The Jordan Baja starts in Aqaba on Thursday evening, Jordan Motorsport’s first international event since September 2019.
Competitors from 15 nations will contest round four of the FIA World Cup for Cross-Country Bajas, round two of the FIM Bajas World Cup and a National Baja running behind both.
The rise of T4
The FIA T4 class for modified production side-by-side (SxS) vehicles is one of the fastest-growing in off-road rallying, and five of its leading drivers will start in Jordan. Cars such as the Can-Am Maverick X3, Polaris RZR 1000 and Yamaha YXZ 1000 R offer newcomers and experienced drivers alike an ideal introduction to one of the toughest forms of off-road motorsport. The Dakar Rally now has two SSV classes, and the FIA World Cup for Cross-Country Bajas has its own T4 drivers’ and teams’ championships.
France’s Claude Fournier has contested all three 2021 rounds so far, in Russia, Dubai and Saudi Arabia, and arrives 19.5 points ahead of Saudi Arabia’s Saleh Al-Saif. He first did the Dakar in 1991 and won the rookie category. His opening-round win plus third and fourth in the two Middle East events give the Can-Am driver and Polish co-driver Szymon Gospodarczyk a solid base.
This is my first time in Jordan, as it was cancelled last year. I am told it is a very difficult challenge, particularly for the navigators, and it is also one where there is a lot of punctures due to rocks.
Claude Fournier
I have also been told by everyone that it is a very beautiful event, so I am really looking forward to seeing Wadi Rum. I am not expecting many dunes.
Claude Fournier
Of course, I hope to win, but I know it will be tough as the other drivers are very good. I am one of the oldest guys competing, at 69, but I am feeling fit and strong. I hope I can do well here to help me win the World Championship and also to set me up well for the five European events coming up next.
Claude Fournier
Fournier has now retired from the family wine business, which once sold 2.5 million bottles a year.
Al-Saif may be the T4 favourite after taking maximum points in Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province. Technical problems limited him to fifth-place points in Dubai, but two weeks ago he finished a superb third overall and won T4.
Jordan Baja means a lot to me, as I performed well in the candidate version and won the T3 title. I love the Rum Desert. It resembles some regions of Saudi Arabia, such as Al-Ula and Tabuk, so I feel a familiarity with it and I also love this kind of terrain – sandy, rocky and wadis.
Saleh Al-Saif
I got used to the Jordan Baja after two previous versions. My eyes are now on the category title. My position is strong after winning Al-Sharqiyah Baja and advancing to second place in the T3 standings. My chances are strong in this rally. Our most prominent competitor will be Khalifa Saleh Al-Attiyah. He is a big name and I am happy that he is one of the participants in Jordan, as it will increase the pace and the competition. I am trying to participate in all rounds and I hope to win the title before the season ends.
Saleh Al-Saif
Meshari Al-Thefiri is a regular at the Dead Sea round of the Middle East Rally Championship and has a great chance to pass Al-Saif and pressure Fournier. The Kuwaiti makes his Jordan Baja debut in the second of five South Racing-built Can-Ams, with two second places from rounds two and three, again partnered by Qatar’s Nasser Al-Kuwari.
This is the fourth round of the Baja Championship and we are third overall and half a point behind Saleh Al-Saif. Our programme is to compete in all the rounds, finish the championship and try and be champions in T4.
Meshari Al-Thefiri
I decided to do this championship because three rounds are in the Middle East, so I want to make the maximum out of it. This is also a plus for the drivers in the region to be able to take part in this championship. I am part of a strong team at South Racing and have been amazed at the level of professionalism, regarding the set-up, and the organisation. The car is bullet-proof and comes close to the factory cars in terms of performance and specification.
Meshari Al-Thefiri
Pavel Lebedev, Saeed Al-Mouri and Laia Sanz have scored T4 points this season but are absent, leaving Qatar’s Khalifa Saleh Al-Attiyah well placed to challenge for the podium. The brother of three-time Dakar winner and 13-time Jordan Rally winner Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah was ninth in T4 at this year’s Dakar and won the second Ha’il Baja last December. He partners experienced Frenchman Xavier Panseri for the first time.
UAE-based Thomas Bell, who runs car preparation company Sabertooth Motoring Adventure at Dubai Autodrome Motor City, drives the fifth Can-Am with Spanish navigator Armand Monleón, a former China Grand Rally winner on a KTM. They set competitive times at the recent Sharqiyah International Baja before their T4 bid ended in treacherous mud near the coast.
The schedule
Scrutineering and administrative checks start at 09.00hrs on Thursday after strict Covid-19 testing for access to the service park and rally HQ. Leading drivers and riders meet the media at the pre-event press conference on the Aqaba start podium from 18.25hrs, with the start from 19.39hrs. Crews then face sections of 210.72km and 112.9km on Friday and 236.06km in the deserts north of Aqaba on Saturday.