toyota, diamond sponsors MBC Group and Al-Arabiya outdoor advertising, and logistical support from Modon, the Saudi Authority for Industrial Cities and Technology Zones.