File photo
Lusail: The Qatar Motor and Motorcycle Federation (QMMF)has put the finishing touches to a challenging three-day route for the Qatar International Baja, taking place on November 6-8.
The event is the seventh round of the FIA World Baja Cup, round three of the FIA Middle East Baja Cup and the sixth and penultimate round of the FIM Bajas World Cup. The iconic ‘Way to the World Cup’ landmark on Doha Corniche will be the backdrop for start and finish formalities for the first time.
With a reputation as being one of the most demanding Baja events on the international calendar, the event offers tricky navigation, varied desert terrain and a mixture of gravel, rocky and sandy surfaces to ensure that drivers, navigators and riders are fully focused from the outset.
Running under the chairmanship of QMMF President Abdulrahman Al-Mannai, QMMF’s Executive Director Amro Al-Hamad and board member Abdulrazaq Al-Kuwari, the event runs to a traditional Baja-type format with a short Prologue determining the starting order for the first of two stages in a total route of 773.83km through the Qatar desert.
Administration and technical scrutineering will be based at the Lusail International Circuit on November 4 and November 5. The circuit will also host the pre-event press conference on November 5.
Competitors will then tackle the opening Prologue of 10.66km, located 31.51km from the Lusail International Circuit, from 12.30hrs (first car 13.45hrs) on November 6.
Teams and members of the media will then transfer to Doha for the ceremonial start by the ‘Way to the World Cup’ landmark from 18.20hrs (bikes) and 19.00hrs (cars).
In a route devised by Clerk of the Course Pedro Almeida, his deputy Rashid Al-Sulaiti and their team, the opening stage on November 7 will be split into three timed parts of 67.38km, 32.32km and 118.55km by a pair of non-competitive neutralisation sections. The first bike starts the stage at 07.45hrs (first car - 09.40hrs) with all competitors tackling the same stage.
Second stage action on November 8 will be split into five timed sections of 35.14km, 12.05km, 33.35km, 39.95km and 108.31km by four naturalizations. The first bike will be live on stage at 07.15hrs (first car - 09.10hrs). The stage will finish in the spectacular dunes of the Sealine area of southern Qatar for the first time since the event replaced the Qatar Cross-Country Rally in 2022.
Competitors will then return to the Doha Corniche and the ‘Way to the World Cup’ landmark for the post-event press conference (19.30hrs) and the podium ceremony and prize giving from 20.00hrs.
The Baja is now an established event in the FIA and FIM calendars. The X-Raid Mini JCW Rally 3.01 crew of Denis Krotov and Konstantin Zhiltsov are the defending champions in the FIA Ultimate category.
Last year, Anja Van Loon and Floor Maten prevailed in the Challenger section in a Can-Am Maverick X3, João Ferreira and Filipe Palmeiro topped the SSV standings in a Can-Am XRS Turbo RR and Abdullah Al-Rabban and Hassan Ali Obaid guided a Nissan Patrol to Stock honours.
Emirati Mohammed Al-Balooshi (KTM) recorded his second win in four years on two wheels and Saudi Arabia’s Hani Al-Noumesi (Yamaha) won the quad class.
Entries close on October 8 with a final cut-off set for October 22.
