LUSAIL, QATAR – Forty-five motorcycle riders and eight quad entrants make up the impressive FIM side of the entry for this weekend’s Qatar International Baja.
They will tackle the demanding two-day route through the deserts of northern, central and southern Qatar, running ahead of the crews registered for the FIA World and Middle East Baja Cups.
McInnes v Al-Mogheera, and plenty more
The spotlight may be on Junior rider Alex McInnes and Saudi rival Abdulhalim Al-Mogheera at the top of the FIM Bajas World Cup standings, but the entry is deep, with more than a handful of riders able to master Qatar’s tough navigation and with the pace to win one of the hardest events on the world calendar.
Emirati Mohammed Al-Balooshi is one of them: the MX Ride Dubai rider is third in the standings and a two-time winner in Qatar. Poland’s Konrad Dąbrowski also has the speed and experience to win, having taken victory here in 2022, 2023 and 2025.
Riders from 17 countries
The field features riders from 17 countries. Hugely experienced Frenchman Romain Dumontier has entered on a KTM 450 and has raced Dakar front-runners such as Kevin Benavides, Xavier de Soultrait and Toby Price in the Enduro World Championship.
Dumontier was 120cc World and European champion in 2009, Brazilian champion ten years later and in the world’s top 10 between 2014 and 2018. He moved into rally-raids in Morocco in 2021 and has become a formidable competitor in the FIA World Rally-Raid Championship (W2RC).
Talented young English rider Ethan Lane is climbing the ranks, while Qatar-based Makis Rees-Stavros is a regular on the local desert scene with the experience to succeed at the top level.
Brett Hunt, Martin Chalmers, Andrew Houlihan, Philip Horlemann and Abdullah Abu Aisheh have all contested plenty of desert rallies. Slovenia’s Toni Mulec, a member of the Bas World KTM Team, first raced the Dakar in 2023. A former ISDE regular, the 41-year-old finished ninth overall on the most recent Dakar in Saudi Arabia and won the Rally 2 category.
A WRC co-driver on two wheels
Bringing up the rear on bike number 46 is Norway’s Ola Fløene. The KTM rider is better known as a formidable co-driver in the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC).
The 57-year-old’s career began in the 1980s. He became an official team member at M-Sport and Volkswagen Motorsport, partnering drivers including Andreas Mikkelsen, Henning Solberg, Mads Østberg and Pontus Tidemand. He won the 2015 Rally Catalunya with Mikkelsen and scored 15 WRC podiums.
Qatar is represented by Mohammed Al-Kubaisi on a Fanatic XEF 450 Rally and Abdulattif Mojadam on a Husqvarna FE 450.
Al-Jaber leads a strong quad field
FIM Bajas World Cup leader Ahmed Al-Jaber heads an eight-strong quad entry. The Yamaha rider leads fellow Saudi and 2024 event winner Hani Al-Noumesi by seven points, but they face perhaps one of the strongest quad line-ups of the season.
Emirati Abdulaziz Ahli won the quad class in Qatar last year and has won the Dubai International Baja for the last four years. He rides a Yamaha Raptor, as does Saudi Arabia’s Abdulaziz Al-Atawi, while Khalifa Al-Bastaki also represents the UAE on a Yamaha. Matteo Lardori (Polaris) and Saudi CF Moto CForce pair Abdulrahman Alabdullatif and Badr Al-Hamdan complete the entry.
Three Qatari riders have won the quad category in the event’s recent history: Abdullah Al-Shamein on a Yamaha in 2004, Adel Abdulla in 2011 and, three years later, Mohammed Abu Issa on the longer five-day cross-country edition with a Honda TRX 700.
FIA entry changes and schedule
Minor changes to the FIA entry list see Xavier Flick partnering Maha Al-Hamali in place of Michael Metge, Stefano Tironi alongside Stefano Marrini in his Yamaha YXZ 1000 R, and former Emirati quad rider Atif Al-Zarouni joining Christiano Gabbarrini as navigator.
On Wednesday, administrative checks and scrutineering take place at the Lusail International Circuit, before leading drivers and riders join QMMF officials and the media for the pre-event press conference at 18.00hrs.
Motorcycle entry: leading seeds
- 1. Konrad Dąbrowski (POL) – KTM 450 Rally Replica
- 2. Alex McInnes (GBR) – KTM 450 RFR
- 3. Abdulhalim Al-Mogheera (KSA) – KTM 450 CC
- 4. Mohammed Al-Balooshi (UAE) – KTM 450 RR
- 5. Ethan Lane (GBR) – KTM 450 Rally
- 6. Marcin Talaga (POL) – Gas Gas RX 450 F Replica
- 7. Rafic Eid (LBN) – KTM 450 Rally
- 8. Abdullah Abu Aisheh (JOR) – Yamaha WR 450F
- 9. Joanna Modrzewska (POL) – Triumph TF45E
- 10. Philip Horlemann (GER) – KTM 450 Rally Replica
- 12. Mohammed Al-Kubaisi (QAT) – Fanatic XEF 450 Rally
- 41. Romain Dumontier (FRA) – KTM 450 Rally Factory
- 42. Toni Mulec (SLO) – KTM Rally Replica
- 43. Abdulattif Mojadam (QAT) – Husqvarna FE 450
- 46. Ola Fløene (NOR) – KTM 450 Rally Replica
Quad entry
- 101. Ahmed Al-Jaber (KSA) – Yamaha
- 102. Abdulaziz Al-Atawi (KSA) – Yamaha Raptor 700
- 103. Abdulaziz Ahli (UAE) – Yamaha Raptor 700
- 104. Hani Al-Noumesi (KSA) – Yamaha
- 105. Khalifa Al-Bastaki (UAE) – Yamaha YFZ 450R
- 106. Abdulrahman Alabdullatif (KSA) – CF Moto CForce 1000
- 107. Badr Al-Hamdan (KSA) – CF Moto CForce 1000
- 108. Matteo Lardori (ITA) – Polaris Outlaw 500