Forty-eight riders and drivers from 15 nations will contest this weekend’s Qatar International Baja, a new round of the FIM Bajas World Cup.
The Qatar Motor and Motorcycle Federation (QMMF) published the entry on Sunday evening: subject to final FIM checks, 37 motorcycles, five quads and six SSVs will take on Qatar’s flagship off-road event.
The bike entry
A strong local line-up including Sheikh Mohammed Al-Thani, Abdulrahman Al-Sheeb, Mohammed Al-Kaabi and Jamal Al-Qetiti is joined by riders from Australia, Tunisia, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the UAE, Bahrain, Mozambique and the United Kingdom.
MX Ride Dubai’s Mohammed and Sultan Al-Balooshi are among the favourites, while Kuwait’s Sarah Khuraibet, Mohammed Jaafar Meshari and Abdullah Al-Shatti also chase FIM honours.
Mozambique’s Paulo Oliveira makes his first visit to Qatar on a Husqvarna CRX 450 RX, facing New Zealand’s Edward Lines, Bahrain’s Salman Mohamed and several Saudi riders including Abdulhalim Al-Mogheera and Ahmed Al-Jaber.
Thirteen British riders are entered, including Dakar veteran and Desert Rose team organiser Patsy Quick, Robert Wallace, Barry Howe, Kurt Burroughs, Andrew Newland, Richard Doors and Vanessa Ruck.
SSVs, quads and over-450cc
Six SSVs are entered: local hopes Ahmed Al-Kuwari (Yamaha), Khalid Al-Mohannadi (Polaris) and Abdullah Al-Khelaifi (Yamaha) face Jordan’s Ahmed Allouh (Can-Am), Lebanon’s Henry Kahy (Can-Am) and Italy’s Stefano Marrini (Yamaha).
Five Yamaha quads are entered, with Saudi Arabia’s Faisal Al-Suwayh joined by compatriots Haitham Al-Tuwaijri, Sultan Al-Masoud, Hani Al-Noumesi and Abdulaziz Al-Atawi.
Five British riders — Harry Michael, Hugh Mackay, Joseph Dann, Quick and Brett Hunt — have entered the non-points over-450cc class, along with Saudi Arabia’s Mohammed Al-Khater and Qutaibah Al-Sharif.
We are delighted to see such a strong international field of riders and drivers for our first event to be a round of the FIM Bajas World Cup.
QMMF Executive Director Amro Al-Hamad
I am sure that international competitors coming here for the first time will relish the challenge of the route laid on by our team at the QMMF. For those riders returning, I am sure they are aware of the demands of the desert here, both in terms of navigation and the varied type of terrain they will face over the weekend.
Amro Al-Hamad
Several competitors will also contest a Qatar National Baja behind the FIM event, including former MERC rally driver Edith Weiss and Qatar’s Ali Al-Jaidah.
The event starts at the new Al-Bayt Stadium in Al-Khor on Thursday afternoon, September 30th. Competitors then face three stages and 504.24 competitive kilometres in a demanding 872.44km desert route before finishing at Al-Bayt Stadium on Saturday evening.