The Saudi Automobile and Motorcycle Federation (SAMF), with the Ministry of Sport and in partnership with Abdul Latif Jameel (ALJ) Motors, has announced an impressive entry for Saudi Baja 2022-Hail on November 10-12.
The three-day event is the seventh round of the FIA World Cup for Cross-Country Bajas and the FIM Bajas World Cup, round three of the FIA Middle East Cup for Cross-Country Bajas and the third event of the new Saudi Toyota Rally Championship.
Saudi Arabia’s top driver Yazeed Al-Rajhi and German co-driver Dirk von Zitzewitz head an entry of 25 cars, plus 36 motorcycles and eight quads in the FIM section and 32 cars and one truck in the National Baja.
Cars
Al-Rajhi takes a one-point lead over Czech rival Miroslav Zapletal into round seven of the FIA World Cup. The Toyota Hilux driver will want to put last week’s disappointment of missing out on vital points in Portugal behind him as he tries to pull clear of Zapletal in both the FIA series and the Saudi Toyota Rally Championship.
T1 opposition for the title contenders comes from Kuwait’s Salem Al-Dhafeeri and Saudis Khaled Al-Feraihi and Mohammed Al-Tuwaijri.
Six drivers contest FIA T3, including runaway World Cup leader Fernando Alvarez and his closest rival, Saudi driver Dania Akeel. Eight crews fight for T4 honours, including the title-chasing South Racing Can-Am Team trio of Meshari Al-Thefiri, Cristiano de Sousa Batista and Kees Koolen and local drivers Saeed Al-Mouri and Maha Al-Hameli. Six Saudi crews line up in T2 for series-production cross-country vehicles.
Motorcycles and quads
MX Ride Dubai’s Mohammed Al-Balooshi, winner of the 2020 Hail International Rally, heads the motorcycle entry on his KTM, having already won the Jordan Baja and finished second in Qatar this season. His main rivals include 2021 Hail winner Mishal Al-Ghuneim (Husqvarna) and his young Jordanian protégé Abdullah Abu Aishah (KTM).
The strong motorcycle field also includes Bahrain’s Salman Farhan, Kuwait’s Abdullah Al-Shatti, local front-runner Abdulhalim Al-Mogheera, Emirati Sultan Al-Balooshi, Britain’s Barry Howe, Alex McInnes and Makis Rees-Stavros, Qatar-based Australian Martin Chalmers and Spain’s Margot Llobera.
Saudi Toyota Rally Championship regulars Abdulmajeed Al-Khulaifi, Haitham Al-Tuwaijri and Hani Al-Noumesi head the eight quad entries on their Yamahas.
Ten over-450cc motorcycles are registered in category C, including Qatar’s Sheikh Mohammed Al-Thani, Mohammed Al-Kaabi and Yaghoob Azadi, Austria’s Simon Francis, the UAE’s Hamdan Al-Ali and Britain’s Steven Holt.
Abdulaziz Al-Yaeesh, Abdullah Al-Sanad and Jafar Al-Qahtani head a field of 33 crews in the Saudi Toyota National Baja.
Saudi Baja 2022-Hail runs under the chairmanship of H.R.H. Prince Khalid bin Sultan Al-Abdullah Al-Faisal. Administrative checks, scrutineering and the pre-event press conference take place in Hail on Wednesday.