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Category: Cross Country Rally
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Aishwarya Pissay completes Stage 1 successfully: Morocco Desert Challenge
Agadir (Morocco), 24 April 2023: India’s only world champion in motorsports Aishwarya Pissay began Rally Raid competition with a flourish as she successfully completed Stage 1, the competitive stage, in the Morocco Desert Challenge 2023 here on Sunday.
Earlier, she finished the scrutiny without any problems. The Desert Challenge offers eight stages from April 21 to 30. The tough rally-raid which started here in Agadir will conclude in Merzouga after eight stages on April 30.
“I am happy to tell you that I cleared scrutiny with flying colours and completed Stage 1. This being my first Road Book Race, I am looking to gain a lot of experience from this challenge. I finished Stage 1 yesterday (23 April 2023), which was a 124-Km Prologue,” said Aishwarya Pissay, the Bengaluru based Sherco-TVS rider. She clocked 01H 06’ 53”.
“A 610-km-long Stage2 beckons today and I am really looking forward to tackling this,” she added.
She also posted a few pictures on Instagram and said: “A few photos from my first few days here which included meeting some amazing people and acclimatising to the environment. The atmosphere is electric and I am really glad and thankful to be back in Racing form.”
Aishwarya Pissay after completing the scrutiny. Photo: Pissya’s social media FB handle Morocco Desert Challenge literally is what it promises to be, a real challenge in the Moroccan desert. It has been three years since the MDC raced through Morocco. A lot can change in such a long period, even in a desolate environment like the desert. That’s why we choose to drastically change course with a completely new route!
0 kilometre liaison
Not only is Morocco Desert Challenge an adventure full of surprises, with technical parts, fast African plains, many dunes, salt lakes and legendary Paris-Dakar stages, it also offers something really unique: 0 kilometre of liaison from the start of the first special till the finish of the last one. That’s right: no liaison, only pure rally experience.
Early December, Sports Director Jean-Claude Kaket left Agadir, Morocco with his team to validate those new tracks and write the new road-books. As soon as these are finalized, you can find the updated descriptions here.
Stage 1 – Agadir to Agadir
On Friday April 21 and Saturday April 22, 2023 the Morocco Desert Challenge kicked off with a scrutiny in Agadir, one of Morocco’s friendly seaside resorts with an international airport. Bivouac 0 is at Place for Al Amal, Agadir’s largest public square. The rally hotels, where everybody is accommodated, are located along the square.
Prologue
Prepare for a prologue that will make you lick your fingers. The general comment during the verifications in late February: “This is one of the nicest stages we have ever ridden in Morocco!” In this first 38-kilometre special, you get a nice succession of turns, bumps and jumps in front of your wheels. Following the winding tracks, you ride through a landscape reminiscent of an African Savannah. The tracks consist mainly of a soft, sandy yet fast surface, and above all: there is not a stone to be found! The pistes are narrow, making overtaking difficult at times. Towards the end, the final kilometres present you with a tough navigation exercise. In short: a stage where you can immediately make the difference if you aim for a top position on Plage Blanche.
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Indian star Profile: Ashish Raorane, rally-raid/Dakar
This is a profile story written by David Bodapati after Ashish Raorane successfully completed the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge to qualify for Dakar 2024, pending technical fulfillments.
Abu Dhabi, 4 March 2023: Ace Indian motorsports athlete Ashish Raorane, braving a severe muscle injury, finished Rally2 category in a creditable 11th place in the 7-day gruelling Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge (ADDC), the second round of the FIM World Rally Raid Championship (W2RC) here on Friday, and qualified for Dakar 2024.
The rigorous Desert Challenge saw some of the Dakar veterans racing across a route spanning 1,915kms of the demanding and treacherous terrain amidst the sprawling sand dunes.
Competing with some of the biggest names in motorsports, the 41-year -old Pune rider, conquered the international cross-country rally astride a KTM 450 Rally Factory Replica to seal his entry for the Dakar 2024.
Pumping in painkillers, the former marine engineer successfully completed the final day’s Stage 5 for an Overall P20 among 49 participants and came 11th in his class. He clocked a total time of 25:09.05.
“I am delighted and happy that the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge is in the bag. Going in I knew this was a tough and very physically-demanding rally and I am happy to have persevered despite the multiple challenges,” said Raorane, who is supported by Rynox Gears, Dosmoto Design, Motousher, Bigbadbikes and LazyAssBikers.
Riders are required to complete at least one FIM-sanctioned World Championship race or other rally that falls under the “Road to Dakar” label and completing ADDC clears the road for Raorane’s Dakar 2024 participation.
“I am delighted and happy that the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge is in the bag. Going in I knew this was a tough and very physically-demanding rally and I am happy to have persevered despite the multiple challenges,” said Raorane, who is supported by Rynox Gears, Dosmoto Design, Motousher, Bigbadbikes and LazyAssBikers.
“The meaningful experience gained each day will go a long way in the upcoming rallies as well as our Dakar 2024 campaign and the result has certainly boosted my confidence. Thank you to all the fans and supporters for the messages over the last week, they really kept me going,” said the KTM rider, who gets technical support from Slipstream Performance, the Indian tuners from Pune. To give back to motorsports, he also founded Off-Piste Racing and trains bikers for cross-country rallying.
The #34 team ‘Xraids Experience’ rider went through a harrowing time, but with great determination, Raorane came back strongly every day, to complete the daunting rally. He suffered the fuel-range anxiety with a lost front fuel tank in Stage 1 at around the 204-kms mark and also saw the air bag deployed during a hard landing in the ‘empty quarter’ and ended the day’s competitive section with fumes in the rear fuel tank.
The next day in Stage 2, was another big challenge spotting the drop-offs. The Indian was caught out coming off a dune crest and “the earth below suddenly vanished”.
The worst was on Stage 3 on March 1 and it looked as though the rally ended in disappointment, when Raorane suffered a massive crash and ruptured his right bicep muscle but carried on for another 160kms, undaunted. Despite extreme pain, he managed to finish the day’s competitive section. Later, Raorane recovered and after doctor’s clearance, he came back next day stronger and despite a painful arm, completed the last two days where he also overcame another minor fall and malfunctioning of his Roadbook roll.
An adventure travel rider, Raorane had claimed a podium on debut in the Indian National Racing Championship (INRC) round at Nashik in 2015 and soon took to cross-country rallies like a duck to water. He took part in the almighty Raid de Himalaya and many other bigger national and international events including polished him into a high-performance Rally Raid athlete that laid the seed for his Dakar dream, the mother of all rallies.
After pioneer CS Santosh, KP Arvind and Harith Noah completed Dakar, Raorane, became the fourth Indian to complete in Dakar Experience class in 2021. The dream continues next January, at Dakar 2024.
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Ashish Raorane comes out in flying colours with a P11 finish in Rally2
Abu Dhabi, 3 March 2023: Ace Indian star Ashish Raorane completed the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge successfully finishing the final day’s Stage 5 at Overall P20 for a creditable Rally2 class ranking of 11th, here on Friday.
Ashish Raorane of Xraids Experience, astride a 450 Rally Factory Replica, clocked a total time of 25:09.05 for his Overall P20 and P11 in Rally2.
“Stage 5 is done and dusted with some painkiller help and with that the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge is in the bag. We finished at P11 in Rally2 category, I am happy with the result and more importantly gained a lot of meaningful experience each day. Thank you for following along and all the messages over the past week, it really helps to keep going. Thank you to all partners for the support!” said Ashish Raorane on his Instagram handle. He is supported by Rynox Gears, Dosmoto Design, Lazyass Bikers.
The Indian began well but went through harrowing time but with great determination he came back strongly to complete the daunting cross country rally raid competition successfully. He suffered the fuel-range anxiety with a lost front fuel tank in Stage 1 at around 204-km mark and also saw the air bag deployed during the hard landing and ended the day’s competitive section withn fumes in the rear fuel tank.
The next day in Stage 2, it was another big challenge spotting the drop-offs around noon time and as everything looked flat the Indian was caught out coming off a dune crest and “the earth below disappeared”. Later that day he said: “Lost about 15 mins getting myself unstuck in one of the dunes in this section, thanks to Justin Gerlach for stopping to save (me). Later I too, got an opportunity to pay it forward just 10Km ahead helping another rider upright his downed machine.”
The SMILE IS BACK: Ashish Raorane finishes an incredible and grueling rally at a respectable P11 in Rally2 class despite all the obstacles in the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge on Friday. Photo Instagram @Ashish_Raorane The worst was on Stage 3 on March 1, but the brave Pune mariner successfully completed one more day despite a fall as he recovered admirably and rode with a ruptured bicep muscle and an extremely painful arm for about 160Km. After close to five and a half hours of racing, completed the timed special with grit and determination.
Then yesterday, the pain reduced a bit and he was cruising before another obstacle hit the rider. He lost his road book and had to manually do it. After sometime, with a straight path in front, he rode on but was taken back by a speed zone and was penalized 9 minutes.
Nevertheless, the Indian came out with flying colours and the finish was as sweet as any for the Rynox Gears supported athlete.
Adrein Van Beveren wins ADDC: Moto
Adrien Van Beveren seized the lead of the ADDC in stage 2 and held onto the top spot until the end of the high-stakes finale. Following his late-season triumph in Andalusia last year, the Frenchman’s victory in Abu Dhabi makes it two wins out of four since he moved to Honda. He also added his name to the list of winners of the ADDC after finishing as runner-up in 2021. Much like VBA, Luciano Benavides (Husqvarna Factory Racing) defended his second place until the end. Toby Price unleashed a barrage of attacks over more than 200 km to secure third stage overall.
The absence of the reigning world champion, Sam Sunderland, and the victor of the fist round, Kevin Benavides, both of whom were injured in the week before the ADDC, paved the way for Toby Price to surge to the top of the championship standings, now with 46 points. VBA brought his tally to 42 —the lucky number he sports in every race! Kevin Benavides is still on the podium thanks to the 38-point haul from his victorious Dakar campaign. His brother, Luciano Benavides (Husqvarna Factory Racing), is fourth with 35 points after bagging two specials this week. The red bikes prevailed in this round of the manufacturer championship, courtesy of VBA’s triumph and Nacho Cornejo’s fourth place, but KTM held onto the overall lead with 84 points to Honda’s 74. Husqvarna is third with 69.
In the Rally2 category, Tobias Ebster (SRG Motorsports), the nephew of Heinz Kinigadner, a legendary rider for KTM who took the inaugural edition of the ADDC motorbike race back in 1995, made a strong impression and seems poised to light up the remaining legs of the championship, although he was not eligible for the classification. The Austrian, an entrant in the Road to Dakar challenge held in every round of the W2RC, earned a ticket to the 2024 Dakar. In the W2RC, Jean-Loup Lepan (Duust Diverse Racing) took home the trophy ahead of Paolo Lucci (BAS World KTM Racing), who led the ADDC until a crash in stage 4. Toni Mulec, the Italian’s teammate, came in third. Lucci remains in command of the ranking with 50 points to Lepan’s 45. Romain Dumontier (HT Rally Raid Husqvarna Racing), who came out of the Dakar in the overall lead, is now third with 38 points. Mulec is fourth with 30.
The Emirati Abdulaziz Ahli (Abu Dhabi Team) claimed his third win in a row in the quad race after firing a blank in the Dakar. He proved stronger than Laisvydas Kancius (AG Dakar School), who only managed to snatch one stage from the local hero. The Lithuanian rose to the top of the championship standings with 44 points to Copetti’s 38 and Varga’s 30. Ahli scaled up to fourth with 25 points. Two other Lithuanians, Gančierius (16 points) and Kanopkinas (11 points), opened their account, as did Rodolfo Guillioli (13 points), one of the sensations of the previous season.
AL Rajhi prevails as Loeb tightens his grip
Yazeed Al Rajhi took his maiden victory in the ADDC, becoming the first Saudi winner of the race to boot. It was also his first ever W2RC triumph and the second consecutive win for a Hilux this season, following Al Attiyah’s success in the Dakar.
Martin Prokop repeated his performance from last year to finish second in his Ford Ranger. In another echo of 2022, a Red Bull Off-Road Jr Team USA T3 claimed third place. After “Chaleco” López last year, this time round it was Seth Quintero who came out on top in his South Racing / Can-Am. The top three drivers in the championship following the Dakar all ran into big trouble in the ADDC, but Guerlain Chicherit (GCK Motorsports) and Al Attiyah, second and third going into the second leg of the season, paid a heftier price than the leader.
They went home from the race empty-handed, whereas Loeb padded his lead by 14 points thanks to a series of strong performances in the last three stages. the Frenchman now has 101 points to Al Attiyah’s 85. Prokop gained one position and is now third with 64 points. Al Rajhi was the biggest winner, leaping from tenth to fourth with 63 points. Jan Cruz Yacoponi (Overdrive Racing), fifth, and Chicherit, sixth, have 49 points apiece. Sebastián Halpern (X-raid Mini JCW) is seventh with 43. The setbacks experienced by the three former leaders of the ranking allowed their pursuers to narrow the gap. In the manufacturer ranking, Toyota Gazoo Racing benefited from Al Rajhi’s victory and Yacopini’s fourth place to increase its lead to 120 points to BRX’s 79.
In the T3 category, Seth Quintero (Red Bull Off-Road Jr Team USA) clinched the race ahead of Austin Jones (Red Bull Can-Am Factory) after a series of exciting duels with Mattias Ekström, who had two off days. His teammate Cristina Gutiérrez was also unlucky, paving the way for the other woman in the field, Aliyyah Koloc (Buggyra ZM Racing), to finish third in the W2RC standings for this leg. The championship ranking is singing a full-throated rendition of “The Star-Spangled Banner”, with Quintero in the top spot with 127 points to Jones’s 121 and Guthrie Jr.’s 81.
Meanwhile, Rokas Baciuška (Red Bull Can-Am Factory) dominated Pau Navarro (FN Speed) in the T4 race. The reigning world champion wrapped up the ADDC in the lead with 134 points to his name. The Dakar champion, Eryk Goczał (Energylandia Rally Team), has 86. Navarro is third with 73. Shinuke Umeda and his Polaris, another big attraction of the week, gained ground and is now sixth with 44 points.
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Pune mariner Ashish Raorane completes Stage 4 in P28
Abu Dhabi, 2 March 2023: Indian star Ashish Raorane, the mariner from Pune, continued his onward march completing one more day with guts and determination braving an injury and finished Stage 4, a noteworthy 28th Overall, in the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge on Day 5 on Thursday.
The gutsy rider clocked 5 hours, 37min, 50seconds and was 1hr,50:42sec behind the leaders including a penalty time of nine minutes but his daring feat carrying a painful arm made it all the more sweet. The Indian needs to finish the last stage tomorrow to put one more international rally raid event under his belt.
He finished 15th in Rally2 class today for a cumulative standing of 11th in his class and Overall P28 today and his 28th in the Overall standings remains as it is.
Earlier in the morning, a thick blanket of fog descended upon the penultimate stage, delaying the start of the motorbike race by two hours and shortening the car special to 173 kilometres.
The #34 Xraids Experience rider has encountered a fall on Day 2 and met his worse incident yesterday where he suffered a ruptured bicep muscle but bravely recovered and continued for another about 100Km. Today the disciplined warrior lost a bit of time but successfully conquered the marathon stage.
Luciano Benavides (Husqvarna) claimed his second win in the motorbike category, while Pablo Quintanilla, who started the stage in second place overall, is out of contention after his Honda gave up the ghost 250 km into the special. His teammate Adrien Van Beveren still tops the leader board.
In the cars section, Sébastien Loeb (Bahrain Raid Xtreme) took the car stage. Yazeed Al Rajhi (Overdrive Racing) is more than 10 minutes clear of Martin Prokop (Benzina Orlen Team) and 20 minutes ahead of Denis Krotov (X-raid Mini JCW) in the overall.
FIM: Hero’s Ross Branch third
Luciano Benavides (Husqvarna Factory Racing) grabbed his second stage win after dominating the special from A to Z. Adrien Van Beveren (Monster Energy Honda), who seized the overall lead two days ago, finished second on the day at 3′22″.
Ross Branch (Hero MotoSports) came in third at 4′06″. Toby Price (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) finished seventh at 9′01″ after opening the way this morning. Benavides surged up the general standings, where he is now the Frenchman’s closest pursuer at 2′58″.
The Chilean Nacho Cornejo has finally placed his Honda on the provisional podium, 6′14″ behind his teammate. Ross Branch (Hero MotoSports) is fourth at 6′38″. Skyler Howes (Husqvarna Factory Racing) sits in fifth place at 7′16″.
Toby Price slipped down to sixth at 8′35″. Ricky Brabec (Monster Energy Honda) is seventh at 8′52″. Less than 9 minutes separate the top 7. Benavides will be starting tomorrow’s stage right before the overall leader —an unenviable position for the Argentinian to find himself in.
However, other riders are in with a shout too, with the next five competitors in the standings a mere 6 to 9 minutes off the pace. The race is still wide open among the top 7, who will settle their differences in a finale stretching for more than 200 kilometres.
In the Rally2 category, Paolo Lucci, the hegemon of the race since Day 1, conceded buckets of time following a crash with 20 kilometres to go. The BAS World KTM Racing rider surrendered the lead to Jean-Loup Lepan (Duust Diverse Racing) and is now almost 11 minutes down.
In the quad race, Abdulaziz Ahli (Abu Dhabi Team) picked up his third victory by over 16 minutes on Laisvydas Kancius (AG Dakar School), padding his overall lead and all but wrapping up his third title in a row.
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Heroic effort sees Ashish Raorane complete Stage 3 with a bicep muscle rupture
Liwa City (Abu Dhabi), 1 March 2023: Ace Indian Rally-raid rider Ashish Raorane of Xraids Experience, astride a KTM 450 Factory Rally Replica successfully completed one more day despite a fall as he recovered admirably and rode with a ruptured bicep muscle and an extremely painful arm for about 160Km in the Stage 3 of the 2023 Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge here on Wednesday. After close to five and a half hours of racing, Raorane, the marine engineer from Pune, completed the timed special with grit and determination taking an overall 29th place among 45 riders that started the stage, including World Championship riders, and overall 12th among 29 riders in his class, the Rally2 category.
“The day witnessed flowy tracks with soft & technical dunes. I missed a double caution on a fast section and took a bad tumble. I hurt my arm but managed to recover and ride the remaining 160Km, although the pain in the techincal dunes was excruciating. The bicep muscle is ruptured so let’s see how we go tomorrow.” said Ashish Raorane on Social Media after finishing Stage 3.
Later, as the doctors cleared him for the further stages, the Pune rider will start the stage tomorrow, which is the longest and toughest of the rally, a 306-km of dunes in a tough zone, an ‘empty-quarter’. Two more Stages are left in the Cross-country rally raid that also serves as a qualifier for the Dakar 2024 and is the second round of the World Rally Raid Championship. The #34 biker is in Rally2 category.
Ashish Raorane’s time 05hours 31minutes and 37seconds, on another toughest day, riding over the loop around Liwa City, for a 266-kilometer timed special was physically demanding and one of the toughest days of the event so far. He could not have completed it but for his strong will. The terrain was rougher and more technical than the previous days and it was a daunting task even for the experienced and fit, but the Indian managed to navigate and finish much of the route before the fall and later in deep pain.
The rider supported by Rynox Gears, who finished Stage 2 yesterday in Overall 25th and P8 in his Rally2 class, slipped to 29th overall, but it was a creditable performance on the tricky soft and technical terrain that challenged the best of the riders and finishing the task for an Indian who does not have much of seat time on the bike is such a terrain and despite the bothering arm, is a significant achievement.
Earlier in the morning, the opening teams have noted many broken dunes and the competitors were warned of, by the race officials in the briefing. The 403 km stage ran a loop around Liwa City. After a short liaison of 2 km, synonymous with sleeping in, to get out of the bivouac, the competitors started the 266-km special stage composed of 52% of dunes and 48% of soft sandy tracks. The 35-km liaison then allowed them to return to the bivouac.
Day’s Winners – for the record
The day saw Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Toby Price claim victory, securing his first stage win of the event with just 16-second lead. The Australian now lies third overall, just under three minutes down with two days left to race. Paolo Lucci (BAS World KTM Racing) won the Rally2 category once again. He is ahead of Jean-Loup Lepan (Duust Diverse Racing) by 6’37”and Tobias Ebster (SGR Motorsports) by 8’37”. Toni Mulec, the winner’s teammate, is 4th at almost 11 minutes behind.
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Ashish finishes despite fumes in fuel tank and an airbag pop-out!
Qsar Al Sarab (Abu Dhabi), 27 Feb 2023: Pune mariner Ashish Raorane, the lone Indian rider at the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge overcame all odds in the first stage to post a creditable time of 1hour, 17min, 44seconds for the 404 km stage of the day between Al Dhannah city and Qasr Al Sarab in the Liwa desert that also included a first liaison of 59 km here on Monday.
The Indian finished Stage 1 in a hard-fought 10th place in his Rally2 class and was 23rd Overall after starting from P24 despite all the hiccups on Day 1 as he completed 242 km of timed run. Meanwhile, the Hero MotoSports Rally team Ross Branch finished overall fourth, a mere three seconds behind Toby Price. Branch finished third but after the route openers bonuses were added, he dropped to fourth.
Starting 24th, Ashish, the fifth Dakar athlete from India, began the day well but after about 100km suffered a jolt when he lost his front petrol tank. due to a broken fuel hose and was forced to slow down with a view to complete the remaining distance of about 140km of competitive run. But at the 192km-mark, the Indian faced another bombarding shock of a hard landing that opened up his airbags. Undaunted, the rally-raid athlete supported by Rynox gears, Dosmoto design, Gaerne and Lazyass Bikers continued his Day 1 sojourn and completed the Stage 1 of 242 km that was timed between Ghiyathi, which included some steep drops amidst the vast and daunting dunes, and the finish was judged near Tal Mor’eb. Later, he had to do a 103-km liaison, to joine the bivouac in the middle of the dunes.
“The Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge is living up to its name from the word go. The 242km of sand and dunes with some really hard to spot drop-offs saw many riders run out of fuel. The fuel-range anxiety was real today. After I lost my front fuel tank at around 204-km mark, I eased up and made the 192-km refueling mark on fumes in the rear fuel tank. Also the air bag getting deployed during the hard landing was a shocker which I was not expecting. Overall, it was a great physically demanding day on the bike,” said Ashish Raorane, the fifth Indian who gained the Dakar experience. He will be qualifying for the Dakar 2024 with this ADDC.
Tomorrow, the Stage distance would be 257 km and the transport section would be about 108 km.
Ashish Raorane Parters: Spares & Accessories partner: MotoUsher (Insta – @motousher)
Technical partner: Slipstream Performance (Insta – @slipstreamperformance)Key points of the Rally:
· The winners of the prologue in the car and motorbike categories successfully navigated the first stage of the ADDC, held on a never-seen-before course, and stayed in control of the race following the opener.
· Toyota dominated the car stage, with Nasser Al Attiyah preceding Yazeed Al Rajhi and Henk Lategan. Meanwhile, at BRX, Sébastien Loeb failed to finish the special due to a mechanical and Guerlain Chicherit withdrew from the race after falling ill in the dunes.
· Just like yesterday, Pablo Quintanilla prevailed over Adrien Van Beveren in the motorbike stage. The two Honda riders continue to top the leader board, with Toby Price third overall.
FIA: AL ATTIYAH LAYS DOWN A MARKER
Nasser Al Attiyah (Toyota Gazoo Racing) was probably braced for a fierce competition with his main rivals for the championship. The overall leader, Sébastien Loeb (Bahrain Raid Xtreme), ground down to a standstill with coolant hose issues a mere 39 kilometres into the race. His subsequent withdrawal from the race spells the end of his ADDC title challenge and echoed his nightmare from last year, when he also had to throw in the towel on day one. However, this time round, his Qatari rival was not kind enough to follow him down the boulevard of broken dreams! Instead, Guerlain Chicherit, the other Prodrive entrant, who had been close behind the factory Hilux at the first checkpoint, also ran into serious trouble. The Frenchman had to stop several times following a bout of “sea sickness”… in a sea of dunes. In the end, he decided to quit the race despite finishing the stage in third place overall. Toyota scored a clean sweep, with the three Hilux drivers, Nasser Al Attiyah, Yazeed Al Rajhi and Henk Lategan, hogging the top 3 in the stage and the general standings. In the T3 category, Seth Quintero (Red Bull Off-Road Junior Team USA) outgunned his teammate Austin Jones. The world championship leader produced a gutsy ride to take the runner-up’s spot. Although there were valuable points on the line, the American rushed to the aid of his teammate Cristina Gutiérrez (Red Bull Can-Am Factory) without thinking twice after she ran out of fuel. Mattias Ekström, who held second place in the category for much of the stage, shared the Spaniard’s fate. Meanwhile, Rokas Baciuška (Red Bull Can-Am Factory) grabbed the T4 stage. Pau Navarro (FN Speed), who came in just over 5 minutes behind the stage winner and provisional leader, is shaping up to be his arch-rival in this round.
FIM: HONDA TIGHTEN THEIR GRIP
Pablo Quintanilla and his teammate Adrien Van Beveren (Monster Energy Honda), the fastest men in yesterday’s prologue, were untouchable again today. The Chilean bagged the special with two minutes to spare over the Frenchman, with Ross Branch (Hero MotoSports) in third place at 3′14″ down. Another Honda rider, “Nacho” Cornejo, posted the fourth fastest time at 4′16″. Toby Price (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) came in fifth at 4′37″. In the general standings following stage 1, adding the times in today’s special to those in the prologue, which were multiplied by a coefficient of 8 in accordance with the championship rules, Quintanilla is 2′16″ ahead of “VBA” and 5′17″ clear of Price. Branch is fourth, a meagre 3 seconds behind the factory KTM rider. In the Rally2 competition, Paolo Lucci (BAS World KTM Racing) took over the reins of the race from Konrad Dąbrowski (Duust Diverse Racing), 5 minutes back today. The Pole is still within 2 minutes of the Italian in the rankings. Jean-Loup Lepan (Duust Diverse Racing) is third in the provisional W2RC standings at 8′35″. Toni Mulec (BAS World KTM Racing) also ran out of petrol before the refuelling station and is now fourth, 35 minutes behind the leader. Abdulaziz Ahli hit the ground running in the quad race, putting over twenty minutes into Rodolfo Guillioli in both the stage and the overall. Meanwhile, the Lithuanian Laisvydas Kancius is almost 45 minutes down on the Emirati after screeching to a halt.
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Ashish Raorane, lone Indian to start 24th on his #34 KTM 450 Factory Rally replica
Abu Dhabi, 26 Feb 2023: Ashish Raorane, the Indian Rally-Raid cross country rider will be the lone Indian on a KTM 450 Factory Rally replica with number #43 and will start 24th after doing well in the Prologue as 46 riders compete for the rally. The Indian will be in the Rally2 class (R2 category P9) in the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge.
“New colors for 2023! A massive thank you to all the partners for joining us on this journey! Back on the international stage after 2 years, as the 2021-22 was full of up and downs but we keep the dream alive. The dunes are where I need to improve, so no better challenge than the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge. I feel nervous and excited. Bring it…”, said Rane, a day before the prologue on his social media handles.
Hero MotoSports
Hero MotoSports Team Rally, the motorsport team of the world’s largest manufacturer of motorcycles and scooters – Hero MotoCorp, will be competing in Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge with all their riders, Joaquim Rodriques, Ross Branch, Franco Caimi and Sebastian Buhler.
In the prologue, Buhler did well and will be starting 8th on his #14 bike, Hero 450 Rally, for Hero MotoSports Team Rally, followed by Ross Branch in his #16 bike in 9th and J Rod in 11th, with his favoured 27-number Hero 450 Rally. Caimi is immediately behind him in 12th on his #33 bike.
The Hero team completed its Dakar 2023 campaign with a stellar result as three of its team riders crossed the final finish line. The Indian manufacturer scripted history once again in this edition of the rally. With a top-10 overall finish, two stage wins, and a stage podium, this is the Team’s best-ever performance at the Dakar.
Sebastian Buhler, the youngest team rider of the team, who returned to racing after almost a year of recovery from injury, delivered an excellent performance. In his 3rd Dakar with Hero MotoSports, the young German claimed his first ever Stage Podium, finishing 2nd in Stage 2. Buhler also lost a few hours in Stage 4 along with Ross due to loss of fuel. However, consistently improving his performance, he finished Dakar 2023 in the 14th overall position in the Rally GP class.
Key points:
· The 7-km long prologue at the gates of the city of Al Dhannah which took place today allowed the ten quickest drivers and riders the opportunity to choose their starting order for stage 1 tomorrow.
· In the car category, Nasser Al Attiyah (Toyota Gazoo Racing) achieved the best time ahead of Guerlain Chicherit (GCK Motorsports) and Sébastien Loeb (Bahrain Raid Xtreme).
· In the bike race, Monster Energy Honda riders Pablo Quintanilla and Adrien Van Beveren prevailed ahead of Toby Price (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing).
FIM: HONDA’S STARS FLEX THEIR MUSCLES
Pablo Quintanilla, who won the ADDC in 2018 and finished 3rd last year, was victorious today with a time of 5’00’’, ahead of his team-mate Adrien Van Beveren (2’’ behind) and Toby Price (5’’ behind). It was a poor start for Skyler Howes (Husqvarna Factory Racing), who could only manage a 10th placed finish. As a result, the American, 3rd on the Dakar, was the last to be able to choose his starting position. In the Rally2 class, Toni Mulec (BAS World KTM Racing) beat Konrad Dąbrowski (Duust Diverse Racing). Paolo Lucci (BAS World KTM Racing) got off to a bad start with a 2-minute penalty after missing a way point. In the Quad race, Abdulaziz Ahli tasted victory ahead of Rodolfo Guillioli. Laisvydas Kancius (AG Dakar School) also received a 2-minute penalty for a missed way point and finds himself in last place in his category.
On completion of the stage 1 starting order choice ceremony, the day’s quickest riders gathered as far as possible from having to open the way on the special. Quintanilla will start 11th, “VBA” 10th and Price 9th. Mohammed Al Balooshi, the last rider in the RallyGP class to finish, will open the special, followed by Skyler Howes and “Nacho” Cornejo (Monster Energy Honda). From the start of the special up to the finishing line, bonuses will be awarded to the first three riders, under the new regulations introduced in 2023 which aim to reward the efforts of the openers.
FIA: AL ATTIYAH TAKES THE UPPER HAND
Three times ADDC winner Nasser Al Attiyah set the tone by triumphing with a time of 4’45’’ on the prologue. Guerlain Chicherit posted the 2nd best time, 4’’ ahead of the other Prodrive Hunter driven by Sébastien Loeb, who was in turn 10’’ behind the Qatari’s time.
Yazeed Al Rajhi (Overdrive Racing), thanks to a finish one second behind the Frenchman, is also in the reckoning. In the T3 category, team-mates Seth Quintero and Mitch Guthrie Jr (Red Bull Off-Road Junior Team USA) completed the prologue in that order and within the same second, in front of Cristina Guttiérez (Red Bull Can-Am Factory), herself just 1 second behind the two men! Mattias Ekström (South Racing Can-Am) and Austin Jones (Red Bull Off-Road Junior Team USA), the winner on the Dakar, did not get off to the best start, finishing in 8th and 9th place respectively. In the T4 race, the prologue was won by Rokas Baciuška (Red Bull Can-Am Factory), world champion in the category.
For the start tomorrow, Nasser Al Attiyah has chosen to begin in 10th, Guerlain Chicherit 9th, Sébastien Loeb 8th and Yazeed Al Rajhi 7th. Cristina Guttiérez will be faced with the task of opening the way on tomorrow’s special, in front of Mitch Guthrie and Martin Prokop (Orlen Benzina Team).
TOMORROW’S PROGRAMME*
· The Al Dhannah to Qsar Al Sarab stage
· Total distance: 404 km
· A+B link routes: 162 km
· Special: 242 km (start: Ghiyathi / finishing line: near to Tal Mor’eb)
· Starting times for the special:
– First FIM competitor: 08.00
– First FIA competitor: 09.40
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Al Attiyah-Baumel cruise to easy victory: Saudi Baja Hail
Five-time Dakar Rally winner Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah and his Andorra-based co-driver Mathieu Baumel maintained their terrific run of success to clinch a start-to-finish victory in the Saudi Baja-Hail, round one of the 2023 FIA World and Middle East Cups for Cross-Country Bajas.
Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah was fastest on the Prologue and both selective sections through the An Nafud desert to initially secure victory over Polish rival Krzysztof Holowczyc by 15min 19sec. The Toyota Hilux driver had taken a 7min 42sec lead into the final day, once a series of time penalties had been imposed on several of his rivals, and he won the second stage by 5min 27sec to continue his dominant start to the season in the cross-country rallying discipline.
Al-Attiyah said: “This is a good start. We were happy to compete here and to win here another time. The target now is Abu Dhabi, where we will face Loeb and the Audis. All good over the last two days, no problems.”
Polish rival Krzysztof Holowczyc was second quickest on the last stage in his X-raid Mini John Cooper Works Rally Plus with co-driver Lukasz Kurzeja and did enough to finish as runner-up on his first desert rally for eight years. A five-minute time penalty for a speeding infringement was imposed on the Pole and later dropped but he was then handed a 15-minute time penalty and slipped to third overall.
Before the second penalty was handed out, Holowczyc said: “The beginning was not so easy. We were last on the Prologue and I am used to be fighting for the win. We finished second although it is not easy to understand the regulations sometimes. We were testing some new things on the car and that was important for us. The car is getting faster and we will find more in the next races. The suspension is unbelievable. I saw a big hole and the car was flying, perfect. This is the advantage of T1+. We have a good car for the next races.”
Al-Attiyah’s Toyota team-mate Juan Cruz Yacopini recovered strongly from a collision with a spectator’s car at the end of Friday’s stage and was reinstated in third overall by rally officials before the start of the final day.
The Argentine took full advantage of the Stewards’ decision to reimburse him 15 minutes of lost time and he and Spanish navigator Daniel Oliveras were third quickest on stage two to confirm a podium finish. He climbed from third to second when Holowczyc was penalised late on Saturday evening.
Yacopini said: “After what happened yesterday, today was a good stage. I feel really comfortable. The navigation was not easy but Dani made it perfectly. The car was perfect also and this is my first podium in the Bajas. Now I go to Abu Dhabi in the next two weeks. It is a perfect warm-up.”
Top seed and defending champion Yazeed Al-Rajhi was forced to withdraw on the eve of technical checks and pre-event scrutineering. The Saudi sustained a minor chest injury after an accident on a recent skiing vacation at Courchevel in France and had been suffering from pain on the right side of his chest. The Riyadh driver later confirmed that he had sustained a hairline fracture in his right fifth rib and incurred minor cartilage damage in the fall. He hopes to be fit for the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge at the end of the month.
FIA T3 success for Saleh Al-Saif
Navigational delays for rival Yasir Seaidan enabled Team Black Horse Can-Am driver Saleh Al-Saif to snatch fourth overall and the FIA T3 win from his fellow countryman by just nine seconds. Defending champion Fernando Alvarez came home in sixth overall and third in the lightweight prototype class in his Can-Am Maverick and second of the registered FIA World Cup drivers.
Al-Saif’s co-driver Nasser Al-Kuwari was competing in Hail for the first time. The Qatari said: “I am proud of this result. I missed the people, the stages and the rally here in the past. After 40km, it was a tricky place and we saw Yasir coming from the opposite way, lost. We let him pass and we drive behind for about 100km. Then we stopped to change the belt, cut every corner to reach the finish and we won by nine seconds! It was really close.”
Last year’s T3 championship runner-up Dania Akeel was second quickest on the last 184km stage and climbed to fourth in the category and third of the drivers registered for the FIA World Cup. South Racing team-mate Otavio Sousa finished sixth behind the G Rally Team’s Kees Koolen in his OT3 and the FN Speed Team’s Santiago Navarro was seventh. Fuel pump problems side lined Kuwait’s Meshari Al-Thefiri after the first stage.
Young Pau Navarro wins in T4
Young Spaniard Pau Navarro and his French co-driver Michael Metge overcame the threat of a late five-minute speeding penalty to claim the second quickest T4 time on the final day and clinch T4 success and seventh overall in their FN Speed Team Can-Am.
The French duo of Jeremie Warnier and Loic Minaudier finished second in the class in a Polaris RXR Pro R. Italy’s Michele Cinotto and Maurizio Dominella earned third place in the second of the Xtremeplus Team Polaris RXRs.
Brazilian Cristiano Batista won the second stage but suffered massive time penalties after crashing and running his South Racing Can-Am on three wheels on Friday.
Yasir Seaidan leads FIA Middle East Cup
Yasir Seaidan missed out on overall T3 success by nine seconds in his South Racing Can-Am, but the Saudi had the consolation of finishing fifth overall and claiming maximum points in the FIA Middle East Cup for Cross-Country Bajas. He and co-driver Alexei Kuzmich lost their way on a couple of occasions on the final stage, but the first stage T3 winners achieved a good result nonetheless.
Seaidan said: “We were unlucky. We lost our way in one part and we lost three minutes and a half. Then we pushed and took two minutes but we finished second by nine seconds…”
Fellow countryman Hamad Al-Harbi was classified second of the FIA Middle East Baja Cup runners and also finished second in the regional series’ T3 points with Ukrainian co-driver Dmytro Tsyro. Abdullah and Waleed Al-Shegawi were third.
Abdullah and Waleed Al-Shegawi came home in third, while T4 victory fell to Kuwait’s Salem Al-Dhafeeri and his Emirati co-driver Arif Yousef Mohammed. Maha Al-Hameli and Swedish navigator Annie Seel finished second and Saeed Al-Mouri and Ata Al-Hmoud were third.
Local driver Khalid Al-Feraihi is registered in the FIA Middle East Cup for Cross Country Bajas but suffered long delays and time penalties on the opening day with alternator failure on his Nissan and finished at the rear of the field.
Ahmed Al-Shegawi and Spanish co-driver Marc Serra claimed the spoils in the T2 class for series production cross-country vehicles. They finished 19min 08sec ahead of Ibrahim Al-Muhanna and Osama Al-Sanad in a similar Nissan Patrol.
The second round of both the FIA World and Middle East Cups takes place in Qatar in mid-March.
2023 Saudi Baja-Ha’il – final results:
1. Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah (QAT)/Mathieu Baumel (AND) Toyota Hilux Overdrive 3hr 56min 17sec* 2. Juan Cruz Yacopini (ARG)/Daniel Oliveras (ESP) Toyota Hilux Overdrive 4hr 15min 19sec* 3. Krzysztof Holowczyc (POL)/Lukasz Kurzeja (POL) Mini John Cooper Works Rally Plus 4hr 26min 36sec* 4. Saleh Al-Saif (SAU)/Nasser Al-Kuwari (QAT) Can-Am Maverick (T3) 4hr 33min 28sec* 5. Yasir Seaidan (SAU)/Alexei Kuzmich (ARE) Can-Am Maverick X3 (T3) 4hr 33min 37sec+ 6. Fernando Alvarez (ARG)/Xavier Panseri (FRA) Can-Am Maverick (T3) 4hr 39min 59sec* 7. Pau Navarro (ESP)/Michael Metge (FRA) Can-Am Maverick XRS Turbo (T4) 4hr 42min 35sec* 8. Dania Akeel (SAU)/Laurent Lichtleuchter (FRA) Can-Am Maverick (T3) 4hr 42min 39sec* 9. Kees Koolen (NLD)/Wouter Rosegaar (NLD) G Rally Team OT3 (T3) 4hr 43min 30sec* 10. Jeremie Warnia (FRA)/Loic Minaudier (FRA) Polaris RXR Pro R (T4) 4hr 43min 32sec* 11. Otavio Sousa (BRA)/João Ferreira (PRT) Can-Am Maverick X3 (T3) 4hr 43min 47sec* 12. Santiago Navarro (ESP)/Adrien Metge (FRA) Can-Am Maverick (T3) 4hr 44min 13sec* 13. Michele Cinotto (ITA)/Maurizio Dominella (ITA) Polaris RXR Pro R (T4) 4hr 54min 53sec* 14. Ricardo R. Suarez (ESP)/Andrei Rudnitskiy (ANA) Can-Am Maverick XRS Turbo (T4) 4hr 55min 45sec* 15. Hamad Al-Harbi (SAU)/Dmytro Tsyro (UKR) Can-Am Maverick (T3) 5hr 05min 06sec+ 16. Abdullah Al-Shegawi (SAU)/W. Al-Shegawi (SAU) Can-Am Maverick XRS Turbo (T3) 5hr 17min 31sec+ 17. Ahmed Al-Shegawi (SAU)/Marc Serra (ESP) Nissan Patrol (T2) 5hr 49min 29sec+ 18. Salem Al-Dhafeeri (KWT)/Arif Y. Mohammed (ARE) Can-Am Maverick XRS Turbo (T4) 6hr 00min 06sec+ T1 unless stated *denotes registered for FIA World Cup + denotes registered for FIA Middle East Cup -
Al-Balooshi eases into slender lead: Bikes; Al-Attiyah in control: Cars
HAIL (SAUDI ARABIA), 3 Feb 2023: Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah and French co-driver Mathieu Baumel cruised into a lead of 12min 05sec after a 230km loop stage through the deserts to the west of Hail on the 2023 Saudi Baja-Hail on Friday.
The Qatari stopped the clocks in 2hr 24min 48sec and beat closest rival Krzysztof Holowczyc by 9min 50sec to comfortably lead the Mini John Cooper Works Rally Plus driver and his Polish co-driver Lukasz Kurzeja.
Toyota driver Al-Attiyah said: “It was good. We did not have a big push. We just wanted to have a day without any problems. We have a good time. We decide last week to do this one and we will do Qatar and, if we have the time, we will do Baja Spain and I would like to do Jordan Baja for the first time and then Dubai.”
Holowczyc had suffered a blow after the opening Prologue stage when it came to light that the Pole had strayed slightly off the designated course and the result was a two-minute time penalty that dropped him to the foot of the rankings at the start of Friday morning’s timed stage.
Yasir Seaidan was the class of the T3 lightweight prototype category and the Saudi managed to beat defending FIA Bajas T3 World Champion Fernando Alvarez by 6min 17sec to lead the class and hold third overall.
“It was a good stage, the best ever,” said Seaidan. “We were fast from the beginning and we continued pushing to the end. We didn’t have the top speed but it was a good day and a good start to the Middle East programme.”
Fellow countryman Saleh Al-Saif was second fastest in his Team Black Horse Can-Am, despite missing his designated refuelling time because of congestion at the refuelling zone, and slotted into fourth in the overall rankings and second in T3. Dania Akeel climbed through the field to hold sixth place, behind Alvarez, and fourth in T3 in her South Racing Can-Am.
Young Spaniard Pau Navarro and his French co-driver Michael Metge delivered an impressive performance to lead the FIA T4 category in an FN Speed Team Can-Am, while the French duo of Jeremie Warnier and Loic Minaudier were second in a Polaris RXR Pro R. Overnight leader Cristiano Batista lost time with technical issues.
T3 driver Meshari Al-Thefiri hit trouble before the stage started. The Kuwaiti said: “After service, we started the road section and, after 25km, the fuel pump died. After 10km, the spare one also died and we came back. We find some connector problem and we didn’t have the parts and, once we had fixed it, it was too late.”
Local driver Saeed Al-Mouri was also in trouble. He said: “Unfortunately, at the start of the stage, after 4km, two rocks came through the windshield, the glass broke and the debris came into the car and into my eyes and we could not continue. I discussed with Ata (Al-Hmoud) and we decided to stop and continue on Saturday.”
Argentina’s Juan Cruz Yacopini was running strongly early in the stage in the second of the Overdrive Toyotas until he had an accident near the end of the special and slipped to seventh overall. He said: “It was not the best day. We had an accident 15km from the finish, but all is okay.”
MX Ride Dubai’s Mohammed Al-Balooshi was in a class of his own on the stage in the motorcycle category and the Emirati won on the day by 2min 22sec to move into an overall lead of 4min 57sec over the Prologue-winning Jordanian Abdullah Abu Aishah.
“Today was good until km16 and I realised I had jumped from eighth to first,” said Al-Balooshi. “For me, I thought I would only catch them after 80km, or before the refuel, so I was surprised. That meant I had to navigate and open the route. I was not prepared for this but I managed and took up the challenge. I led the rest of the stage and won. I am happy with this. Tomorrow, I take it easy and make sure we arrive on the finish line.”
Abu Aishah added: “Yesterday, I had a problem with the starter motor and the battery and I tried to fix it. Today, I had the same problem but my friend helped me to push the bike. The stage was good. Ater refuelling, it was tricky navigation, but I am happy with my result. We will keep pushing until the end.”
Kuwait’s Abdullah Al-Shatti came home in second place on the day and climbed to third, while Al-Balooshi’s brother Sultan and Saudi rider Anass Al-Rehyani rounded off the overall top five. Australian Martin Chalmers was the best of the non-GCC riders in sixth.
Al-Shatti said: “I start 18 position and I finish third today. I am happy. More fast tomorrow.”
Abdulaziz Ahli increased his lead over Haitham Al-Tuwaijri in the quad category by 4min 17sec to 4min 25sec. Hani Al-Noumesi was a distant third.
Abdulaziz Al-Yaeesh and Omar Al-Lahim led the Saudi National Baja in their Nissan Patrol.They were 9min 21sec ahead of Al-Mashna Al-Ramali and Rady Al-Shammeri.
The Baja is being managed by the Saudi Motorsport Company, in conjunction with the Saudi Automobile and Motorcycle Federation (SAMF) and the Ministry of Sport and in partnership with Abdul Latif Jameel (ALJ) Motors.
Saturday
The opening round of the 2023 FIA World and Middle East Cups for Cross-Country Bajas, the FIM Bajas World Cup and the Saudi Toyota National Rally Championship continues with a second selective section that runs for 184km through the An Nafud desert and starts at Farhaniyah, 57km from the bivouac. The ceremonial finish will take place from 19.30hrs on Saturday evening at Maghwat.
2023 Saudi Baja-Hail – positions after SS1 (unofficial @ 15.45hrs):
Cars
1. Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah (QAT)/Mathieu Baumel (AND) Toyota Hilux Overdrive 2hr 27min 45sec
2. Krzysztof Holowczyc (POL)/Lukasz Kurzeja (POL) Mini John Cooper Works Rally Plus 2hr 39min 50sec
3. Yasir Seaidan (SAU)/Alexei Kuzmich (ARE) Can-Am Maverick X3 (T3) 2hr 42min 47sec
4. Saleh Al-Saif (SAU)/Nasser Al-Kuwari (QAT) Can-Am Maverick (T3) 2hr 44min 55sec
5. Fernando Alvarez (ARG)/Xavier Panseri (FRA) Can-Am Maverick (T3) 2hr 49min 08sec
6. Dania Akeel (SAU)/Laurent Lichtleuchter (FRA) Can-Am Maverick (T3) 2hr 52min 31sec
7. Juan Cruz Yacopini (ARG)/Daniel Oliveras (ESP) Toyota Hilux Overdrive 2hr 53min 10sec
8. Pau Navarro (ESP)/Michael Metge (FRA) Can-Am Maverick XRS Turbo (T4) 2hr 53min 30sec
9. Jeremie Warnia (FRA)/Loic Minaudier (FRA) Polaris RXR Pro R (T4) 2hr 54min 06sec
10. Santiago Navarro (ESP)/Adrien Metge (FRA) Can-Am Maverick (T3) 2hr 55min 29sec
11. Otavio Sousa (BRA)/João Ferreira (PRT) Can-Am Maverick X3 (T3) 2hr 58min 05sec
12. Michele Cinotto (ITA)/Maurizio Dominella (ITA) Polaris RXR Pro R (T4) 2hr 59min 59sec
13. Kees Koolen (NLD)/Wouter Rosegaar (NLD) G Rally Team OT3 (T3) 3hr 03min 16sec
14. Abdullah Al-Shegawi (SAU)/Waleed Al-Shegawi (SAU) Can-Am Maverick XRS Turbo (T3) 3hr 09min 38sec
15. Ricardo Ramilo Suarez (ESP)/Andrei Rudnitskiy (ANA) Can-Am Maverick XRS Turbo (T4) 3hr 11min 22sec
16. Hamad Al-Harbi (SAU)/Dmytro Tsyro (UKR) Can-Am Maverick (T3) 3hr 17min 02sec
17. Cristiano Batista (BRA)/Fausto Mota (PRT) Can-Am Maverick XRS Turbo (T4) 3hr 21min 47sec
18. Ahmed Al-Shegawi (SAU)/Marc Serra (ESP) Nissan Patrol (T2) 3hr 46min 34sec
T1 unless stated
Bikes (top 18)
1. Mohammed Al-Balooshi (ARE) KTM 450 Rally 3hr 34min 35sec
2. Abdullah Abu Aishah (JOR) KTM EXC-F 450 3hr 39min 32sec
3. Abdullah Al-Shatti (KWT) Husqvarna 450 Rally 3hr 42min 01sec
4. Sultan Al-Balooshi (ARE) TM 450 3hr 44min 32sec
5. Anass Al-Rehyani (SAU) KTM 450 3hr 46min 54sec
6. Martin Chalmers (AUS) Beta 450 3hr 53min 27sec
7. Hamdan Al-Ali (ARE) KTM EXC F 450 3hr 59min 16sec
8. Abdullah Lanjawi (ARE) Husqvarna FE 450 4hr 01min 47sec
9. Abdulhalim Al-Mogheera (SAU) KTM EXC F 450 4hr 02min 49sec
10. Alex McInnes (GBR) Husqvarna FE 450 4hr 03min 39sec
11. Jonathan Finn (CAN) Honda CRF 450 RL 4hr 08min 44sec
12. Mishal Al-Ghuneim (SAU) KTM 450 Rally 4hr 19min 29sec
13. Brett Hunt (GBR) Husqvarna FE 450 4hr 24min 49sec
14. Andrew Houlihan (AUS) Husqvarna RFR 450 4hr 26min 55sec
15. Ehab Al-Hakeem (LEB) Yamaha WR 450F 4hr 34min 07sec
16. Barry Howe (GBR) KTM SXF 450 4hr 41min 11sec
17. Marwan Al-Ramani (ARE) KTM 450 Rally 5hr 35min 14sec
18. Yaghoob Azadi (QAT) Husqvarna FE 501 5hr 36min 18sec
Quads
1. Abdulaziz Ahli (ARE) Yamaha Raptor 700 3hr 46min 58sec
2. Haitham Al-Tuwaijri (SAU) Yamaha Raptor 700 3hr 51min 21sec
3. Hani Al-Noumesi (SAY) Yamaha Raptor 700 5hr 59min 47sec
Ends
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25 riders from 12 Nations for Saudi Baja: WORLD CUP
HAIL (SAUDI ARABIA), 30 Jan 2023: Thirty-one motorcycles, five quads and competitors from 12 nations have entered this weekend’s Saudi Baja-Hail, the opening round of the 2023 FIM Bajas World Cup, in addition to four riders taking part in a national event running behind.
There will be no Indian riders at the first round of the FIM Bajas World Cup this year.
While two-time event winner Mohammed Al-Balooshi of the MX Ride Dubai team heads the field on his TM 450, two other former Hail winners feature on the international entry.
Al-Balooshi’s brother Sultan also represents the MX Ride Dubai team and is a two-time former winner of the longer Hail International Rally (2018 and 2019), while Saudi rider Mishal Al-Ghuneim reached the top step of the podium on a Husqvarna in 2021.
There is strength in depth across the entry, with several riders more than capable of challenging for victory, while others will be hopeful of scoring points in the FIM Womens’ and FIM Veterans’ categories.
Young Jordanian rider Abdullah Abu Aishah (KTM) has pushed Al-Balooshi close on several occasions in the past and will be hopeful of starting his FIM challenge in winning style. He finished fifth on the 2022 Saudi Baja last November, behind the triumphant Al-Balooshi, Kuwait’s Abdullah Al-Shatti (Kawasaki), Al-Ghuneim and fellow Saudi Anass Al-Reheyani. All three of those rivals will be challenging for top honours again this weekend.
FIM Junior hopeful Alex McInnes is seeded at four and the Briton is more than capable of finishing on the podium, while Qatar-based Australian was sixth last year and will be aiming for a top three finish. Other international riders likely to challenge for top honours are Kiwi Philip Wilson, Australia’s Andrew Houlihan and the British duo of Barry Howe and Brett Hunt.
The neighbouring State of Qatar will be represented by Sheikh Mohammed Al-Thani (Gas-Gas), Mohammed Al-Kaabi (KTM), Mahanna Rashid Al-Naimi (Honda) and Abdulrahman Al-Sheeb (KTM). Yaghoob Azadi will ride a Rasen Racing Team Husqvarna in the national category.
Kuwait’s Sarah Khuraibet (Duust Rally Team Husqvarna) and Indian rider Sarah Kashyap (Beta) will decide the outcome of the Womens’ category.
Last year’s quad winner Haitham Al-Tuwaijri faces Saudi rivals Hani Al-Noumesi, Abdulaziz Al-Atawi and Sultan Al-Masoud and Emirati Abdulaziz Ahli to decide the honours on four wheels.
The Baja is being managed by the Saudi Motorsport Company, in conjunction with the Saudi Automobile and Motorcycle Federation (SAMF) and the Ministry of Sport. The event is running under the chairmanship of H.R.H. Prince Khalid bin Sultan Al-Abdullah Al-Faisal, the President of the SAMF and in partnership with Abdul Latif Jameel (ALJ) Motors.
The weekend weather forecast is for dry, sunny conditions but cool daytime temperatures in the deserts surrounding the city of Hail. The on-stage timetable of events fires into life with a three-kilometre Qualifying Stage on Thursday (February 2nd) afternoon that takes place after the traditional ceremonial start adjacent to the Maghwat conference facility.
2023 Saudi Baja-Hail – leading entries:
Bikes
1. Mohammed Al-Balooshi (ARE) TM 450
2. Abdullah Abu Aishah (JOR) KTM EXC-F 450
3. Abdullah Al-Shatti (KWT) Kawasaki KC 450
4. Alex McInnes (GBR) Husqvarna FE 450
5. Mishal Al-Ghuneim (SAU) KTM 450 Rally
6. Anass Al-Rehyani (SAU) KTM 450
7. Martin Chalmers (AUS) Beta 450
8. Hamdan Al-Ali (ARE) Husqvarna FE 450
9. Abdulhalim Al-Mogheera (SAU) KTM EXC F 450
10. Sultan Al-Balooshi (ARE) TM 450
11. Yasir Al-Khuraif (SAU) KTM SFX 450
12. Ehab Al-Hakeem (LEB) Yamaha WR 450F
13. Ahmed Al-Jaber (SAU) KTM 450
14. Fawaz Al-Toaimi (SAU) Yamaha WR 450F
15. Mohammed Jaffar Meshari (KWT) KTM 450 RFR
16. Mohammed Al-Kaabi (QAT) KTM 450
17. Sheikh Mohammed Al-Thani (QAT) Gas-Gas 450
18. Philip Wilson (NZL) KTM 450 Rally
19. Gerard Lubbinge (NLD) KTM EXC F 450
20. Jonathan Finn (CAN) Honda CRF 450 RL
21. Barry Howe (GBR) KTM SXF 450
22. Brett Hunt (GBR) Husqvarna FE 450
23. Andrew Houlihan (AUS) Husqvarna RFR 450
24. Mahanna Rashid Al-Naimi (QAT) Honda 450
25. Sohaib Al-Barade (SAU) Honda CRF 450 X
Quads
100. Hani Al-Noumesi (SAU) Yamaha Raptor 700
101. Abdulaziz Al-Atawi (SAU) Yamaha YFZ 450
102. Abdulaziz Al-Ahli (ARE) Yamaha Raptor 700
103. Sultan Al-Masoud (SAU) Yamaha Raptor 700
111. Haitham Al-Tuwaijri (SAU) Yamaha Raptor 700
2023 Saudi National Baja-Hail – leading entries:
Bikes
60. Bader Al-Bader (SAU) KTM EXC-500
61. Simon Francis (AUS) KTM EXC-F
62. Yaghoob Azadi (QAT) Husqvarna FE 501
63. Abdulwahab Al-Mana (SAU) KTM EXC-F
Ends
