What looked like a long shot on Saturday morning became a statement victory by Sunday afternoon. Nasser Al-Attiyah produced a decisive performance in the final stage of the Saudi Baja, overturning a 2:24-minute deficit to secure overall victory by 42 seconds.
The Qatari driver dominated the last selective section, beating Yazeed Al-Rajhi by more than three minutes, a result that completely reshaped the classification. It was a win loaded with significance: Al-Attiyah’s first competitive outing with the two-wheel-drive MD Sport Optimus Evo 5, and his first event alongside navigator Max Delfino.
After opening the stage the day before — a task that cost time and tyre wear — Al-Attiyah changed approach. The final day was about pressure, precision and control. The outcome proved a point many doubted: victory at this level is possible without four-wheel drive.
For Yazeed Al-Rajhi, second place overall came with mixed emotions. He extracted everything possible from his run but had no response to Al-Attiyah’s late charge. However, with the Qatari registered only for the Middle East Cup, Al-Rajhi walked away with maximum points towards the FIA World Baja Cup.
The Saudi acknowledged the decisive role played by the two-wheel-drive car and hinted at a different technical approach for future encounters.
Dania Akeel completed the overall podium in third position. Although she finished over 14 minutes behind the winner, her pace was sufficient to maintain a comfortable margin of more than two minutes over Francisco Barreto, ensuring a controlled and untroubled result.
After a frustrating Friday filled with mechanical issues, Erik van Loon finally showed his true pace on the final day. With all problems resolved — from injectors to suspension — and with flawless navigation from Wouter Rosegaar, the Dutch driver claimed victory in the last stage by just seven seconds over Mansour Al Helei.
That performance propelled Van Loon from fifth to third overall, marking a strong opening round in the FIA World Cup for Cross-Country Bajas and an encouraging start to his title campaign.
In the SSV category, Fernando Alvarez delivered a commanding drive to take overall class victory with a 2:34-minute advantage over Al Helei. The Argentinian leaves Saudi Arabia as the early championship leader, crediting a faultless car and a problem-free weekend.
Anja van Loon and Christiaan van der Rijsen also recovered strongly on the final day, finishing seventh in class. For Van der Rijsen, the rally marked his debut in cross-country competition.
The Challenger class was firmly under the control of Yasir Seaidan, who won both competitive stages after the prologue and finished sixth overall, ahead of all SSV and Stock competitors.
Hamed Al Wahaibi followed in second, 5:38 minutes behind, with Abdulaziz Al-Kuwari completing the podium. In championship terms, Al Wahaibi claimed the FIA World Baja Cup points, while Seaidan secured victory in the Middle East Cup, managing a minor rear differential issue without jeopardising the result.
The motorcycle category saw total domination from Alex McInnes. The British rider topped the prologue, won both stages and finished with a margin of more than 34 minutes over Mohammed Al-Balooshi. It marked McInnes’ second consecutive victory in Hail, following last year’s success on Husqvarna — this time aboard a KTM.
The fight for third was far closer, with Mohammed Al-Balooshi holding off his brother Sultan by 27 seconds, while Abdulhalim Al-Mogeera secured fourth after a strong final stage.
