LUSAIL, QATAR – The Qatar International Baja will be flagged away from the iconic amphitheatre in Katara Cultural Village from 19:20 on Thursday.
Competitors from 33 countries face two days of tough desert action, with a 9.9km Prologue on Thursday afternoon setting the start order for Friday morning.
World Cup title fight
While local attention focuses on Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah and the Qatari drivers, this is also round six of the FIA World Baja Cup, where title rivals Fernando Alvarez and João Ferreira need strong results. Argentina-based Alvarez leads by 19 points and is well clear in SSV in his South Racing Can-Am, with co-driver Xavier Panseri similarly ahead.
Ferreira, with a seemingly unassailable Ultimate lead, has swapped his usual X-Raid Mini for a Can-Am Maverick XRS Turbo RR in Qatar. With third-placed Miguel Toril absent, Eduardo Pons, Khalid Al-Jafla, Amerigo Ventura and Diego Martinez hope to close in; Pons also leads Al-Jafla by 19 points in Challenger.
I have been here twice before. The first time was with Yazeed Al-Rajhi in 2012 and in 2014 with Martin Kaczmarski. I have good and bad memories of the race. We rolled and crashed with Yazeed. The navigation is always challenging but I like this kind of race. There are very fast tracks with lots of rocks and punctures.
Filipe Palmeiro
With Ferreira focusing on the overall title, top seed Denis Krotov (X-Raid Mini), Overdrive Racing’s Akira Miura (Toyota) and Czech veteran Miroslav Zapletal (Ford F150) will fight for outright victory.
The futuristic city scape (Doha) really makes an impression. I’m thrilled to have another opportunity to race in a Baja with the Overdrive Team. This time, I’ll be racing in a new model with a wider track and the tyres have been improved based on our experience in Greece.
Akira Miura
Middle East Cup
Fourteen drivers are registered for FIA Middle East Baja Cup points in round two of four. Ahmed Al-Kuwari leads Saudis Saleh Al-Saif and Majed Al-Thunayyan by seven points; Al-Saif is absent, while Al-Thunayyan leads Stock in his Nissan Patrol. Dania Akeel (Toyota Hilux) is in the hunt, Saudis Hamad Al-Harbi and Maha Al-Hameli focus on Challenger, and Abdulaziz Al-Yaeesh and Nasser Al-Ajmi run Nissan Patrols in Ultimate.
I have some points in the Middle East Cup but I am not sure I will go to the remaining rounds. The plan is to get more seat time in the Ultimate car and that’s why I jumped on this opportunity. I finished second in the race in Saudi last week in this car, where it was very sandy with dunes. This event is known for its hard rocky surface and some dunes. I am looking forward to adding to my experience with every kilometre. If that lands us on the podium, I would be very happy for that.
Dania Akeel
Bikes and quads
Emirati Mohammed Al-Balooshi tops a big bike and quad field, ahead of closest FIM rivals David Megre and Pedro Bianchi Prata. Qatar-based Martin Chalmers lost a wheel and fell during a shakedown of his GasGas 450 RFR on Wednesday morning.
The Katara amphitheatre, completed in 2008, blends classical Greek theatre design with Islamic features. It opened officially in December 2011 and seats 5,000. The Prologue starts at 13:45 on Thursday.
FIA World Baja Cup – standings after round 5
- Fernando Alvarez – 184pts
- João Ferreira – 165pts
- Miguel Toril – 144pts
- Eduardo Pons – 133pts
- Khalid Al-Jafla – 114pts
- Amerigo Ventura – 109pts
- Diego Martinez – 108pts