Action underway at the 2024 Jordan Baja at South Beach in Aqaba
Competitive action moves to stunning Wadi Rum region on Friday morning
AQABA (JORDAN): Argentina’s Diego Martinez, Jordanian Abdullah Abu Aisheh and Saudi Arabia’s Abdulaziz Al-Shayban claimed the quickest times in the car, motorcycle and quad categories on the three-kilometre Prologue stage that got the competitive action underway at the Jordan Baja at South Beach in Aqaba on Thursday afternoon.
Martinez and his co-driver Sergio Lafuente clocked a time of 2min 51.7sec to top the times in the car section in their South Racing Can-Am Maverick X3.
The times in the FIA event are only used to determine the choice of starting position for the opening desert stage on Friday, but the results do count towards the general classification in the FIM Bajas World Cup. Abu Aisheh (GasGas) beat Kuwait’s Abdullah Al-Shatti (Husqvarna) by 11.1 seconds to lead the motorcycle contingent.
Saudi Arabian rider Abdulaziz Al-Shayban headed the quads from Abdulaziz Al-Atawi and championship leader Hani Al-Noumesi on his Yamaha Raptor 700.
The Prologue preceded the ceremonial start at the Arab Revolt Plaza in Aqaba on Thursday afternoon, where 19 FIA crews and 13 riders in the FIM Bajas World Cup were joined by 11 entrants in a National Rally and 27 competing in a new non-competitive Wadi Al-Qamar Navigation Rally.
Illness meant that Slovakian navigator Marek Sykora was unable to take part and Pole Marcin Pasek was a late replacement alongside Czech racer Miroslav Zapletal in his Ford F-150 Evo.
Behind Prologue winner Martinez, his Challenger category rival Eduardo Pons and SSV front-runner João Dias finished second and third in the FIA category. Qatar’s Abdulaziz Al-Kuwari came home in fourth and title contender João Ferreira was fifth. His main rival Fernando Alvarez carded the 13th quickest time. Taha Masoud was the quickest driver in the National Rally.
Starting positions for the leading riders on the first desert stage are critical and Emirati Mohammed Al-Balooshi stopped before the end of the stage for over a minute and finished ninth. That stoppage ensured that Abu Aisheh claimed the stage win from Al-Shatti, Lebanon’s Rafic Eid and the Jordanian duo of Hamza Al-Zawahreh and Tia’at Al-Shishane.
The Emirati duo of Sultan Al-Balooshi and Marwan Al-Rahmani were non-starters among the bikers and quad rider Haitham Al-Tuwaijri was unable to compete after his accident at the recent Qatar International Baja.
Amateur crews are competing in the first ever Wadi Al-Qamar Navigation Rally to be organised by Jordan Motorsport. The non-competitive desert event is designed to encourage grass roots entry into off-road motor sport in Jordan and is running on a separate route behind the FIA and FIM events.
As Jordan Motorsport’s Khalid Zakaria explained: “This event is more educational for people to learn how to use the road book, how to use the time card and how to use their car in the desert. This will give training to anybody wishing to take part in this Baja in the future. This has kicked off a new era of motor sport in Jordan.
“The maximum speed is 70km/h and some places you are not allowed to go faster than 30 or 50. There is an average speed segment. It is more about navigation, team building and decision making. Everyone can compete in it from the north to the south, east and west – any small village or town in Jordan.”
The Jordan Baja is being supported by Zain Jordan, Jordan Kuwait Bank, Can-Am, Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority (ASEZA), Aqaba Development Corporation (ADC), Aqaba Cruise Terminal (part of AD Ports Group), Guarantee Travel Group, Hala and Bliss FM.
Tomorrow (Friday), the day’s stage through the legendary Wadi Rum region is split into two sections of 200.60km and 133.53km by a short liaison section and a motorcycle, SSV and Challenger category refuelling opportunity before a return to Aqaba for the night halt.
2024 Jordan Baja – Prologue result (unofficial):
Cars
- Diego Martinez (ARG)/Sergio Lafuente (URY) Can-Am Maverick X3 2min 51.7sec*
- Eduardo Pons (ESP)/Jaume Betriu (ESP) Taurus T3 Max 2min 54.5sec*
- João Dias (PRT)/Gonçalo Reis (PRT) Can-Am Maverick XRS Turbo RR 2min 55.2sec*
- Abdulaziz Al-Kuwari (QAT)/Nasser Al-Kuwari (QAT) Taurus T3 Max 2min 57.0sec+
- João Ferreira (PRT)/Filipe Palmeiro (PRT) Can-Am Maverick XRS Turbo RR 2min 57.0sec*
- Miroslav Zapletal (CZE)/Marcin Pasek (POL) Ford F-150 Evo 2min 57.4sec*
- Khalifa Al-Attiyah (QAT)/Enio Bozzano (BRA) Taurus T3 Max 2min 57.9sec+
- Ahmed Al-Kuwari (QAT)/Augusto Sanz (ARG) Yamaha YXZ 1000R Short Shift 2min 59.9sec+
- Dania Akeel (SAU)/Sébastien Delaunay (FRA) Can-Am Maverick XRS Turbo RR 3min 01.8sec+
- Amerigo Ventura (ITA)/Erika Mingozzi (ITA) Yamaha YXZ 1000R 3min 03.1sec*
- Ibrahim Al-Muhanna (SAU)/Faisal Al-Suwayh (SAU) Can-Am Maverick XRS Turbo RR 3min 09.7sec*
- Hamad Al-Harbi (SAU)/Aleksei Kuzmich (ARE) Can-Am Maverick X3 3min 11.8sec+
- Fernando Alvarez (ARG)/Xavier Panseri (FRA) Can-Am Maverick XRS Turbo RR 3min 12.9sec*
- Rashid Al-Muhannadi (QAT)/Szymon Gospodarczyk (POL) Taurus T3 Max 3min 14.7sec+
- Maha Al-Hameli (SAU)/Oriol Mena (ESP) Can-Am Maverick X3 3min 22.9sec+
- Abdullah Al-Rabban (QAT)/Ali Hassan Obaid (ARE) Nissan Patrol 3min 29.4sec+
- Mohammed Al-Meer (QAT)/Alexsey Mun (KAZ) Nissan Patrol 3min 31.3sec+
- Majed Al-Thunayyan (SAU)/Fahad Al-Sufyani (SAU) Nissan Patrol 4min 22.9sec+
- Khalid Al-Jafla (ARE)/Andrei Rudnitski (LTU) Taurus T3 Max 4min 29.6zec*
*denotes registered for the FIA World Baja Cup
+ denotes registered for the FIA Middle East Baja Cup
Bikes
- Abdullah Abu Aisheh (JOR) GasGas 450 3min 00.9sec
- Abdullah Al-Shatti (KWT) Husqvarna 450 Rally 3min 12.0sec
- Rafic Eid (LBN) GasGas RX450-F 3min 18.1sec
- Hamza Al-Zawahreh (JOR) Yamaha WR-450F 3min 18.7sec
- Tla’at Al-Shishane (JOR) Yamaha WR-450F 3min 28.2sec
- Martin Chalmers (AUS) GasGas Rally Replica 3min 53.3sec
- Abdulhalim Al-Mogheera (SAU) KTM Rally Bike 4min 16.7sec
- Steven Holt (GBR) Honda CRF 450X 4min 19.1sec
- Mohammed Al-Balooshi (ARE) KTM 450 Rally 4min 20.2sec
- Abdullah Al-Batayneh (JOR) Honda CRF 450R 4min 22.8sec
Quads:
- Abdulaziz Al-Shayban (SAU) Yamaha Raptor 700 3min 14.3sec
- Abdulaziz Al-Atawi (SAU) Yamaha Raptor 700 3min 20.9sec
- Hani Al-Noumesi (SAU) Yamaha Raptor 700 3min 25.2sec
