Qatar Motor and Motorcycle Federation (QMMF) – world-class entry for the Qatar International Baja
WORLD-CLASS ENTRY ANNOUNCED FOR NEXT WEEK’S QATAR INTERNATIONAL BAJA
LUSAIL (Qatar): The Qatar Motor and Motorcycle Federation (QMMF) today announced a world-class entry for the Qatar International Baja, which takes place on October 28th-31st.
The Lusail-based event hosts the penultimate rounds of the FIA World and Middle East Baja Cups and round five of the FIM Bajas World Cup.
Thirty-seven cars, 45 motorcycles and eight quads will compete over the three-day itinerary, with 11 FIA crews registered for the FIA World Baja Cup and 15 concentrating on the regional Baja series.
Six of the leading 10 drivers chasing glory in the FIA World Baja Cup are present in Qatar, in addition to three of the leading five drivers in the FIA Middle East Baja Cup. Amongst drivers and navigators from 20 nations are nine crews aiming for success in the Ultimate category, a dozen entered in the Challenger class, 13 in SSV and three in the Stock section for series-production cross-country machines.
A pair of Toyota Hilux IMT Evos run by SVR head the FIA World Baja Cup contingent in the hands of the Portuguese duo of Francisco Barreto and Paulo Fiúza and South Africa’s Saood Variawa and Charan Moore. The French duo of Lionel and Lucie Baud crew the solitary diesel-engined X-Raid Mini JCW Rally.
Victory in last weekend’s Baja Portalegre 500 has lifted Barreto into third in the Drivers’ Championship behind the absent Dania Akeel and Challenger front-runner Mitchel van den Brink.
The Dutchman heads a Challenger section that also includes Oman’s Hamed Al-Wahaibi and the QMMF Team quartet of Abdulaziz Al-Kuwari, Nouef Al-Sowaidi, Khalifa Saleh Al-Attiyah and Rashid Al-Muhannadi and additional Taurus entries for local drivers Ahmed Al-Kuwari and Mohammed Al-Attiyah.
Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah has entered this year’s FIA Middle East Baja Cup as a privateer with Frenchman Max Delfino in an Optimus MD Rallye. The Qatari legend has already claimed maximum points in Saudi Arabia and Jordan this season and will be aiming for a hattrick of wins as he hopes to add the FIA Middle East Baja title to his long list of achievements.
Fernando Alvarez leads the way in the SSV category but will face competition from the QMMF Team’s Mohammed Al-Marri, local privateers Mohammed Al-Atteya, Abdulla Al-Khelaifi and Ghanim Al-Attiyah, the Saudi duo of Hamad Al-Harbi and Maha Al-Hamali and several other international crews.
Abdulla Al-Rabban represents the host nation in the Stock category. He faces competition from the Saudi duo of Majed Al-Thunayyan and Abdullah Al-Shegawi. Al-Thunayyan holds second in the FIA World Baja Cup rankings behind the absent Al-Mashna Al-Shammeri and needs just eight points from his sixth start of the season to win the title. Al-Shegawi is registered for the regional Baja Cup.
Leading Junior rider Alex McInnes currently heads the FIM Bajas World Cup by two points from Abdulhalim Al-Mogheera. The KTM duo will battle it out alongside an impressive motorcycle field that also includes multiple defending FIM champion and third-placed Mohammed Al-Balooshi and three-time event winner Konrad Dabrowski.
Other riders with previous experience of specialist desert racing conditions and the unique navigational skills needed to prevail in Qatar include Australia’s Martin Chalmers, Great Britain’s Ethan Lane, Brett Hunt, Robert Wallace and Makis Rees-Stavros, Germany’s Philip Horlemann and Dabrowski’s leading female team-mate Joanna Modrzewska.
Mohammed Al-Kubaisi and Abdulattif Mojadam represent the host nation, while the two-wheel field also includes the talented Jordanian Abdullah Abu Aisheh and Lebanon’s Rafic Eid.
Ahmed Al-Jaber holds a seven-point advantage over Hani Al-Noumesi in the quad category but the duo face strong competition in Qatar from the likes of Abdulaziz Al-Atawi, last year’s event winner Abdulaziz Ahli and Badr Al-Hamdan in the eight-strong field.
