JEDDAH, SAUDI ARABIA – Saudi motorsport is back in action this weekend with the Jeddah Baja Toyota Rally, round two of the fast-growing Saudi Toyota Rally Championship, and the headline act is an old rivalry: Yazeed Al-Rajhi against Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah.
The three-day event runs from November 11 to 14 out of the Jeddah Corniche Circuit (JCC). It has drawn 22 cars, nine motorcycles and five quads.
The route
- Thursday, November 12: a 10km Prologue from 13:25 to set the starting order, then the ceremonial start from 20:00.
- Friday, November 13: two selective sections of 74.50km and 85.53km.
- Saturday, November 14: a closing stage of 82.57km.
The Baja runs under the supervision of SAMF Chairman HRH Prince Khalid bin Sultan Al-Abdullah Al-Faisal. It is organised by the Saudi Automobile and Motorcycle Federation (SAMF) with the Ministry of Sport and official partner Jameel Motorsport.
Al-Rajhi vs Al-Attiyah, again
Al-Rajhi has won the Jeddah event six times (2014, 2015 and 2022 to 2025) and is defending his Saudi Toyota Rally Championship title in an Overdrive Racing Toyota Hilux GR, with Germany’s Timo Gottschalk navigating.
This time the Riyadh driver faces a serious threat from Qatar’s six-time Dakar Rally winner. Al-Attiyah narrowly beat Al-Rajhi at the opening Saudi Baja round in late January and arrives with a slender lead in the drivers’ standings, with Jeddah and the Al-Qassim finale next month still to run.
Al-Attiyah is chasing this title for the first time, with French navigator Max Delfino beside him. He drives the two-wheel-drive Optimus MD Rallye, the car that recently carried him to the FIA Middle East Baja Cup title.
The rest of the Ultimate class is dominated by Saudi drivers in Nissans, including Fahad Al-Marmass, Faris Khalaf Al-Moshna, Mohammed Al-Tuwaijri and Khalaf Joan Al-Shammeri.
Challenger, SSV and Stock
Saleh Al-Saif has won the Challenger category three times in its four appearances at the Jeddah event, and he is back to defend his crown in a G Rally Team OT3. Dania Akeel and Sébastien Delaunay, third overall at the opening round in a Toyota Hilux GR, switch to a Taurus T3 Max in the Challenger class and are aiming for the top step.
In SSV, 2022 winner Maha Al-Hamali lines up in a Can-Am against Meshaal Al-Howaish, Hamad Al-Harbi and Abdullah Al-Zahrani.
Six drivers fight for the Stock class, and Jeddah will crown a new winner in the category. Newly crowned FIA World Baja Cup champion Majed Al-Thunayyan leads the field in a Nissan Patrol, against the Nissans of Mohammed Al-Asiri, Salem Al-Quraini and Motab Al-Shammeri, Abdullah Al-Shegawi’s Toyota Prado and Abdulaziz Al-Yaeesh’s Isuzu.
Bikes: Al-Balooshi chases a first Jeddah win
Emirati Mohammed Al-Balooshi has never won the Jeddah round, but he starts as the top motorcycle seed on a Husqvarna after finishing third at the Saudi Baja in January. His brother Sultan has also made the trip from the UAE, and the MX Ride Dubai pair take on seven Saudi riders.
Abdulhalim Al-Mogheera, the 2024 Jeddah winner, leads the local challenge on a KTM as he chases championship points. His rivals include Ahmed Olfat, Abdullah Al-Jahdali and Ibrahim Al-Jaralla.
Quads: an open door
Series leader Hani Al-Noumesi, who won the opening round in Ha’il and last year’s Jeddah event on his Yamaha, is absent: he is racing the final round of the FIM Bajas World Cup in Portugal.
That opens the way for three-time winner Haitham Al-Tuwaijri (2022 to 2024), who takes on fellow Yamaha rider Abdulaziz Al-Atawi and the CF Moto C Force 1000 trio of Yassin Mahmoud Al-Hamad, Abdulrahman Alabdullatif and Badr Al-Hamdan.
Leading entries
- Ultimate: #200 Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah (QAT) / Max Delfino (FRA), Optimus MD Rallye · #201 Yazeed Al-Rajhi (KSA) / Timo Gottschalk (GER), Toyota Hilux GR
- Challenger: #300 Saleh Al-Saif (KSA) / Albert Veliamovič (LTU), G Rally Team OT3 · #301 Dania Akeel (KSA) / Sébastien Delaunay (FRA), Taurus T3 Max
- SSV: #400 Maha Al-Hamali (KSA) / Xavier Flick (FRA), Can-Am Maverick R
- Stock: #500 Majed Al-Thunayyan (KSA), Nissan Patrol
- Bikes: #1 Mohammed Al-Balooshi (UAE), Husqvarna 350 · #2 Sultan Al-Balooshi (UAE), Kove 450 · #3 Abdulhalim Al-Mogheera (KSA), KTM 450
- Quads: #100 Abdulaziz Al-Atawi (KSA), Yamaha Raptor 700 · #101 Haitham Al-Tuwaijri (KSA), Yamaha Raptor 700
Live timing is available on the Sportity app with the codes JEDDAH26AUTO and JEDDAH26MOTO. More on Al-Attiyah’s busy end of season: he has also confirmed his entry for the new Oman International Baja in December.
1 comment