2024 Jordan Baja, penultimate round of FIA World Baja Cup & FIM Bajas World Cup & Rd 3 FIA Middle East Cup
Jordan Motorsport today (Friday) announced details of the Jordan Baja, the seventh and penultimate round of both the FIA World Baja Cup and the FIM Bajas World Cup and round three of the FIA Middle East Cup. The event will be based in Aqaba and runs from November 14th-16th.
The Hashemite Kingdom’s premier off-road event returns to the international calendar after a one-year absence and will again utilise stunning desert terrain in the world-renownedWadi Rum in southern Jordan.
Competitors taking part in all three championships will face 566.46 competitive kilometres over two legs in a route of 775.31km laid on by rally officials under Chairman of the Organising Committee Zaid Balqez, Clerk of the Course Khaled Zakaria, his deputy Loai Marei and their experienced organising team. Omar Zarour will act as Clerk of the Course for the FIM event.
The Jordan Baja will be based at the Hyatt Regency Aqaba Ayla Resort and the start and finish will take place at the nearby Arab Revolt Plaza in the stunning city of Aqaba adjacent to the pristine waters of the Red Sea.
Scrutineering at the Aqaba Service Park and administrations checks at Rally HQ will take place on Wednesday, November 13th. The three-kilometre Prologue stage will then kick start the timed competition to determine the starting orders for the opening stage on Thursday (November 14th) afternoon from 14.07hrs (first FIM). The Prologue precedes the ceremonial start, commencing at 16.45hrs.
Event regulations have now been posted with entrants set to tackle a demanding stage of 349.14km through Wadi Rum on Friday (November 15th) – split into two sections of 243.00kmand 106.14km – and a second stage of 214.32km on Saturday (November 16th).
The final timed test precedes the podium ceremony and prize giving at the Arab Revolt Plaza from 17.00hrs and the post-event press conference, starting at 18.00hrs.
“We are delighted to be back in the international FIA and FIM motor sporting calendars this year and are looking forward to the return of world-class cross-country rallying to Jordan,” said Zaid Balqez.
“This particular area of southern Jordan is blessed with some of the most spectacular terrain on the planet and our competitors will be able to appreciate the beauty of the region. We continue to tweak and make improvements to our round of the FIA and FIM Bajas World Cups and I am sure that competitors coming here for the first time with be awestruck with some of the scenery we use for the Baja. This has been showcased frequently by numerous blockbuster Hollywood films, including The Martian, Aladdin, Dune and Star Wars.”
Following the unfortunate cancellation of the 2023 event, Saleh Al-Saif is the defending Jordan Baja champion, the Saudi having won the FIA event outright and the T3 (now Challenger) category in 2022 at the helm of his Can-Am Maverick X3 with co-driver Egor Okhotnikov. Kuwait’s Meshari Al-Thefiri teamed up with Frenchman François Cazalet to prevail in the T4 (now SSV) section in his Can-Am Maverick XRS Turbo RR.
The UAE’s Mohammed Al-Balooshi won the motorcycle section for a third time in succession and Saudi Arabia’s Abdulmajeed Al-Khulaifi won the quad category for the first time on his Yamaha Raptor.
Entries are now open and a closing date has been set for Wednesday, October 30th.
