LUSAIL, QATAR – Francisco Barreto, Konrad Dąbrowski and Abdulaziz Ahli set the fastest times in the car, motorcycle and quad categories on the 11.12km Prologue that opened the competitive action at the Qatar International Baja on Thursday afternoon.
Thirty-seven cars, 45 motorcycles and eight quads took part in the official start ceremony at Lusail for the penultimate rounds of the FIA World and Middle East Baja Cups and round five of the FIM Bajas World Cup. Competitors were flagged away in the presence of QMMF President Abdulrahman Al-Mannai, QMMF Executive Director Amro Al-Hamad, QMMF board member Abdulrazaq Al-Kuwari and the Dutch ambassador, Ferdinand Lahnstein.
Barreto sets the pace
Italian Baja and recent Baja Portalegre 500 winner Barreto was first on the road with navigator Paulo Fiúza in an SVR Toyota Hilux. The Portuguese driver set the benchmark of 7min 06.9sec, including a five-second penalty for touching a gate, 12.1 seconds faster than title rival Saood Variawa, who lost time in the dust behind Lionel Baud.
Remarkably, Barreto was also 12.1 seconds ahead of local hero and multiple event winner Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah in his Optimus MD Rallye. The Qatari also had a five-second penalty and suffered a costly puncture near the end.
We are really happy. No mistakes. Maybe the guys behind had a little bit of dust because we started minute-by-minute but it was a good result for us. The race starts tomorrow. We need to be smart and focused. I had Nasser behind me today. It’s a pleasure to race with him. It’s cool to learn and do our best.
Francisco Barreto
We had a puncture for the last five kilometres. We drove like one minute easy to manage and not lose too much time. At the end we lose only 12 seconds. Tomorrow is a long stage. It’s a big stage and we will push.
Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah
Al-Kuwari leads the Challengers
Mitchel van den Brink and Bart van Heun made a strong start in Challenger and still have their eyes on overall honours. Their Can-Am Maverick R was sixth, behind QMMF-backed local drivers Abdulaziz Al-Kuwari (Can-Am) and Nouef Al-Sowaidi (Taurus).
I am happy to be first in the category. The rain for me was 100 metres from the finish. I think there was a small cloud, only at the finish!
Abdulaziz Al-Kuwari
We needed to make a reverse and make the turn again at one flag on the stage and we lost some time there. Despite that, it is a good result.
Mitchel van den Brink
Oman’s Hamed Al-Wahaibi was seventh, while father and daughter Martin and Aliyyah Koloc were eighth and 10th in their Red-Lined Revos, either side of Qatar’s Khalifa Saleh Al-Attiyah in ninth.
Alvarez heads the SSVs
South Racing Can-Am’s Fernando Alvarez and French navigator Xavier Panseri were 11th and top of the SSV class. Qatar’s Abdulla Al-Rabban was fastest of the three Stock drivers.
For me, the perfect position is 11 and I am happy about that. We had a good feeling. It was a bit tricky sometimes but our car, with the suspension here in Qatar, is a really good one.
Fernando Alvarez
Qatar’s Mohammed Al-Marri was more than a minute slower and will start near the back on Friday. X-Raid’s Baud had a puncture near the start and will also start well down the order.
Al-Attiyah’s nephew Ghanim Al-Attiyah, making his event debut in a Can-Am Maverick R with Ukrainian navigator Dmytro Tsyro, was 21st overall and third in the SSVs, as a heavy rain shower hit the area towards the end of the session.
Dąbrowski edges McInnes on the bikes
Last year’s motorcycle winner Konrad Dąbrowski was first into the stage on his Duust Rally Team KTM 450 and set a time of 7min 15.1sec, just 1.3 seconds faster than FIM championship leader Alex McInnes.
The three-time event winner had to wait for the backmarkers to finish before his fastest time was confirmed. Former enduro champion and 2023 FIM Rally-Raid World Cup Rally 2 winner Romain Dumontier, running near the back, was third, more than half a minute behind, and Robert Wallace was fourth on his KTM 450 EXC.
It went really well but it was tight. Just over a second to Alex. I’ve won it three times already, so only good memories from here. It’s part of my preparation for the Dakar Rally.
Konrad Dąbrowski
Slovenian veteran Simon Marčič completed the top five on his Kove, with compatriot and defending Dakar Rally 2 champion Toni Mulec seventh, behind Michael Anderson and ahead of Ethan Lane, who had a five-second penalty. FIM champion Mohammed Al-Balooshi and Qatar-based Makis Rees-Stavros completed the top 10. All 45 riders finished the Prologue.
Ahli quickest in the quads
Defending Qatar quad champion Abdulaziz Ahli began his title defence with the fastest time on his Yamaha Raptor, 7.3 seconds quicker than fellow Emirati Khalifa Al-Bastaki after his rival’s five-second penalty. Al-Bastaki was then penalised further for losing his time card.
Hani Al-Noumesi led the five Saudi riders in second, ahead of FIM series leader Ahmed Al-Jaber, Abdulaziz Al-Atawi, Abdulrahman Alabdullatif and Badr Al-Hamdan. Italy’s Matteo Lardori was eighth on the only Suzuki, then had Stella problems and dirt in his carburettor after a rain shower on the road section back to Lusail.
Friday: a 336.45km marathon
Friday brings one of the longest and toughest selective sections ever seen in the FIA and FIM Baja Cups. The punishing 336.45km leg, comparable to a W2RC or Dakar stage, crosses the northern, western and central deserts of Qatar. The first bike starts at 06.55hrs and the first car at 09.00hrs.
Prologue result: cars (top 10)
- 1. Francisco Barreto (POR) / Paulo Fiúza (POR), Toyota Hilux IMT Evo – 7min 06.9sec
- 2. Saood Variawa (RSA) / Charan Moore (RSA), Toyota Hilux IMT Evo – 7min 19.0sec
- 3. Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah (QAT) / Max Delfino (FRA), Optimus MD Rallye – 7min 19.0sec
- 4. Abdulaziz Al-Kuwari (QAT) / Oriol Mena (ESP), Can-Am Maverick R – 7min 21.9sec
- 5. Nouef Al-Suwaidi (QAT) / Aisvydas Paliukenas (LTU), Taurus T3 Max – 7min 26.1sec
- 6. Mitchel van den Brink (NED) / Bart van Heun (NED), Can-Am Maverick R – 7min 26.9sec
- 7. Hamed Al-Wahaibi (OMA) / François Cazalet (FRA), Can-Am Maverick R – 7min 30.5sec
- 8. Martin Koloc (CZE) / Hugo Magalhães (POR), Red-Lined Revo V8 – 7min 34.6sec
- 9. Khalifa Saleh Al-Attiyah (QAT) / Stéphane Duplé (FRA), Taurus T3 Max – 7min 34.8sec
- 10. Aliiyah Koloc (UAE) / Marcin Pasek (POL), Red-Lined Revo GTR – 7min 35.2sec
Prologue result: motorcycles (top 10)
- 1. Konrad Dąbrowski (POL), KTM 450 Rally Replica – 7min 15.1sec
- 2. Alex McInnes (GBR), KTM 450 RFR – 7min 16.4sec
- 3. Romain Dumontier (FRA), KTM 450 Rally Factory – 7min 45.4sec
- 4. Robert Wallace (GBR), KTM 450 EXC – 7min 52.2sec
- 5. Simon Marčič (SLO), Kove 450 Rally EX – 7min 53.3sec
- 6. Michael Anderson (POR), KTM 450 RFR – 8min 19.7sec
- 7. Toni Mulec (SLO), KTM 450 Rally Replica – 8min 20.5sec
- 8. Ethan Lane (GBR), KTM 450 Rally – 8min 20.6sec
- 9. Mohammed Al-Balooshi (UAE), KTM 450 RR – 8min 20.9sec
- 10. Makis Rees-Stavros (GBR), KTM EXC F450 – 8min 36.1sec
Prologue result: quads
- 1. Abdulaziz Ahli (UAE), Yamaha Raptor 700 – 8min 28.1sec
- 2. Hani Al-Noumesi (KSA), Yamaha 700 – 9min 01.7sec
- 3. Ahmed Al-Jaber (KSA), Yamaha Raptor – 9min 47.9sec
- 4. Abdulaziz Al-Atawi (KSA), Yamaha Raptor 700 – 11min 30.7sec
- 5. Khalifa Al-Bastaki (UAE), Yamaha YFZ 450R – 13min 35.4sec
- 6. Abdulrahman Alabdullatif (KSA), CF Moto CForce 1000 – 14min 51.1sec
- 7. Badr Al-Hamdan (KSA), CF Moto CForce 1000 – 17min 40.2sec
- 8. Matteo Lardori (ITA), Suzuki LT2 400 – 21min 07.5sec