The Qatar Motor and Motorcycle Federation (QMMF) has received a record number of entries, with strength in depth across every category, for the three-day Qatar International Baja on March 16th-18th.
Competitors from an impressive 31 nations make up 47 cars in the FIA category, plus 51 motorcycles and four quads contesting the second round of the FIM Bajas World Cup.
Seven T1+ and three T1 cars, three in the T2 class for series production cross-country vehicles, 21 in the lightweight prototype T3 category and 13 T4 machines will tackle the Baja, which is round two of both the FIA World and Middle East Cups for Cross-Country Bajas.
World Cup leaders head the cars
Qatar’s Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah, his Toyota Hilux team-mate Juan Cruz Yacopini and Polish driver Krzysztof Holowczyc (Mini JCW Rally Plus) filled the podium at the opening round of the FIA World Cup in Saudi Arabia last month and they top the car entry.
Saleh Al-Saif heads a formidable T3 entry and will hope to build on his Saudi win. Defending FIA champion Fernando Alvarez and last year’s series runner-up Dania Akeel are his nearest challengers after round one in their South Racing Can-Ams, and every T3 points scorer from the opening round is entered, including Kees Koolen, Santiago Navarro and Otavio Sousa.
The QMMF has also entered a seven-strong team of SRT-prepared Can-Am Maverick X3s for local drivers Adel Abdullah, Abdulaziz Al-Kuwari, Nasser Al-Kuwari, Rashid Al-Mohannadi, Ahmed Al-Mohannadi, Mohammed Al-Meer and Nouef Hassan Al-Suwaidi.
Young Spaniard Pau Navarro won T4 in Saudi Arabia and leads a T4 entry that includes Jeremie Warnia, Pietro Cinotto, Cristiano Batista and local drivers Ahmed Al-Kuwari, Khalid Al-Mohannadi, Abdullah Al-Khelaifi and Mohammed Al-Attiyah.
With FIA Middle East Cup leader Yasir Seaidan absent, Saudi drivers Hamad Al-Harbi, Abdullah and Ahmed Al-Shegawi and Kuwait’s Salem Al-Dhafeeri have the chance to take over the series lead before the spring and summer break.
Bumper motorcycle field
Emirati Mohammed Al-Balooshi, Qatar-based Australian Martin Chalmers and Briton Alex McInnes, first, second and third at the Saudi Baja, head a superb motorcycle field that includes top riders from Poland, Canada, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Australia, Kuwait, Italy, Lebanon, South Africa and Slovenia.
Qatar will be represented by Sheikh Mohammed Al-Thani, Yaghoob Azadi, Mohammed Al-Kaabi, Abdulrahman Al-Sheeb and Rashid Al-Naimi.
The Duust Diverse Racing Team has entered four bikes: for last year’s Qatar Baja winner Konrad Dabrowski of Poland, the leading female pairing of Poland’s Joanna Modrzewska and Kuwait’s Sarah Khuraibet, and Norway’s Ola Floene. Floene is better known as an international co-driver alongside the likes of Andreas Mikkelsen in the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) and Sheikh Khalid Al-Qassimi in the FIA World Rally-Raid Championship (W2RC).
Haitham Al-Tuwaijri topped the quads at the Saudi Baja and faces the UAE’s category leader Abdulaziz Al-Ahli and Belgian rider Arnoud Dom.
We have been delighted with the response to this year’s Qatar International Baja. Cross-country rallying is the fastest growing of all the sports under the FIA umbrella and it is great to see so many international entrants joining a very strong line-up of motorcycles competing in the FIM Bajas World Cup.
Amro Al-Hamad, Executive Director of the QMMF
Our event has a reputation for being a major challenge for all levels of ability. Not only does our event offer varied desert terrain but we also devise a route with tricky navigation that offers a great challenge to our competitors.
Amro Al-Hamad
Timed action begins with a Prologue stage on Thursday, March 16th, from 15.00hrs.