BIDIYAH, OMAN – The Oman Automobile Association (OAA) has laid out the shape of the rescheduled Oman International Baja, now confirmed for 17–19 December 2026 as an official FIA candidate for the 2027 FIA World and Middle East Baja Cups.
The three-day event closes the Bidiyah Sands Carnival (19 November–19 December) and is expected to start with a prologue to set the running order, followed by two selective sections across the remote Bidiyah and Al-Qabil areas. Cars will run under FIA rules, with motorcycles and quads in an FIM section.
Key locations
- Base: Jawharat Bidiyah Resort
- Service park and ceremonial start: Bidiyah Green Homes Park
- Finish: Bidiyah 4×4 Club
Bidiyah sits about 233km from Muscat, on the edge of the Sharqiya Sands (formerly Wahiba), part of an eastern sand sea of roughly 10,000 square kilometres. Brigadier Jamal Al-Tai heads the organisation with Suleiman Al-Rawahi as his deputy, and Khaled Zakaria as clerk of the course. Shell Oman sponsors the event, supported by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth and the Al-Sharqiya North Governorate.
Al-Tai called it a new chapter for Omani motorsport: the country’s stage-rally history goes back to the late 1970s, but this is its first official cross-country event of the kind.
Hill Climb Challenge back on 24–27 November
The carnival also brings back the Hill Climb Challenge, organised by the Bidiyah Automobile Endurance Racing Club. Club president Sheikh Faisal Al-Hajri said the event has become one of Bidiyah’s signatures, drawing around 600,000 spectators in 2025, and promised a bigger edition this year.
Photos: Times of Oman, Oman Observer
Sources: Times of Oman, Qatar Tribune, Oman Observer, Muscat Daily, Oman Automobile Association