The 2022 Qatar International Baja opens with a 9.20km Qualifying Stage on Thursday afternoon, and the results will set the start order for the first of two tough selective sections. The event is round two of both the FIM Bajas World Cup and the FIA Middle East Cup for Cross-Country Bajas.
Many leading drivers held a shakedown in the desert near Losail on Wednesday afternoon. Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah, Yazeed Al-Rajhi and Yasir Seaidan gave their Toyota Hiluxes a first run, with Al-Attiyah in the latest South African-built Toyota Gazoo Racing car that won the Dakar Rally in January.
Sordo’s first desert outing
On Tuesday, WRC star Dani Sordo and co-driver Xavier Panseri spent a few hours driving Al-Attiyah’s personal Can-Ams in the dunes near Sealine beach, south of Doha, alongside Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah, his brother Khalifa, Mathieu Baumel, François Cazalet and friends. The Spaniard is contesting his first desert rally this weekend in a Nasser Racing-entered Can-Am Maverick.
Honestly, it was an amazing experience yesterday with Nasser and all his team. It was really good. First of all, in the dunes, it was a little bit tough. Not to drive, because I was not fast. But the feeling when you go up and down in the dunes. It was something really new for me. It was even more complicated than I thought.
Dani Sordo
I drive before this kind of buggies but just for fun, not the Can-Am. But the car has a nice feeling when it is normal corners and it is really good. When you go to the dunes and the co-driver tells you, you need to go up, it’s different. Of course, you never do something for nothing. I would like to know this discipline and, in the future, I would like to do a little bit more, you know.
Dani Sordo
Four-time Dakar winner Al-Attiyah outlined his plans for the Nasser Racing Academy and explained why Toyota came to Qatar.
I say this is the last race before Ramadan. I am really happy to create teams for the next Dakar. Kris (Meeke) and Dani (Sordo) and my brother are the right people for the Nasser Racing Academy. We will have an extra two Can-Ams for female drivers. We also need to support them. I am quite happy to start with this project. It’s nice to see new people and new cars coming to compete.
Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah
For me, I will do my best to get a good road position on the Qualifying Stage. The reason we are here in Qatar with Toyota is to continue the testing. This race was not in our programme. Kazakhstan was the plan but that race was cancelled. So we decided to come here and to test more things and get ready for the next race in Andalucia. I will also try and do some more testing before Andalucia.
Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah
Meeke tries something new
Kris Meeke landed in Doha on Tuesday evening for his third event in Qatar, but it will be the Andorra-based Ulsterman’s first experience of Baja-style racing in the local desert.
I didn’t realise that I would be back in Qatar as quick, but Nasser called me last week and said there was an opportunity to do the Baja in T3 with a South Racing Can-Am. I thought, yes, why not. I’ve been here two times for the rally but the Baja is something different and something I would like to learn more. It’s more Dakar-orientated style of racing. I’m just excited to come again and try something new and a bit different. So many buggies here.
Kris Meeke
I have no idea really about the future. François (Cazalet) has been with the Red Bull Junior Team with the OT3. I called him last minute and he was able to come. Let’s see. I am working on some plans for the Dakar. But François has a seat with Cristina Gutierrez, so it’s just a one-off at the moment.
Kris Meeke
Yasir Seaidan drives the second of three Overdrive Racing-run Toyotas.
I’ve been racing in Qatar already, maybe seven times. I started my first World Cup in T3 in 2012. It’s the most difficult rally for navigation and hard also for drivers, too much rocks and punctures. Drivers must be focused. It looks like you can drive fast but no – it’s very tricky!
Yasir Seaidan
The QMMF Team’s Rashid Al-Muhannadi has brought in Pole Szymon Gospodarczyk, better known as the regular navigator for countryman Michal Goczal in the FIA World Rally-Raid Championship, as his co-driver. Abdullah Al-Kuwari will be partnered by Spanish off-road rider Marc Sola.
Press conference at Losail
Six FIA drivers and four leading FIM riders attended Wednesday evening’s pre-event press conference at the Losail International Circuit. Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah, Ahmed Al-Kuwari and Sheikh Mohammed Al-Thani represented Qatar alongside Saudi Arabia’s Yazeed Al-Rajhi, the UAE’s Mohammed Al-Balooshi and Aliyyah Koloc, Kris Meeke, Dani Sordo, Jordan’s Abdullah Abu Aishah, Polish junior rider Konrad Dąbrowski and 2019 European Baja Champion Joanna Modrzewska.
QMMF President Abdulrahman Al-Mannai and Executive Director Amro Al-Hamad were present.
Thursday
Riders tackle the 9.20km Qualifying Stage first, with the first bike on stage from 15.00hrs. Their times will be multiplied by a coefficient of four to encourage competitive riding. The first FIA car starts the special at 16.00hrs.
Leading FIA entries
- T1: Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah/Mathieu Baumel (Toyota GR DKR Hilux); Yazeed Al-Rajhi/Michael Orr and Yasir Seaidan/Laurent Lichtleuchter (Toyota Hilux Overdrive); Abdullah Al-Rabban/Pedro Santos (Jeep); Khalid Al-Feraihi/Ali Mirza (Nissan Pick-Up)
- T3: Saleh Al-Saif, Ahmed Al-Kuwari/Manuel Lucchese, Kris Meeke/François Cazalet, Dani Sordo/Xavier Panseri, Ahmed Al-Muhannadi/Mubarak Al-Khelaifi (Can-Am Maverick X3); Aliyyah Koloc/Sebastien Delaunay (Can-Am Maverick DV21)
- T4: Camelia Liparoti/Xavier Garcia (Yamaha YXZ 1000R); Khalifa Al-Attiyah/Max Delfino, Khalid Al-Muhannadi/Nick Lines, Rashid Al-Muhannadi/Szymon Gospodarczyk, Sadoon Al-Kuwari/Nasser Al-Kuwari (Can-Am Maverick XRS)