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Category: Cross Country Rally
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Of JK Tyre, Orange Festival and Dambuk
Dambuk (Arunachal Pradesh): Till a few years ago, the picturesque Dambuk village sprawling by the banks of the Dibang River in Arunachal Pradesh’s Lower Dibang Valley would remain cut off from the rest of the country, and the world, for nearly eight months a year.
The North-Eastern state bordering Tibet receives copious amount of rain for nearly eight months a year. Consequently, the swollen rivers around Dambuk would render this small town virtually inaccessible. Dambuk, for all practical purposes, remained like an island reachable only by boats for most of the year.
Things were not easier during the dry winter months either. Absence of bridges spanning the rivers meant arduous drive through boulder and rock-strewn treacherous river beds. Driving to Dambuk from Assam meant taking one’s vehicle across the Brahmaputra on a ferry to land at Pasighat and then embarking on a gruelling drive over riverbeds, dirt tracks through hills and rickety bamboo bridges over fast-flowing streams.
The journey from Dibrugarh, the nearest airport in Assam, to Dambuk was a nearly day-long adventure.
Today, it takes barely three hours to drive down through smooth highways and a nearly six-kilometre long bridge across the Dibang river to reach Dambuk from Dibrugarh. From Pasighat, which has a functional airport now, the 60-kilometre distance can be covered in about an hour.
Connectivity to this remote part of North-East India has developed following a considerable advancement in infrastructure in recent years owing mostly to the annual Orange Festival of Adventure & Music (OFAM) at Dambuk that started way back in 2014 with support from JK Tyre. It became a festival to lookout for within a very short span of time, drawing musicians, music lovers, adventure seekers, off-roaders, revellers and large media contingents from across the country. This year witnessed bands from across the globe namely Romeo Blanco from Belgium, Swanky Tunes from Russia, Big Mountain, Flypside from USA along with national bands like Still Waters from Sikkim, Kayan from Mumbai to name a few.
OFAM’s flagship event is the JK Tyre Orange 4×4 Fury, an adrenaline-driven off-roading event that has been drawing some of the most adventurous drivers from across the country every year for a ride to cherish for life. This festival supported consistently by JK Tyre, became a key propeller of infrastructure and tourism boom in this remote village of Arunachal Pradesh. With popularity of the festival soaring high and the local economy growing, the state government invested to develop connectivity to Dambuk.
The recently-concluded eighth edition of the JK Tyre Orange 4×4 Fury saw renewed zeal and enthusiasm from more than 20 off-roaders from across India putting their skills and machines to ultimate test. Stunning everyone, it was the pair of MarnyaChiram and Mari Basarfrom Arunachal Pradesh, who lifted the coveted champions trophy with their stellar performance in their Maruti Gypsy.
53-year-old Marnya, who works as a Superintendent Engineer in the Public Health Engineering Department, Arunachal Pradesh, was the eldest participant in this year’s edition. Hailing from theLepa Rada district of Arunachal Pradesh, Marnya proved to the world that age is just a number and echoed JK Tyre’s vision of promoting motorsports across age groups.
Held across three stages, the first stage on December 16 morning involved a five-kilometre run through the dry bed of the eastern bank of the mighty Dibang river. The rocks, boulders, loose sand and tall elephant grass covering the river bed posed a tough challenge to the drivers.A couple of drivers also lost their way and had to be rescued. Three vehicles that had got stuck in the river and on sand had to be pulled out by a heavy excavator that had been kept on standby.
The second stage the same afternoon was on the western bank of the Dibang. Competitors had to once again negotiate the river bed, cross a shallow stream of the river and then take the dirt tracks through dense forests.
The third stage on the bed of the Sisseri river, a tributary of the Brahmaputra, was the highlight of the event. The 22-kilometre drive on the dry riverbedstrewn with huge boulders the size of SUVs, rocks and sand, was the ultimate test of the competitors’ skills and endurance.
The champions MarnyaChiram and Mari Basaraccumulated only 136 penalty points at the end of the three stages.
Following them closely in another Maruti Gypsy was yet another Arunachali team of NabamKatung and RubuTanjang with 141 penalty points. The third overall position was grabbed by JaongSingpho and Mili Sanjay who notched up 147 penalty points.
In the above 2000 cc category, the pair of Devjyoti Borah and Sandeep Gogoi took the win in their Gurkha, while Pankaj Kar and SuranjSahafollowed in the second spot in another Gurkha. JaongSingpho and Mili Sanjay came third in this category.
In the below 2000 cc category, MarnyaChiram and Mari Basar emerged winners while the team of NabamKatung and RubuTanjang were the first runner up. The third position was held by JaongSingpho and Mili Sanjay.
On another successful edition of the JK Tyre Orange 4×4 Fury, Sanjay Sharma, Head-Motorsports, JK Tyre said, “The JK Tyre Orange 4×4 Fury has been an event that has helped us realize the vision of reaching out to the nook and corner of the country in our endeavour to promote motorsports across levels. When we started out, motorsport in the North-Eastern part of India were pretty much at a nascent stage. It had always been bursting out with endless possibilities nonetheless. We are grateful to the Government for their continuous support in establishing a robust motorsport ecosystem in this part of the world, ensuring alongside significant boom in local tourism and economy.”
“We’re grateful to all the stakeholders in successfully conducting another edition of this adrenaline-driven rally across the beautiful Dibang valley. The rally truly seeks the best of efforts from the participants in navigating and enduring a rough track. On behalf of JK Tyre, I congratulate the winners this season,” he added.
Lhakpa Tsering, President of the Motorsports Club of Arunachal, and one of the directors of OFAM, said, “Starting a festival like OFAM in such a remote village is nothing sort of a daring dream. JK Tyre has been with us from the very beginning in making that dream a reality, and also ensuring in making it big. From only one government bungalow to an overflow of accommodation, the festival has come a full circle. We’re grateful to the entire JK Tyre team for believing in us and our place and making the JK Tyre Orange 4×4 Fury a renowned event for motorsports lovers all over the world. With this event, locals from not only Arunachal Pradesh, but from the entire North-East are now taking up the sport professionally. People from all over the world now recognize the motorsport potential of the North-East through the JK Tyre Orange 4×4 Fury.”
The trophies were handed over by chief guest Ms YisheyYongda, District Magistrate of Gyalshing District Sikkim and Mr Feroz Khan Regional Head (North East), JK Tyre. A colourful night with musicians enthralling the audience pulled the curtains of yet another edition of OFAM that saw rigorous motorsport action with the coveted JK Tyre Orange 4×4 Fury.
About JK Tyre Motorsport:
JK Tyre has been closely associated with the world of motorsports for almost three decades. The company laid down a long-term plan to popularize and promote the sport in the country. Its first target was to change the notion that this was a sport for the elite. So, it packaged and redesigned it in a spectator-friendly way, drawing the masses to the sport. JK Tyre’s efforts started paying dividends in just a few years’ time, with the likes of Narain Karthikeyan and Karun Chandok going all the way to the F1 rung, the highest level of single-seat racing in the world. Since then, a number of stars emerged, including Armaan Ebrahim, the Maini brothers (Kush and Arjun), Anindith Reddy Konda, amongst many others. JK Tyre Motorsport is very proud of the role it has played in bringing women into motorsports in a big way. Apart from encouraging them to get into the sport through karting as kids, the company also gave them opportunities in various national championships. With a vision to promote women in motorsports, the company has curated women-centric events such as JK Tyre WIAA Women’s Rally to Valley, JK TyreDefence Wives Power Drive, JK Tyre-YFLO Women’s Power Drive, JK Tyre Times Women’s Drive apart from introducing an all-women’s team in the JK Tyre National Racing Championship to encourage women to take up to the sport.
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Al-Rajhi, Al-Balooshi and Al-Tuwaijri claim honours in Saudi Baja 2022-Hail
Hail (Saudi Arabia), 12 Nov 2022: Yazeed Al-Rajhi, Mohammed Al-Balooshi and Haitham Al-Tuwaijri claimed victories in their respective car, motorcycle and quad categories at the three-day Saudi Baja 2022–Hail on Saturday afternoon.
The demanding final 183.42km Farhaniyah selective section to the west of Hail caused several major movements on the respective leader boards, with motorcycle front-runner Alex McInnes crashing out of his overnight advantage on two wheels and local driver Khaled Al-Feraihi losing fourth place in the car section with broken steering on the final day.
Al-Rajhi and his German co-driver Dirk von Zitzewitz dominated the car category in their Overdrive Racing Toyota Hilux and another stage win gave the Saudi a 24min 28sec cushion over Czech driver Miroslav Zapletal (Ford F-150 Evo) and his Slovakian navigator Marek Sykora. That enabled the Saudi to extend his lead in the Drivers’ Championship in the FIA World Cup for Cross-Country Bajas.
Mohammed Al-Balooshi wins FIM Baja bikes category. Saudi Baja photo Co-driver Von Zitzewitz said: “As we expected it was not so easy. We were not sure how the desert would react with all this rain we have had. We took it quite easy in the first part. We did not want to risk anything stupid because we were lying in a good position. But, in the second part, we speeded up a little bit. There was some navigation involved and some soft dunes and nice climbs through a pass. It was quite challenging and many guys got trouble. Everything went well and Yazeed did a great drive. The Hilux worked well. It was a beautiful stage, a little bit short maybe, but it was a Baja and we are very happy that we could win this race.”
The South Racing Can-Am Team’s Fernando Alvarez and Xavier Panseri fulfilled their objective of finishing on the podium and a fine third place also earned them victory in the FIA T3 category and confirmed the championship title for the Spaniard.
Alvarez said: “We win the category and the championship. We win everything and I am also third overall in the (Baja) championship. We had a good feeling with the car and we see what we can do now in Dubai.”
Fourth overall and maximum FIA T4 points for Brazilian driver Cristiano de Sousa Batista means that he and Kuwait’s Meshari Al-Thefiri will go head-to-head in Dubai next month to decide the outcome of the Drivers’ Championship. Al-Thefiri finished at the rear of the field after first day electrical issues, while Eduard Pons was sixth overall and second in T4.
Aliyyah Koloc gave her hopes of winning the FIA Middle East Cup for Cross-Country Bajas a major boost by finishing fifth and second in T3, ahead of seventh-placed local driver Dania Akeel. Egidijus Valeiša, Hamed Al-Harbi and Mashael Al-Obaidan rounded off the top 10, with three female drivers registered in that top 10 for the first time.
Al-Harbi said: “Around 50km before the finish we broke the belt and it took a long time to remove it and we put a new belt on and we lost around 10 minutes. That’s why we dropped down to ninth and second in Middle East.”
Al-Obaidan added: “A wonderful rally with some bumpy sections. As usual, the organisers surprise us with great tracks.”
After losing a lot of time in the stage, Al-Feraihi managed to get his car back to Parc Fermé in Hail. Co-driver Sébastien Delaunay explained: “We hit a big bump and we broke the steering. We finished the first part of the stage but we arrived at the neutralisation and it was closed. We make more than 50% of the stage and got the car into Parc Fermé, so we lose a lot of time and are not in a good position in the overall classification but at least we score points in the Middle East and national championships.”
When overnight leader Alex McInnes crashed heavily and sustained a broken nose, wrist and a back injury, that opened the door for several rivals to challenge for victory in the motorcycle category.
The experienced Emirati Mohammed Al-Balooshi only finished fifth on the stage behind Abdullah Abu Aisheh, Abdulhalim Al-Mogheera and Abdullah Al-Shatti but that was enough for the TM rider and 2020 winner to win the Saudi Baja by 4min 24sec from Kuwait’s Al-Shatti.
After time penalties were later imposed, local rider Mishal Al-Ghuneim rounded off the podium finishers and Anass Al-Reheyani and Abu Aisheh completed the top five.
Abdulaziz Ahli won the day’s quad stage on his Yamaha YFZ 450 R but massive time penalties had dropped the Saudi out of contention for victory on Friday. Overnight leader Haitham Al-Tuwaijri managed to comfortably fend off his rivals to claim the win. Hani Al-Noumesi was a distant third after multiple champion Abdulmajeed Al-Khulaifi failed to finish.
Ahmed Al-Shammeri held on to confirm victory in the Saudi National Baja for cars. Ahmed Al-Ghashami and Motair Al-Shammeri rounded off the podium places.
Yasir Al-Khuraif won the National Baja for motorcycles from Bader Al-Bader, while Abdulaziz Al-Atawi topped the quads.
The seventh round of both the FIA World Cup for Cross-Country Bajas and the FIM Bajas World Cup, round three of the FIA Middle East Cup for Cross-Country Bajas and the third event in the Saudi Toyota Rally Championship was organised by the Saudi Automobile and Motorcycle Federation (SAMF), in conjunction with the Ministry of Sport and in partnership with Abdul Latif Jameel (ALJ) Motors.
Saudi Baja 2022-Hail (Final positions after SS2):
FIA
1. Yazeed Al-Rajhi (SAU)/Dirk von Zitzewitz (DEU) Toyota Hilux Overdrive 4hr 18min 55sec
2. Miroslav Zapletal (CZE)/Marek Sykora (SVK) Ford F150 Evo 4hr 43min 23sec
3. Fernando Alvarez (ESP)/Xavier Panseri (FRA) Can-Am Maverick X3 (T3) 4hr 47min 55sec
4. Cristiano Batista (BRA)/Fausto Mota (PRT) Can-Am Maverick XRS Turbo RR (T4) 4hr 56min 27sec
5. Aliyyah Koloc (ARE)/Stéphane Duplé (FRA) Buggyra Can-Am DV21 (T3) 4hr 59min 17sec
6. Eduard Pons (ESP)/Mónica Plaza Vasquez (ESP) Can-Am Maverick XRS Turbo (T4) 4hr 59min 29sec
7. Dania Akeel (SAU)/Sergio Lafuente (URY) Can-Am Maverick X3 (T3) 5hr 03min 42sec
8. Egidijus Valeiša (LTU)/ Mindaugas Varža (LTU) Can-Am Maverick XRS Turbo (T4) 5hr 04min 00sec
9. Hamed Al-Harbi (SAU)/Dmytro Tsyro (UKR) Can-Am Maverick X3 (T3) 5hr 10min 07sec
10. Mashael Al-Obaidan (SAU)/Wouter Rosegaar (NLD) Can-Am Maverick X3 (T3) 5hr 19min 32sec
11. Saeed Al-Mouri (SAU)/Ata Al-Hmoud (JOR) Can-Am Maverick XRS Turbo (T4) 5hr 24min 00sec
12. Camelia Liparoti (ITA)/Taye Perry (DEU) Yamaha YXZ 1000R (T4) 5hr 54min 36sec
T1 unless stated
FIM Bikes
1. Mohammed Al-Balooshi (ARE) TM 450 5hr 41min 14sec
2. Abdullah Al-Shatti (KWT) Kawasaki KC 450 5hr 45min 38sec
3. Mishal Al-Ghuneim (SAU) Husqvarna 450 Rally 5hr 46min 02sec
4. Anass Al-Reheyani (SAU) KTM EXC F 450 5hr 46min 02sec
5. Abdullah Abu Aishah (JOR) KTM 450 Factory Rally 5hr 51min 25sec
6. Martin Chalmers (QAT) Honda CRF 450 5hr 54min 32sec
7. Makis Rees-Stavros (GBR) KTM EXC F 450 5hr 55min 02sec
8. Abdulhalim Al-Mogheera (SAU) KTM EXC 450 5hr 57min 53sec
9. Brett Hunt (GBR) Husqvarna FE 450 5hr 59min 22sec
10. Hussein Hassan (EGY) Beta 430 RR 7hr 10min 36sec
11. Othman Al-Ghfeli (SAU) Honda CRF 4540 R 7hr 11min 17sec
12. Salman Mohamed Farhan (BAH) Husqvarna FE 450 7hr 17min 52sec
FIM Quads
1. Haitham Al-Tuwaijri (SAU) Yamaha Raptor 700 6hr 09min 48sec
2. Abdulaziz Ahli (SAU) Yamaha YFZ 450R 31hr 22min 47sec
3. Hani Al-Noumesi (SAU) Yamaha Raptor 700 41hr 49min 11sec
Ends
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Stunning 3rd for Harith Noah in SS2 at FIM Baja Aragon
Teruel (Spain), 24 July 2022: Sherco TVS Factory Racing rider Harith Noah recorded a stunning top-3 in one of the stages in a field of 163 riders and successfully completed the cross-country rally in Overall fifth place, in Baja Spain Aragon, the fourth round of the FIM Bajas World Cup that concluded here on Sunday. In the FIM 450cc class for bikes, Noah was placed fourth.
Achieving a career-best third in SS2 in the FIM Bajas World Cup round, the rider from Kerala, put in excellent performance and missed the podium by a few minutes as he finished 5th overall. Astride a Sherco 450, the 29-year TVS Racing talent is taking part in the prestigious annual event that is now a round of both the FIA and FIM Bajas World Cup. Beginning the 6-km prologue cautiously trailing in 16th, Harith Noah switched up pace and moved up 13 places with a stunning ride in SS2 that launched him to P3. However, tough and dangerous terrain curtailed his further dash to the front as he had to be content with an 8th place in SS1 (02:45:56.0). “The track was a bit dangerous as the cars had passed already and that made many rocks pop out on to the track. Focus was to complete the stage safely,” said Noah, who attacked once again on the last Sector for which he preserved his best. Clocking 2:07:26.0 on the last day, he sealed the fourth place in the stage for an overall fifth.
He finished the last day’s ‘competitive special’ of 159 km between Banon and Teruel and moved up to a brilliantly in the Overall classification in Group 1 (Category 1) of the FIM Bajas World Cup for 450cc bikes. He clocked a total time of 8hours, 07minutes and 33.0seconds. With his Sherco teammates Lorenzao Santolino and Rui Goncalves finishing second and third, Noah made it three bikes in top-5 for the Sherco-TVS combo that missed the top-spot by just about 5 minutes.
Performing consistently on all three days, Harith Noah dished out high-standard riding to shoot into top-3 on Saturday, the Day 2. “For the first time I am back on the rally bike after the last Dakar. I felt so good to be back riding at an international event. The hard-pack tracks made it fun to slide around and I enjoyed it. It was a great experience and like always, I have learned a lot and hope to fine tune my skills from this rich experience,” said the Shoranur star. “It was a great feeling to be able to finish one of the stages with the front pack and the bike proved to be good,” the 29-year star told INDIAinF1 from Spain.
The gruelling race that traversed over 400 km in the Selective Sector on Saturday morning with another 200 plus km in the evening presented a technically tough route but Harith Noah who thrives on routes that offer difficult navigational challenges, took to his liking and posted a stunning 5:50:09.0.
The Kerala rider is the fastest Indian at the Dakar as he beat CS Santolsh’s record and joined KP Aravind, in the elite club of three from India, that finished Dakar successfully. Harith Noah will be back to his training for the 2023 Dakar next January.
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Sherco’s Goncalves takes lead; Harith, Aishwarya begin 6-km Prologue
Teruel, 22 July 2022: Rui Gonçalves has started his participation in the Baja España Aragón AVATEL Trophy with victory in the prologue stage that has been played in the surroundings of Teruel. The pilot de Sherco was the fastest in the six timed kilometers of the special.
The Portuguese rider has thrown in 3’6” Tosha Schareina (KTM) while Lorenzo Santolino has occupied the third position at 5’2”.
“This Baja is very intense, it It goes very fast and physically it is very hard. Starting position for tomorrow is good and I hope I don’t have dust on a day when many things can happen,” he said. Santolino.
In the Quads category, Jerome Connart has set the best time with 19” of advantage over Dani Vila and Kevin Giroud, second and third respectively in this prologue stage. Today, Friday, has also been the opportunity to see the premiere of the category Trail, with Iván Cervantes leading in the Trail 600cc while Joan Pedrero has led in the Maxi Trail.
This Saturday the rest of the categories will start at 7:46 a.m. on a day that It will have two specials and 400 timed kilometers. Nasser Al-Attiyah, four-time winner will be one of the favorites in the car category along with Yazeed Al-Rajhi and Dutchman Erik Van Loon. “I am very happy to be here again and I have come to enjoy the race again. It’s a really tough ride but I’m going to fight for victory”, stated the Qatari at the official press conference held this afternoon at the Exhibition and Congress Pavilion of Teruel.
Early report
The 38th edition of the Baja España Aragón got underway today afternoon from 17.34 hours (9.04pm IST) with the 6-km prologue stage for only bikes where Sherco TVS factory Racing team riders from India, Aishwarya Pissay and Harith Noah took the start on Friday.
After the teams have completed the second and final day of technical and
administrative checks, the bike category kicks off the race with a 6-kilometre prologue stage on a route close to Teruel and the Service Park.From Saturday early morning, the rest of the field will join the action with a day of 402 kilometres against the clock divided into two special stages. It will be the longest day of the rally.
On Sunday, the crews will tackle a 159-kilometre special stage, the last one of the 38th edition.
The Baja España Aragón Trofeo AVATEL will run through 38 municipalities in the regions of Teruel, Jiloca and Albarracín. We would like to advise all spectators stay in high and safe places while following the race and respect the indications of the marshals along the track.
Sherco TVS Racing bikes #11 of Harith Noah, #1 of Lorenzo Santolino and Rui Goncalves get ready for the Prologue on Friday evening. Earlier on 18 July, Monday the 38th Edition was presented:
The 38th edition of the Baja España Aragón Trofeo AVATEL, which will take place from 22nd to 24th July, has been presented to the public. The official presentation of the event took place in the Salón de la Muralla of the Government of Aragon’s headquarters in Teruel, in the presence of Arturo Aliaga, Vice President of the Government of Aragon and Regional Minister for Industry, Competitiveness and Business Development of the Government of Aragon. “This event has been organised keeping in mind that we all have to work to project the image of being capable of organising one of the best of the eight World Cup events. We hope the Baja will live up to its reputation.”
The presentation was also attended by Manuel Rando, President of the Provincial Council of Teruel, Manuel Aviñó, President of the Spanish Automobile Federation, Javier Domingo, Councillor for Tourism, Education and Festivities of the City Council of Teruel, Xavier Bartrolí, President of Octagon Esedos and Roche Murciano, President of the Provincial Association of Teruel Tourist Entrepreneurs.
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Aishwarya Pissay, only woman in FIM WC Baja Aragon
Teruel (Spain) 21 July 2022: Petronas TVS Factory Racing’s star Aishwarya Pissay, the only World Cup winner from India in motorsports, is all set to re-launch her international campaign with the Baja Aragon, the fourth round of the FIM Bajas World Cup to be held here from Friday.
Come July, the beautiful region of Aragón gets busy and Aishwarya Pissay, the Indian pride, is the only woman in the FIM field and being a World Cup Baja winner, adds to the competitive nature of the event as she arrived in Teruel on Tuesday. After her accident in Jordan Baja in March 2021, the talented rider, a product of TVS, worked hard on rehabilitation and bagged another National title in the last one year, before plunging into high-performance training abroad for about 90 days this year, under her acclaimed mentor Michael Metge and his team.
On Friday, more than 70 motorcycle and quad riders will take the start of the race, including 18 motorcycles and eight quads competing for points in the FIM Bajas World Cup. Pissay will be part of Team Sherco TVS which registered four riders. Lorenzo Santolino, who was third last year, Rui Gonçalves, Harith Noah and Aishwarya Pissay, the winner of 2019 World Cup Baja winner, make up the Sherco-TVS team.
For the 26-year old Bengaluru lass, a five-time Indian National rally champion, who became the first Indian woman to make her international debut at Baja Spain in 2018 at the age of 22 years, this will be her third Baja Aragon Spain. The Indian rider supported by Scott, Ultrahuman, IIFL and Micro Labs, looks to turn the tables astride a Sherco 450 Enduro, the same bike that she trained hard in France and Spain fine-tuning her physical fitness and riding skills. “It was a high-performance training not just focussing on physical fitness and mental conditioning but identifying and fine-tuning certain riding skills and consistently learning the terrain and the art of Road Book. Staying focussed and calm are some other interesting aspects that I enjoyed,” said Aishwarya, who continues to get support from Surana College, her alma mater.
“I have learnt a lot in the training sessions abroad under Metge and to be able to utilise these skills and continue learning is my goal. I am not looking at World Cup right now but my focus is on the Baja for the next three days. I will take it event by event,” said the 26-year old, who rose like a phoenix after the life-threatening accident at the same Baja on the last day in 2018. “Every incident has taught me lessons and made me stronger. Now I am well-prepared and ready for the event,” the confident TVS talent, said ahead of the grueling event.
Administrative and technical checks will take place in Teruel on Friday while the six-km Prologue will be run from 5pm (8.30 pm IST) in order to determine the starting order for the first selective section the next day.
On Saturday, July 23rd, riders will tackle two selective sections and a third on Sunday morning for a total of 435 competitive kilometres and 342km of liaison, the transport section.
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Aishwarya Pissay, Harith Noah set for FIM Baja Aragon
Teruel, 21 July 2022: Fastest rider at Dakar from India, Harith Noah and the only World Cup winner from Indian motorsports, Aishwarya Pissay, relaunch their international campaign after an year and are all set for the FIM Baja Spain Aragón, the fourth round of the FIM Bajas World Cup beginning here on Friday.
The 38th edition of Baja España Aragón Trofeo AVATEL will see two of the top Indian Cross-Country enduro riders in Harith Noah and Aishwarya Pissay. While Kerala’s Harith Noah is the fastest from India at the Dakar, Aishwarya Pissay is the only Indian to win a World Cup in motorsports, men or women. Noah became the third Indian to finish Dakar after CS Santosh and KP Arvind, both from Bengaluru.
Read the preview and archives of Aishwarya Pissay here.
Dakar star Harith Noah exploits can be found here.
Petronas TVS Racing’s Harith Noah will begin his 11th year with the factory team. He successfully completed his third Dakar becoming the only rider from India to fly the Tricolour at the the 44th Dakar Rally, the prestigious annual cross-country endurance rally-raid race which concluded in Jeddah on January 14 earlier this year. He also set the fastest stage time by a rider from India, 18th in Stage 11, beating his own record set in 2021 (20). He is the third rider from India to complete Dakar after CS Santosh and KP Aravind, both from Bengaluru.
On Friday, more than 70 motorcycle and quad riders will take the start of the race, including 18 motorcycles and eight quads competing for points in the FIM Bajas World Cup.
Team Sherco is registered with four riders who are aiming for the podium: Lorenzo Santolino 3rd las year, Rui Gonçalves, Harith Noah and Pissay Aishwarya, the only woman in the FIM field, make up the team.
David Casteu, sporting director of Team Sherco, also has a “Team Casteu” team manager’s cap on and is supporting four private riders with crucial assistance.
There are three riders aiming to take the top step of the podium in the Junior category: the young Pole Konrad Dabrowski, Neels Theric – whose father won one of the first editions of the Baja Spain Aragón – and Kevin Giroud, who rides a quad. Dabrowski (KTM Duust Rally) is currently leading the Junior category and holds second overall in the FIM Bajas World Cup with 50 points behind Emirati Mohammed Al-Balooshi.
In the Veteran category, seven riders will take the start: Klyver, Gaits, Howe, Grignac, Argoud, Lardon and Vingut.
Eight competitors will line up in the quad section and they include Alexandre Giroud, winner of the 2022 Dakar, the Spaniard Toni Vingut and the Saudi rider Abdulmajeed Al-Khulaifi.
Administrative and technical checks will take place in Teruel on Friday, July 22nd from 08.00hrs to 13.30hrs and the six-kilometre Prologue will be played out from 17.00hrs in order to determine the starting order for the first selective section the next day
On Saturday, July 23rd, riders will tackle two selective sections and a third on Sunday morning for a total of 435 competitive kilometres and 342km of liaison.
The 38th edition of the Baja España Aragón-Trofeo AVATEL will once again be a record-breaking event in its ninth consecutive year in Teruel. 165 crews will line up for the start in the car category of the rally that counts towards the FIA World Cup for Cross Country Bajas. Dakar winner Nasser Al-Attiyah, reigning champion of the Baja Aragón, will be one of the main favourites.
The Qatari will be joined by Yazeed Al-Rajhi in a Toyota Hilux, who is second overall in the World Cup behind Czech Miroslav Zapletal. A good result for the Saudi in Teruel would allow him to take the lead in the championship.
Other big names to start in this Baja España Aragón Trofeo AVATEL include
Dutchman Erik Van Loon and Argentinean Fernando Álvarez. Host country Spain will be represented by a huge contingent, spearheaded by Jesús Calleja, Félix Macías, José Antonio Ramos and Daniel Alonso. The latter two are the first two classified in the Spanish Cross-Country Rally Championship.
The 38th edition of the Baja España Aragón Trofeo AVATEL will see the first
participation of a WRC driver. Dani Sordo joins the populous field to take on yet another challenge in his sporting career. The Spaniard, who has announced hisretirement from the World Rally Championship at the end of the year, has decided totry his hand at cross-country rallies, with his current WRC co-driver, the Galician Cándido Carrera, on his side.Note: Courtesy FIM communications and Baja Aragon official site.
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Sherco bike and factory support for just under Rs.3lac – #CrossCountryDreams
Bengaluru, 10 June 2022: Once again for 2022, Sherco is strengthening its commitment to the international enduro race which is one of the most important events of the year. Sherco is offering its loyal fans two possibilities to be able to participate in the 2022 ISDE of France. The two possibilities available to you are: the rental of a motorcycle from the SHERCO range and/or race with full Factory Assistance and Support, said a communication to INDIAinF1 from Sherco here on Thursday.
The motorcycles for rent will be 2023 models and can be 2 or 4 stroke. 2 strokes: 125 SE FACTORY, 250 SE FACTORY and 300 SE FACTORY
4 strokes: 250 SEF FACTORY, 300 SEF FACTORY AND 450 SEF FACTORY.
The rental price for the 2-stroke will be €2,640.
The rental price of the 4T will be €2,940. Included in the rental:- 2023 Models
- Transport costs of motorcycles to the ISDE event
- Motorcycle registration and insurance
- A race kit (T-shirt, pants, and gloves).
Deadline for motorcycle reservations: JUNE 30, 2022 The number of motorcycles for rent is limited and they will be allocated in order of arrival of the reservations.
For Details contact INDIAinF1@gmail.com or davidindia@gmail.com, you can also write directly to Sherco.
Factory Assistance and Support:
Access to Sherco equipment in the Paddock and checkpoints.
Technical and mechanical assistance on race days
Race information
Storage box for personal effects in the paddock.
Fuel for the race
Motul oils and all types of lubricants
Sherco original spare parts replacement service*
Use of tools for motorcycle repair
Catered food (drinks, snacks, fruit, etc.) in the paddock and at checkpoints
Filters to be changed every day
Technical assistance with the FIM rules and regulations
A race kit (T-shirt, pants, and gloves).
*Important Note: Consumed spare parts are not included in the price of the support service. The price of the spare parts will be that of the list price with a 50% discount.
Price of assistance: €1,350. Deadline for accessing assistance: July 15, 2022 -
Al Attiyah-Baumel take solid lead: Jordan Rally
Dead Sea (Jordan), 20 May 2022: Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah and Mathieu Baumel won each of the six gravel stages during the first leg of the 2022 Jordan Rally and held a lead of 6min 12.1sec at the end of the day.
Driving an Autotek Volkswagen Polo GTi, the Qatari was never troubled as he closes in on an 18th FIA Middle East Rally Championship title.
At the end of the leg, he said: “We controlled the race from the beginning. We know the stages very well and the performance was good. Jordan Rally is never easy. I tried to beat my times from last year and I did. I am happy. If you go more easy, you start to make mistakes. I had a good speed and a good rhythm.”
Alex Feghali managed to get the better of defending champion Meshari Al-Thefiri in the battle for honours in the MERC2 category. The Lebanese was third quickest on five specials and second on one with co-driver Joseph Matar and had edged into a showroom category lead of 59.4 seconds by the end of the day.
“It was good,” said Feghali. “I started the stages pretty fast and the pace was quick. We just kept the pace. We will go flat out in places we can go and will try and take the podium.”
Behind third-placed Al-Thefiri and his Qatari co-driver Nasser Al-Kuwari, the talented young Jordanian Shaker Jwihan was flying the flag proudly for the Hashemite Kingdom before retiring after an accident in the Jordan River stage.
Al-Thefiri said: “We had an electric issue in the second stage and this made us slow down. Alex had a big gap on the first loop and he was comfortable. Let’s see, we fix the car now and we see on Saturday. I have nothing to lose and I will push, push.”
Abdullah Al-Rawahi pursued Al-Attiyah from the start and the young Omani set the second fastest time on four of the stages with Jordanian navigator Ata Al-Hmoud before retiring from second overall on the re-run of the Jordan River special after an accident.
The carnage that ensued on the second loop meant that Khaled Juma and Tareq Al-Taher climbed to fourth place and third in MERC2 in their Mitsubishi. Hamada Odeh and Mohammed Al-Thefiri rounded off the top six, with MERC2 title rivals Ihab A-Shorafa and Issa Abu Jamous in an unofficial seventh and eighth overall.
Local driver Asef Aref failed to start the fourth stage in his Renault Clio RS entered in the MERC3 category for two-wheel drive vehicles.
Delays on stage three proved expensive for Qatar’s Nasser Khalifa Al-Atya and his Italian co-driver Giovanni Bernacchini. The former MERC runner-up slipped to 12th in the rankings in his Ford Fiesta R5, but the heat had taken its toll as well and he didn’t start the second loop of stages after suffering fatigue in the energy-sapping temperatures.
Friday – as it happened
Al-Attiyah hit the front through the opening Yakrut test and edged into a 9.9-second advantage over Al-Rawahi, with Feghali pipping Al-Thefiri for third and the early bragging rights in MERC2. Yousef Al-Dhafeeri was the only driver to lose considerable time; the Kuwaiti dropping over five minutes to his showroom category rivals.
The giant Jordan River stage of 40.79km was next on the agenda and surviving without technical issues was the goal for the majority of competitors. Al-Attiyah increased his lead over Al-Rawahi to 28 seconds with a time of 28min 29.4sec. Feghali extended his advantage over Al-Thefiri to 29.3 seconds in MERC2 and the impressive Shaker Jwihan moved into fifth overall.
Al-Attiyah safely completed the first loop with the fastest time through the Baptism Site special and headed back to service with a lead of 43.8 seconds over Al-Rawahi. Feghali increased his MERC2 lead to 48.3 seconds over Al-Thefiri. Al-Atya dropped six minutes in the special and slipped back to 1th overall, while Salamah Al-Ghammaz crashed out of the national event during the first loop and Bader Al-Fayez didn’t start SS3.
Al-Attiyah shaved 3.6 seconds off his first pass through Yakrut and increased his overall advantage to 53.4 seconds heading to the second run through the Jordan River special. He sliced 17 seconds off his morning’s run and headed to the Baptism Site with a commanding advantage of 5min 36.3sec over Feghali after Al-Rawahi hit trouble.
The stage also accounted for Shaker Jwihan and the Mitsubishi driver lost his place in the top five. Shadi Shaban also failed to set a time for the final stage after stopping at the scene of Jwihan’s accident. He did, however, complete stage six and his time for the day may well be decided by the event stewards.
Saturday
The first of two passes through the Bahath stage (12.69km) gets the action underway on Saturday morning. Competitors then tackle an 11.08km stage at Suwayma and the 17.00km of Ma’in 1, before returning to the service park before midday.
The three specials will then be repeated in the afternoon, while the podium finish is scheduled for 16.30hrs adjacent to the Dead Sea.
Support for this year’s event comes from Zain Jordan, Mountain Dew, the Guarantee Travel Group, Hala and Bliss FM.
2022 Jordan Rally – positions after SS6 (unofficial @ 16.40hrs):
1. Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah (QAT)/Mathieu Baumel (AND) Volkswagen Polo GTI 1hr 21min 13.0sec
2. Alex Feghali (LEB)/Joseph Matar (LEB) Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX 1hr 27min 25.1sec
3. Meshari Al-Thefiri (KWT)/Nasser Al-Kuwari (QAT) Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X 1hr 28min 24.5sec
4. Khalid Juma (JOR)/Tareq Al-Taher (JOR) Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X 1hr 34min 21.2sec
5. Hamada Odeh (PSE)/Yazan Juma (JOR) Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X 1hr 36min 13.7sec
6. Mohammed Al-Thefiri (KWT)/Suleiman Al-Helal (KWT) Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X` 1hr 40min 25.0sec
7. Ihab Al-Shorafa (JOR)/Yousef Juma (JOR) Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX 1hr 42min 06.0sec
8. Issa Abu Jamous (JOR)/Emad Juma (JOR) Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX 1hr 42min 16.2sec
9. Yousef Al-Dhafeeri (KWT)/Abdulrahman Shekakwe (JOR) Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X 2hr 23min 42.0sec
TBA. Shadi Shaban (JOR)/Samer Issa (JOR) Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX AWAITED
2022 Jordan National Rally – positions after SS6:
1. Khalid Juma (JOR)/Tareq Al-Taher (JOR) Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X 1hr 34min 21.2sec
2. Hamad Odeh (PSE)/Yazan Juma (JOR) Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X 1hr 36min 13.7sec
3. Sami Fleifel (JOR)/Ahmad Al-Khatib (JOR) Mitsubishi Lancer Evo V 1hr 39min 45.3sec
4. Yousef Al-Asmar (JOR)/Nabeel Kayyal (JOR) Subaru Impreza 1hr 40min 16.4sec
5. Ihab Al-Shorafa (JOR)/Yousef Juma (JOR) Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX 1hr 42min 06.0sec
6. Issa Abu Jamous (JOR)/Emad Juma (JOR) Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX 1hr 42min 16.2sec
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Nasser Al-Attiyah, Konrad extend thier lead: Qatar Baja
Losail (Qatar), 25 March 2022: Qatar’s Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah and Polish junior rider Konrad Dabrowski extended their leads in the car and motorcycle categories after the second section of a gruelling Qatar International Baja on Friday.
Al-Attiyah and French co-driver Mathieu Baumel started the day from 10th position on the road and quickly began to overtake their rivals to win stage two (122.73km). The latest Toyota GR DKR Hilux never missed a beat and the Qatari was able to shadow Toyota team-mate Yazeed Al-Rajhi to the finish of the second of the FIA’s two stages to extend his outright lead to 3min 52.6sec.
“It was a good run and we didn’t have any problems except for one flat tyre,” said Al-Attiyah. “For the second stage we didn’t really need to push because there were a lot of stones and we wanted to save everything for tomorrow. I am not surprised with the pace of Yazeed. Now we will try and do our best tomorrow.”
Al-Rajhi and co-driver Michael Orr opened the road for much of the second 124.86km stage, after passing Ahmed Al-Kuwari around 15km after the start, and their pace and performance was rewarded with the stage win and a comfortable second place in the rankings. Fellow Saudi Yasir Seaidan lost his way on several occasions in the third Toyota and held a distant third overall.
Al-Rajhi said: “It was a good day for us. First stage we were unlucky. We have a puncture after the start, after 10km, and I catch Yasir (Seaidan) and I follow for around 70km with the dust and more dust. We lost together, me and Yasir, in one place because we took a different road and then we see Nasser and we followed him. But we lost some time. On the second stage we push and Michael did a great job. Qatar is very difficult navigation and we did it very well to win the stage. We are not too far away but we need to push a little bit tomorrow.”
Dabrowski began the day with a lead of 1min 57.2sec in the motorcycle race and the Pole rode for much of the FIM’s 247.59km second stage with Emirati Mohammed Al-Balooshi and Great Britain’s Maki Rees-Stavros. The trio were close together in the desert up to the refuel and then the leading duo dropped the Briton after he made a navigational error and they continued their duel for supremacy.
Dabrowski began to edge away from his rival and eventually crossed the finish line 1min 26.7sec in front of the Emirati to lead the motorcycle category by 3min 23.9sec.
“I am quite happy and surprised at the same time,” admitted Dabrowski. “At the beginning of the stage I had a crash in the mud. I was surprised by a pile of mud on the ground. It looked the same everywhere. I had a few issues on the way and had to repair. The GPS fell off and my handlebars were bent. I even had to scroll the road book with my hand. Many stories today but, at the end, I managed to pull away from the guys and win again. Stavros wanted to lead and then he made a navigation mistake. I went my own and pulled away from Al-Balooshi and then ended up with the win.”
Second-placed Al-Balooshi said: “Very tough. Very difficult navigation. I caught Konrad at the beginning but I selected the wrong tyre set for Qatar. This was the only option available. When I caught Konrad, I stayed the first half of the stage together. For me, that was good enough to win. But we went behind the car tracks in the second half. There were a lot of tracks, he made a big gap and my tyres were worn out and I had no traction. Congratulations to him. Tomorrow, we will give it our all and see what we can do.”
Both Kuwait’s Abdullah Al-Shatti and Jordanian Abdullah Abu Aishah dropped out of contention and Qatar’s over-450cc class leader Abdulrahman Al-Sheeb and Dane Thomas Kongshøj rounded off the top five behind Rees-Stavros. Britain’s Robert Wallace, Qatar’s Sheikh Mohamed Al-Thani and Bahrain’s Salman Farhan hold sixth, seventh and eighth overall.
Andorra-based Ulsterman Kris Meeke sustained two flat tyres but praised his co-driver François Cazalet for guiding him to fourth in the car category and first in the T3 class for lightweight prototype machines.
“Actually enjoyed it,” said Meeke. “We had two punctures on the first stage and had to stop and change and that left us no spare wheels for the second one, so we really had to take it easy. It was tricky but we had to manage it. Top marks to François, my co-driver, he was on the money, clear and precise. It’s really tricky here. We picked the right roads but his instructions were very clear. I was following five or six cars on the second one so the bike tracks were not a distraction. I really enjoyed the day.”
Khalifa Saleh Al-Attiyah and Max Delfino came home in fifth overall and increased their lead in T4, despite two punctures for the brother of the Baja leader. Seventh-placed veteran Sadoon Al-Kuwari is the Qatari’s closest challenger in the T4 section after front suspension failure side-lined Camelia Liparoti’s Yamaha.
Dani Sordo’s desert debut in a Nasser Racing Can-Am was plagued by navigational delays. The WRC driver originally held sixth overall and second in T3 but he had missed three successive masked waypoints (15 minutes each) and a standard waypoint and was awarded 47 minutes in time penalties, pushing the Spaniard down to 14th place and eighth in T3.
“We are back, a long way back, we had a lot of problems,” said a clearly frustrated Sordo. “I just drive and follow. I am sorry but we were lost a lot.”
Ahmed Al-Kuwari opened the road this morning and avoided serious delays to hold sixth overall in his QMMF Team Can-Am, with team-mate Rashid Al-Muhannadi, Emirati Yasmeen Koloc and former FIA T2 World Champion Adel Abdulla rounding off the top 10 in their T3 machines.
Saudi Arabia’s Muneef Al-Shammeri (Nissan) topped the FIA T2 standings in 13th overall, while Abdulmajeed Al-Khulaifi held a comfortable lead in the FIM quad category. Qatar’s Abdullah Al-Khelaifi was the sole participant in the FIM SSV section.
Saudi Arabia’s Mishaal Al-Ghuneim snatched the stage win and the lead in the FIM National Baja from South Africa’s Jaco Anderson. Emirati rider Mohammed Meerza slipped to third place.
Al-Mashna and Hani Al-Shammeri were again fastest in the FIA National Baja and extended their lead to 11min 04.4sec.
Friday – as it happened
A strong wind greeted riders and drivers to their respective selective section starts, with the FIM category tackling the longer of the two sections (124.86km) to the west of Doha, while the cars crossed the slightly shorter 122.73km special. After a 20-minute neutralisation and refuel, riders headed straight into the second part, but the cars took a different route to their SS3 and started after a regrouping.
While the cars headed up the west coast, the bikes tackled a slightly more southerly stage through the western deserts to the east of Dukhan. Ahmed Al-Kuwari opened the road, ahead of Ahmad Al-Muhannadi and Adel Abdulla, with Sordo, Al-Rajhi, Meeke and Al-Attiyah running in sixth, eighth, ninth and 10th. The bikes started in the order in which they had finished the Qualifying Stage, with Dabrowski leading from Al-Balooshi and Rees-Stavros.
Khalifa Saleh Al-Attiyah and Abdulla lost some time early on with navigational errors, as overnight leader Al-Attiyah closed on the pack of Can-Ams ahead. The leading three bikes rode together through the early kilometres and dropped the chasing Al-Shatti and Abu Aishah, who were riding close together.
Al-Attiyah passed all his rivals except for Al-Kuwari and then was repassed by Al-Rajhi when he stopped for a short time with a puncture. But the Qatari was able to win the stage by 5min 14.8sec and led the rally by 5min 19.1sec. Meeke lost a little time midway through the special with a flat tyre of his own but recovered strongly to finish fourth overall, behind Seaidan, and managed to beat Sordo by 5min 06sec to take a T3 advantage of 5min 13.8sec into SS3.
Khalifa Saleh Al-Attiyah won the T4 special in his Can-Am, but Liparoti stopped with broken front left-suspension on the west coast, close to the beach at Dohat al Usanaid. Liparoti said: “I didn’t have an accident. The car felt out of control and then we stopped.”
Dabrowski, Al-Balooshi and Rees-Stavros rode together to the finish and entered a neutralisation section and the refuelling point before continuing on the track used by the cars in the morning.
Al-Rajhi and Al-Attiyah quickly overtook Ahmed Al-Kuwari to open the road on the third FIA stage and the pair caught the back-markers competing in the FIM National Baja. Seaidan lost further time searching for the correct track.
Dabrowski and Al-Balooshi dropped Rees-Savros and began to pull away after the latter made a navigational error. The Pole also edged clear of his Emirati rival but was forced to stop for a short time and the defending champion caught him again.
Despite opening the road, Al-Rajhi and Orr managed to snatch the stage win from Al-Attiyah and trim the Qatari’s advantage to 3min 52.6sec. Dabrowski also fended off Al-Balooshi to increase his advantage in the two-wheel category.
Saturday
Strong winds are forecast for the final day of the event and Baja officials will be hoping that doesn’t restrict the flying of safety helicopters.
All things being equal, both the FIM and FIA categories will tackle a stage of 200.39km towards the south of Qatar, with a liaison of 93.43km bringing the finishers back to the ceremonial podium at Lusail. The first bike will be into the stage at 08.15hrs, with the top car on track from 10.55hrs.
2022 Qatar International Baja – Positions after Friday (unofficial @ 15.55hrs):
FIA – Cars
1. Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah (QAT)/Mathieu Baumel (AND) Toyota GR DKR Hilux 2hr 21min 11.5sec
2. Yazeed Al-Rajhi (SAU)/Michael Orr (GBR) Toyota Hilux Overdrive 2hr 25min 04.1sec
3. Yasir Seaidan (SAU)/Laurent Lichtleuchter (FRA) Toyota Hilux Overdrive 2hr 48min 41.3sec
4. Kris Meeke (AND)/François Cazalet (FRA) Can-Am Maverick X3 (T3) 2hr 50min 40.6sec
5. Khalifa Saleh Al-Attiyah (QAT)/Max Delfino (FRA) Can-Am Maverick XRS (T4) 3hr 04min 01.7sec
6. Ahmed Al-Kuwari (QAT)/Manuel Lucchese (QAT) Can-Am Maverick X3 (T3) 3hr 12min 05.9sec
7. Sadoon Al-Kuwari (QAT)/Nasser Al-Kuwari (QAT) Can-Am Maverick XRS T4) 3hr 18min 34.5sec
8. Rashid Al-Muhannadi (QAT)/Szymon Gospodarczyk (POL) Can-Am Maverick XRS (T3) 3hr 21min 48.3sec
9. Yasmeen Koloc (ARE)/Stéphane Duplé (FRA) Can-Am Maverick DV21 (T3) 3hr 29min 23.6sec
10. Adel Abdulla (QAT)/Hugo Magalhães (PRT) Can-Am Maverick X3 (T3) 3hr 34min 38.8sec
11. Aliyyah Koloc (ARE)/Sebastien Delaunay (FRA) Can-Am Maverick DV21 (T3) 3hr 36min 35.6sec
12. Khalid Al-Muhannadi (QAT)/Edward Lines (GBR) Can-Am Maverick XRS (T3) 3hr 46min 53.1sec
13. Muneef Al-Shammeri (SAU)/Tamer Hijazeen (SAU) Nissan Patrol 3hr 55min 58.1sec
14. Dani Sordo (ESP)/Xavier Panseri (FRA) Can-Am Maverick X3 (T3) 3hr 56min 30.8sec
15. Hamad Al-Harbi (SAU)/Waleed Al-Shegawi (SAU) Can-Am Maverick X3 (T3) 3hr 57min 52.4sec
16. Ahmad Al-Muhannadi (QAT)/Mubarak Al-Khelaifi (QAT) Can-Am Maverick X3 (T3) 3hr 59min 54.2sec
Abdullah Al-Kuwari (QAT)/Marc Sola (ESP) Can-Am Maverick X3 (T3) DNF SS3 – mechanical
Camelia Liparoti (SMR)/Xavier Garcia (ESP) Yamaha YXZ 1000R (T4) DNF SS2 – suspension
FIM – Bikes
1. Konrad Dabrowski (POL) Husqvarna FR450 3hr 49min 04.5sec
2. Mohammed Al-Balooshi (ARE) Husqvarna FR450 3hr 52min 28.4sec
3. Maki Rees-Stavros (GBR) KTM 450 EXC-F 4hr 04min 36.1sec
4. Abdulrahman Al-Sheeb (QAT) Beta RR 4hr 20min 06.1sec
5. Thomas Kongshøj (DNK) Husqvarna FR450 4hr 36min 07.1sec
6. Robert Wallace (GBR) KTM 450 Rally 4hr 38min 03.5sec
7. Sheikh Mohamed Al-Thani (QAT) Beta RR 4hr 44min 03.0sec
8. Salman Farhan (BHR) Husqvarna FE450 4hr 45min 33.0sec
9. Abdulla Al-Shatti (KWT) KTM 450 Rally Replica 4hr 46min 11.0sec
10. Abdulhalim Al-Mogheera (SAU) KTM 450 4hr 54min 54.0sec, etc
FIM – Quads
1. Abdulmajeed Al-Khulaifi (SAU) Yamaha 700 CC 5hr 30min 02.9sec
2. Hani Al-Noumesi (SAU) Yamaha 6hr 34min 55.5sec
3. Emiel Stuckens (BEL) Can-Am DS450 6hr 54min 27.0sec
FIM – SSV
1. Abdullah Al-Khelaifi (QAT)/Abdulaziz Al-Jabri (QAT) Yamaha YXZ 1000RR TBA
2022 Qatar National Baja – Positions after Friday (Unofficial):
Cars
1. Al-Mashna Al-Shammeri (SAU)/Hani Al-Shammeri (SAU) Nissan Patrol 1hr 41min 14.7sec
2. Motab Saud Al-Shammeri (SAU)/Bader Al-Ajmi (SAU) Nissan Patrol 1hr 52min 19.1sec
3. Abdullah Al-Rabban (QAT)/Pedro Santos (PRT) Jeep 2hr 32min 27.8sec
4. Salem Al-Thefiri (KWT)/Firas Al-Thefiri (KWT) Nissan Patrol 3hr 00min 35.1sec
5. Dhari Al-Dhafeeri (KWT)/Saffah Al-Dhafeeri (KWT) Can-Am Maverick X3 4hr 15min 02.7sec
Bikes
1. Mishaal Al-Ghuneim (SAU) KTM 450 Rally 2hr 19min 52.4sec
2. Jaco Anderson (ZAF) KTM 500 EXC 2hr 24min 47.2sec
3. Mohammed Meerza (ARE) Husqvarna 2hr 41min 46.8sec
4. Bader Al-Bader (SAU) KTM EXC 500 2hr 41min 57.9sec
5. Ali Al-Ansari (QAT) KTM SXF 2hr 43min 06.1sec
6. Abdulrahman Al-Nasr (QAT) Yamaha 2hr 44min 03.1sec
7. Dom Arnoud (BEL) Suzuki LT-R450 2hr 45min 16.7sec, etc
Follow the race live:
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Qatar Baja gets underway with short qualies
LOSAIL (QATAR): The 2022 Qatar International Baja gets underway with a 9.20km Qualifying Stage on Thursday afternoon.
The outcome will determine the starting order for the first of two demanding selective sections on this second round of the FIM Bajas World Cup and round two of the FIA Middle East Cup for Cross-Country Bajas.
Many of the leading drivers were able to carry out a shakedown in the desert close to Losail on Wednesday afternoon. Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah, Yazeed Al-Rajhi and Yasir Seaidan dusted the cobwebs off their Toyota Hiluxes, with Al-Attiyah using the latest South African-built Toyota Gazoo Racing machine that won the Dakar Rally in January.
WRC star Dani Sordo and co-driver Xavier Panseri spent an enjoyable few hours with Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah, his brother Khalifa, Mathieu Baumel, François Cazalet and friends driving Al-Attiyah’s personal Can-Ams through the dunes near Sealine beach, south of Doha, on Tuesday.
Sordo was impressed after his first couple of days in Qatar. The Spaniard is competing in a Nasser Racing-entered Can-Am Maverick on his first desert rally this weekend.
He said: “Honestly, it was an amazing experience yesterday with Nasser and all his team. It was really good. First of all, in the dunes, it was a little bit tough. Not to drive, because I was not fast. But the feeling when you go up and down in the dunes. It was something really new for me. It was even more complicated than I thought.
“I drive before this kind of buggies but just for fun, not the Can-Am. But the car has a nice feeling when it is normal corners and it is really good. When you go to the dunes and the co-driver tells you, you need to go up, it’s different. Of course, you never do something for nothing. I would like to know this discipline and, in the future, I would like to do a little bit more, you know.”
Four-time Dakar winner Al-Attiyah said: “I say this is the last race before Ramadan. I am really happy to create teams for the next Dakar. Kris (Meeke) and Dani (Sordo) and my brother are the right people for the Nasser Racing Academy. We will have an extra two Can-Ams for female drivers. We also need to support them. I am quite happy to start with this project. It’s nice to see new people and new cars coming to compete.
“For me, I will do my best to get a good road position on the Qualifying Stage. The reason we are here in Qatar with Toyota is to continue the testing. This race was not in our programme. Kazakhstan was the plan but that race was cancelled. So we decided to come here and to test more things and get ready for the next race in Andalucia. I will also try and do some more testing before Andalucia.”
Kris Meeke arrived in Doha on Tuesday evening and will be taking part in his third event in Qatar, but this will be the Andorra-based Ulsterman’s first taste of Baja-style racing in the local desert.
He said: “I didn’t realise that I would be back in Qatar as quick, but Nasser called me last week and said there was an opportunity to do the Baja in T3 with a South Racing Can-Am. I thought, yes, why not. I’ve been here two times for the rally but the Baja is something different and something I would like to learn more. It’s more Dakar-orientated style of racing. I’m just excited to come again and try something new and a bit different. So many buggies here.”
“I have no idea really about the future. François (Cazalet) has been with the Red Bull Junior Team with the OT3. I called him last minute and he was able to come. Let’s see. I am working on some plans for the Dakar. But François has a seat with Cristina Gutierrez, so it’s just a one-off at the moment.”
Yasir Seaidan will drive the second of three Overdrive Racing-run Toyotas. The Saudi driver said: “I’ve been racing in Qatar already, maybe seven times. I started my first World Cup in T3 in 2012. It’s the most difficult rally for navigation and hard also for drivers, too much rocks and punctures. Drivers must be focused. It looks like you can drive fast but no – it’s very tricky!”
Meanwhile, the QMMF Team’s Rashid Al-Muhannadi confirmed that he had recruited the services of Szymon Gospodarczyk as his co-driver for the Baja. The Pole is better known as the regular navigator for fellow countryman Michal Goczal in the FIA World Rally-Raid Championship. Abdullah Al-Kuwari will be partnered by the Spanish off-road rider Marc Sola.
Six FIA drivers and four leading FIM bikers attended the pre-event press conference at the Losail International Circuit on Wednesday evening.
Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah, Ahmed Al-Kuwari and Sheikh Mohammed Al-Thani represented the host nation alongside Saudi Arabia’s Yazeed Al-Rajhi, the UAE’s Mohammed Al-Balooshi and Aliyyah Koloc, Kris Meeke, Dani Sordo, Jordanian Abdullah Abu Aishah, Polish junior rider Konrad Dabrowski and 2019 European Baja Champion Joanna Modrzewska.
The press conference took place in the presence of QMMF President Abdulrahman Al-Mannai and Executive Director Amro Al-Hamad.
Tomorrow (Thursday), riders will tackle a Qualifying Stage of 9.20km, with the first bike on stage from 15.00hrs. The time set will be multiplied by a co-efficient of four to encourage each rider to race competitively. The first of the FIA cars will start the special at 16.00hrs.
2022 Qatar International Baja – leading entries (updated March 23rd):
FIA – T1
200. Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah (QAT)/Mathieu Baumel (AND) Toyota GR DKR Hilux
201. Yazeed Al-Rajhi (SAU)/Michael Orr (GBR) Toyota Hilux Overdrive
202. Yasir Seaidan (SAU)/Laurent Lichtleuchter (FRA) Toyota Hilux Overdrive
204. Abdullah Al-Rabban (QAT)/Pedro Santos (PRT) Jeep
205. Khalid Al-Feraihi (SAU)/Ali Mirza (ARE) Nissan Pick-Up
FIA – T3
300. Saleh Al-Saif (SAU)/TBA Can-Am Maverick X3 RR
301. Ahmed Al-Kuwari (QAT)/Manuel Lucchese (QAT) Can-Am Maverick X3
302. Kris Meeke (AND)/François Cazalet (FRA) Can-Am Maverick X3
303. Dani Sordo (ESP)/Xavier Panseri (FRA) Can-Am Maverick X3
304. Aliyyah Koloc (ARE)/Sebastien Delaunay (FRA) Can-Am Maverick DV21
305. Ahmed Al-Muhannadi (QAT)/Mubarak Al-Khelaifi (QAT) Can-Am Maverick X3
FIA – T4
401. Camelia Liparoti (SMR)/Xavier Garcia (ESP) Yamaha YXZ 1000R
402. Khalifa Al-Attiyah (QAT)/Max Delfino (FRA) Can-Am Maverick XRS
403. Khalid Al-Muhannadi (QAT)/Nick Lines (NZL) Can-Am Maverick XRS
404. Rashid Al-Muhannadi (QAT)/Szymon Gospodarczyk (POL) Can-Am Maverick XRS
405. Sadoon Al-Kuwari (QAT)/Nasser Al-Kuwari (QAT) Can-Am Maverick XRS
FIM – Bikes
1. Mohammed Al-Balooshi (ARE) Husqvarna FR450
2. Konrad Dabrowski (POL) Husqvarna FR450
3. Abdulla Al-Shatti (KWT) KTM 450 Rally Replica
4. Thomas Kongshøj (DNK) Husqvarna FR450
5. Martin Chalmers (AUS) Yamaha WR 450F
6. Abdullah Abu Aishah (JOR) KTM 450 EXC-F
7. Robert Wallace (GBR) KTM 450 Rally Replica
8. Michael Anderson (RSA) KTM 450 EXC-F
9. Kurt Burroughs (GBR) KTM Rally
10. Alex McInnes (GBR) Husqvarna FE450
FIM – Quads
101. Emiel Stuckens (BEL) Can-Am DS450
102. Abdulmajeed Al-Khulaifi (SAU) Yamaha 700 CC
103. Hani Al-Noumesi (SAU) Yamaha
104. Faisal Al-Suwayh (SAU) Yamaha
105. Abdulaziz Al-Atawi (SAU) Yamaha YFZ 450
106. Sultan Al-Masoud (SAU) Yamaha YFZ 450
