Your basket is currently empty!
Tag: World Cup Baja
-
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.
-
Al-Attiyah, Meeke and Ostberg head for gripping showdown
Losail (Qatar), 9 Feb. 2022: Eight RC2/Rally2 cars will compete for glory in this weekend’s Qatar International Rally – a record number for a round of the FIA Middle East Rally Championship – and Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah faces his fiercest ever test if he is to secure a 16th career success on his home rally.
Cars will be flagged off from the ceremonial start at the Losail Circuit from 19.30hrs on Thursday evening, as the international focus is drawn to what is likely to be a pulsating three-way battle between Al-Attiyah and his visiting WRC rivals, Kris Meeke and Mads Østberg, the latter competing in the southern Gulf region for the first time.
Add in the Qatari trio of Abdulaziz Al-Kuwari, Khaled Al-Suwaidi and Nasser Khalifa Al-Atya and the formidable Omani duo of Hamed Al-Wahaibi and Abdullah Al-Rawahi and the scene is set for an eight-way tussle for outright supremacy over a dozen gravel special stages on Friday and Saturday.
Škoda has strength in numbers with six Fabia R2 evos at the front of the field ready to do battle with Al-Attiyah’s Volkswagen Polo GTI and Al-Atya’s Ford Fiesta R5.
“It’s going to be a very interesting weekend and Mathieu and I are excited for it, focused and ready to go,” said Al-Attiyah. “The stages look great. They need to be respected as always. It’s easy to throw away time here by taking risks. We need to manage our pace where possible.”
Østberg added: “This is a completely new challenge for me with the desert rallies. I am ready. Two days of testing is done, the team and car is working well and Ilka (Minor) is doing a perfect job for me.”
Al-Attiyah is bidding for a record-breaking 18th MERC title and arrives at the start in Qatar with an eight-point lead in the series after his recent seventh win in Oman.
Al-Atya is his closest rival and Oman’s Abdullah Al-Rawahi is equal third in the series, 15 points adrift of Al-Attiyah after finishing seventh in Oman. Al-Wahaibi was sixth overall on his home event but is not registered for the regional series this year.
Al-Attiyah’s co-driver Mathieu Baumel will be starting from scratch in his bid for another title after missing out on the Oman Rally because of personal reasons.
Five drivers will be embroiled in their very own battle for MERC2 glory. Jordan’s Ihab Al-Shorafa holds an eight-point lead over Issa Abu Jamous, following his recent win in Oman, but the two Jordanians face the defending category champion, Meshari Al-Thefiri, on this occasion.
The Kuwaiti will compete in Qatar in a Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X before jetting off to next weekend’s Jordan Baja. He again teams up with Qatar’s Nasser Al-Kuwari in a bid to kick-start the defence of his title.
Qatar’s Mohammed Al-Attiyah and German female driver Edith Weiss will also compete in MERC2, the Qatari teaming up with experienced Cypriot co-driver Savvas Laos.
Former MERC3 winner Henry Kahy teams up with fellow Lebanese Carlos Hanna to head a three-car field in the Qatar National Rally. Like Kahy, Qatar’s Ahmed Allouh and Ahmad Al-Mohannadi will drive T3 lightweight prototype versions of the Can-Am Maverick X3 that are not eligible for the main FIA rally.
Tomorrow (Thursday), is a hectic and varied day for competitors, starting with scrutineering checks at the Losail Circuit from 07.00hrs to noon. After a driver’s briefing by rally officials, teams will be able to practice at rally speeds over a nearby shakedown stage between 14.30hrs and 16.30hrs.
Leading drivers will then attend the official pre-event press conference from 18.45hrs and the ceremonial start is scheduled for 19.30hrs at the Losail Circuit.
2022 Qatar International Rally – entry list:
1. Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah (QAT)/Mathieu Baumel (FRA) Volkswagen Polo GTI
2. Kris Meeke (AND)/Chris Patterson (IRL) Škoda Fabia R2 evo
3. Mads Østberg (NOR)/Ilka Minor (AUT) Škoda Fabia R2 evo
4. Abdulaziz Al-Kuwari (QAT)/Dale Moscatt (AUS) Škoda Fabia R2 evo
5. Abdullah Al-Rawahi (OMN)/Ata Al-Hmoud (JOR) Škoda Fabia R2 evo
6. Nasser Khalifa Al-Atya (QAT)/Ziad Chehab (LEB) Ford Fiesta R5
7. Meshari Al-Thefiri (KWT)/Nasser Al-Kuwari (QAT) Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X
9. Khaled Al-Suwaidi (QAT)/Hugo Magalhães (PRT) Škoda Fabia R2 evo
10. Hamed Al-Wahaibi (OMN)/Tony Sircombe (NZL) Škoda Fabia R2 evo
11. Ihab Al-Shorafa (JOR)/Yousef Juma (JOR) Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX
12. Issa Abu Jamous (JOR)/Emad Juma (JOR) Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX
14. Mohammed Al-Attiyah (QAT)/Savvas Laos (CYP) Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X
15. Zakariya Al-Aamri (OMN)/Mohammed Al-Aamri (OMN) Subaru Impreza
16. Edith Weiss (QAT)/Serena Mattivi (ITA) Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X
2022 Qatar National Rally – entry list:
51. Henry Kahy (LEB)/Carlos Hanna (LEB) Can-Am Maverick X3 (T3)
52. Ahmed Allouh (QAT)/Fares Allouh (QAT) Can-Am Maverick X3 (T3)
53. Ahmad Al-Mohannadi (QAT)/Mubarak Al-Khelaifi (QAT) Can-Am Maverick X3 (T3)
2022 FIA Middle East Rally Championship – standings after round 1:
Drivers:
1. Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah (QAT) 39pts
2. Nasser Khalifa Al-Atya (QAT) 31pts
3. Ihab Al-Shorafa (JOR) 24pts
3. Abdullah Al-Rawahi (OMN) 24pts
5. Issa Abu Jamous (JOR) 20pts
6. Zakariya Al-Aamri (OMN) 3pts
Co-drivers:
1. Alba Sanchéz Gonzaléz (ESP) 39pts
2. Giovanni Bernacchini (ITA) 31pts
3. Yousef Juma (JOR) 24pts
3. Ata Al-Hmoud (JOR) 24pts
5. Emad Juma (JOR) 20pts
6. Mohammed Al-Aamri (OMN) 3pts
MERC2:
1. Ihab Al-Shorafa (JOR) 39pts
2. Issa Abu Jamous (JOR) 31pts
3. Zakariya Al-Aamri (OMN) 5pts
-
Al-Balooshi retains his bike title; Yasir Seaidan wins again
Aqaba (Jordan), 20 March 2021: Saudi Arabia’s Yasir Seaidan took full advantage of his starting position for the final stage to snatch victory away from Dutch rival Erik van Loon at the Jordan Baja.
A second outright win in the space of three weeks for the Mini John Cooper Works Rally driver also means that he extends his early season advantage in the Drivers’ Championship of the 2021 FIA World Cup for Cross-Country Bajas, before the series heads into a three-month break before five European rounds between July and October.
Teams tackled a 235.82km stage through Wadi Rum and the surrounding deserts on the final morning and Van Loon set out to defend a 26-second lead, despite running first on the road and having the added burden of opening the track in terms of navigation. Rival Seaidan took full advantage and managed to close in on the Dutchman as the stage progressed and overhauled the Toyota Hilux driver to secure the win by 5min 24sec.
“It was not easy but our performance became better than yesterday,” said the Saudi, who was partnered by Alexey Kuzmich. “We tried to be more safe today. Unfortunately, after 50km, we get a slow puncture and decided to continue to see what happened.
“We are glad that we finished without changing the tyre. We overtook Van Loon after 54km and we continued in front of him. Then we made a mistake and he overtook us and then we came back again to him and we continued in front of him to the finish. I am leading the championship with two wins. I hope I keep it like this until we finish the season.”
“It was a tough day,” said Van Loon. “At the beginning it looked nice. We had to open and you cannot do the same speed as when you follow a car. No punctures and we drive safe to the finish but the last part of the stage was not nice, only stones and twisty and second gear. When we came here, I was delighted to come on to the podium and we are happy with second.”
Ronan Chabot was never troubled in the second of the Toyotas and the Frenchman and fellow countryman Gilles Pillot cruised to the finish in third place. “It was a good stage, no puncture, quite beautiful country. We enjoyed it.”
Saleh Al-Saif stormed into contention for the FIA T4 Championship with victory in his Can-Am Maverick X3. The Saudi had done all the hard work to gain a good lead on the first day and he stayed clear of trouble through the closing kilometres to seal the win.
“We had a comfortable margin thanks to yesterday’s result,” said the Saudi. “We benefited from it today, as we did not push much. The layout is great. I thank Jordan Motorsport for the route and the precise road book.”
Kuwait’s Meshari Al-Thefiri continued his title bid with second in T4 and fifth overall, Dubai-based Briton Thomas Bell came home in sixth and French veteran Claude Fournier maintained a reduced championship lead after finishing fourth in T4 and seventh overall.
The fastest T4 time on the final day fell to Khalifa Saleh Al-Attiyah, but fuel issues had ruined the Qatari’s chance of challenging for the win on Friday. He finished fifth in T4.
Saudi female driver Dania Akeel completed her second international event, with French navigator Stéphane Duplé on this occasion, and moved into a clear lead in the FIA T3 championship standings. She finished eighth overall.
Various time penalties were imposed on several drivers and riders before the restart. They did not affect the overall standings in the FIA category but cost Abdullah Abu Aisheh more time in his duel with Mohammed Al-Balooshi in the motorcycle section and the local rider began the final day trailing by 5min 24sec.
The duo rode together for much of the final stage and Al-Balooshi held on to secure the win on two wheels by 3min 47sec, but that was increased to 18min 47sec when his rival was handed a 15-minute penalty. The young Jordanian he has been coaching in the UAE confirmed second place and Saudi Arabia’s Abdulhalim Al-Mogheera finished a distant third on this second round of the 2021 FIM Bajas World Cup.
“It was a very tough stage, but I was leading by eight minutes and I just took it easy,” said Al-Balooshi. “I was tired from yesterday. I guess I am still recovering from January’s Covid. I am not 100%. I thought I was. I stayed behind Abdullah. He did a great job and we rode together. I could not ask for a better result. If he had not had the penalty, I would have had to attack a bit more. This was much more difficult that my last win here (2019).”
Runner-up Abu Aisheh added: “Today was a very hard stage, all rocks and gravel and no dunes or soft sand, only at the start for 40km. We did good, me and Balooshi, because he is my coach and my big brother. I was pushing all I have.”
Amit Sadot and Talat Al-Shishane rounded off the top five. Local rider Zaid Jaber failed to restart after sustaining a back injury on Friday.
Yamaha’s Faisal Al-Suwayh moved ahead of Hani Al-Noumesi to seal the quad victory. Haitham Al-Tuwayjri failed to restart after his fuel feed issues on the opening day.
The Saudi Arabian crew of Hamed Harbi and Waleed Al-Shegawi cruised to an emphatic win in the Jordan National Baja.
This year’s Jordan Baja was organised by Jordan Motorsport and received support from sponsor Zain, the telecommunications provider.
Jordan Baja – standings after leg 2:
FIA
1. Yasir Seaidan (SAU)/Alexey Kuzmich (RAF) Mini John Cooper World Rally -6hr 37min 51sec; 2. Erik van Loon (NLD)/Sébastien Delaunay (FRA) Toyota Hilux Overdrive – 6hr 43min 15sec; 3. Ronan Chabot (FRA)/Gilles Pillot (FRA) Toyota Hilux Overdrive -6hr 54min 31sec; 4. Saleh Al-Saif (SAU)/Oriol Vidal (ESP) Can-Am Maverick X3 (T4)- 7hr 28min 11sec; 5. Meshari Al-Thefiri (KUW)/Nasser Al-Kuwari (QAT) Can-Am Maverick X3 (T4)- 8hr 08min 35sec;6. Thomas Bell (GBR)/Armand Monleón (ESP) Can-Am Maverick X3 (T4)- 8hr 09min 00sec; 7. Claude Fournier (FRA)/Szymon Gospodarczyk (POL) Can-Am Maverick X3 (T4) – 8hr 33min 48sec; 8. Dania Akeel (SAU)/Stéphane Duplé (FRA) Can-Am Maverick X3 (T3) – 12hr 45min 20sec; 9. Khalifa Saleh Al-Attiyah (QAT)/Xavier Panseri (FRA) Can-Am Maverick X3 (T4) – 32hr 53min 42sec
Bikes
1. Mohammed Al-Balooshi (ARE) Husqvarna 450 – 9hr 47min 02sec;
2. Abdullah Abu Aisheh (JOR) KTM 450 Rally Replica – 10hr 05min 49sec;
3. Abdulahim Al-Mogheera (SAU) KTM EXC F450- 10hr 58min 46sec
4. Amit Sadot (ISR) KTM – 11hr 18min 45sec;
5. Talat Al-Shishane (JOR) KTM EXC 500 Enduro – 12hr 02min 25sec;
6. Paulo Olivera (MOZ) Husqvarna 450 – 12hr 36min 08sec
7. Rotem Costa (ISR) KTM FR Rally Replica – 23hr 22min 40sec
8. Salman Farhan (BRN) Husqvarna FE450 – 31hr 15min 00sec
9. Sarah Khuraibet (KUW) Yamaha WRF 450 F – 56hr 43min 00sec
10. Mohammed Al-Khater (SAU) KTM EXC – 500 – 63hr 06min 44sec
Quads
1. Faisal Al-Suwayh (SAU) Yamaha YFZ 450R – 67hr 28min 00sec
2. Hani Al-Noumesi (SAU) Yamaha Raptor 700- R – 80hr 50min 10sec.
-
Aishwarya Pissay excited as she prepares for Jordan Baja
Aqaba (Jordan), 17 March 2021: Indian star cross-country rally rider Aishwarya Pissay will take part in the FIM Bajas World Cup Round 2 that is being run along with the Jordan Baja which gets underway in Aqaba on Thursday evening. That will see Jordan Motorsport host its first international motor sporting event since September 2019.
TVS Racing-backed Aishwarya Pissay, who bagged a second place in her class in Round 1, had settled for a third place in the Ladies section at Dubai. With the regulations pooling all classes together for WC rankings, Aishwarya will get points only for her third place in the Ladies Class. However, this year, the riders have the liberty to chose the best two rounds they have taken part in the year’s 10 rounds, to qualify for the final round. The Bengaluru-based Aishwarya stayed back in Dubai for training for the Jordan Baja, after her podium finish at the opening World Cup round, the Dubai Baja.
Two female riders will line up against 13 male rivals in the motorcycle category: India’s Aishwarya Pissay and Kuwait’s Sarah Khuraibet will duel for FIM Women’s category glory on their respective Huqsvarna and Yamaha.
Bangalore-based Pissay, 25, hopes to challenge for the title in 2021 and retain her 2019 crown. The Bengaluru rider was the first Indian athlete to win a world title on a motorcycle, the FIM Bajas Women’s Championship 2019, and has already secured seven combined national titles in circuit racing and rallying. Her last National title, the 2w Indian National Rally Championship came on Jan 31, at Hampi last month.
“I’m excited about the second round of the FIM World Baja Rally Cup,” said TVS Racing-backed Pissay. “This will be my first time racing in Jordan. I’m going in with a positive mindset and hoping for a good finish without any technical difficulties.”
Three Jordanian riders will be hoping to challenge their international rivals for success in this weekend’s Jordan Baja, the new second round of the FIM Bajas World Cup.
Talented young rider Abdullah Abu Aisheh is seeded at two behind Abu Dhabi’s Mohammed Al-Balooshi and has a superb chance of giving the Hashemite Kingdom a second outright victory in the Baja: Ata Al-Hmoud won the inaugural event on a Beta 390 when it ran as a candidate round for the FIA series in 2018.
Abu Aisheh is the national champion and trained in Dubai with Al-Balooshi before taking part in some desert races. He won the MX2 class in the Dubai Endurocross Championship and finished fourth overall in last month’s Dubai International Baja.
“I’m very excited to race the second round of the FIM Bajas World Cup in my home country,” said Abu Aishah. “The terrain is fantastic and the route should be fast. Wadi Rum is one of the highly known tourist attractions in Jordan and what makes it a great setting for the Baja is the diverse and dynamic terrain.
“It changes very quickly from sand to rocky sections to dunes. It makes the Baja a fast and technical route. What makes it even better is the breathtaking landscape, so we get to race and enjoy a great view. I will participate with my KTM Rally Replica and I’m aiming for the win. It should be a very challenging race, but I’m confident in my abilities to achieve the result I have in mind. I look forward to it!”
Zaid Jaber and Tal’at Al-Shishane also ride a pair of KTMs and represent the host nation. Twenty-one-year-old Jaber is taking part in his first Baja. He started riding motorcycles when he was only five under the influence of his father Ammar.
“I started riding professionally a year ago,” said Jaber. “My goal is the 2024 or 2025 Dakar. I came here for training with Mohammed Al-Balooshi. I wanted to race in the first round of the World Cup, but I dislocated my shoulder during training for the Dubai Baja. I watched the race in the Al-Qudra desert and learned a lot. I realised that the time is important, but the rules are even more important and if you don’t do any mistakes you have a big chance to win. I’m still in recovery, but was back to riding one week ago.”
Two Jordanian crews are also aiming for the podium in a National Baja that runs behind the main event and includes a shorter second day’s action in the deserts to the north of Aqaba. Haitham and Saif Al-Abbadi and Ghaith Qubti and Moath Al-Arja have entered a pair of T2 Range Rovers and will compete against three Palestinian crews and competitors from Saudi Arabia.
Dania Akeel finished eighth in her rallying debut at the Sharqiyah International Baja two weeks ago and the Saudi girl will be tackling her first event outside Saudi Arabia with French navigator Stéphane Duplé.
Akeel is part of the new SHERO Rally Team by Duust and has entered the event in a Can-Am Maverick X3 in the FIA T3 section. She had been looking forward to competing against fellow Saudi female Mashael Al-Obaidan, but her Jordanian navigator Musa Djierian confirmed on Monday morning that unseen issues had forced them to withdraw their Can-Am entry.
Akeel will now compete in T3 against fellow Saudi driver Ibrahim Bin Salamah and his co-driver Adel Al-Muhaia.
Restrictions on travel have forced the Argentine duo of Orlando Terranova and Franco Caimi to withdraw their entry. Terranova competed in Jordan in 2019 and finished second overall in his quest for FIA Baja Drivers’ Championship honours. The Mendoza driver lists the Jordan Baja as one of his favourite events and vows to return next year to tackle the unique desert stages in Wadi Rum.
The Jordan Baja gets underway with a ceremonial start in Aqaba from 19.39hrs on Thursday evening.
Competitors will then tackle two challenging sections of 210.72km and 112.9km on Friday, March 19th and a further 236.06km through the deserts to the north of Aqaba on Saturday, March 20th.
