Jordan Baja 2024: Jordan Baja starts at Arab Revolt Plaza in Red Sea city of Aqaba on thursday afternoon
National event and Wadi Al-Qamar Navigation Rally run in tandem with Baja
AQABA (JORDAN): The Jordan Baja gets underway with a short Prologue stage (13.50hrs) and the ceremonial start at the Arab Revolt Plaza in the Red Sea City of Aqaba from 16.45hrs on Thursday afternoon.
Nineteen crews and 16 riders competing for points in the FIA World and Middle East Baja Cups and the FIM Bajas World Cup will then tackle 522.43 competitive kilometres through the stunning desert terrain in nearby Wadi Rum on Friday and Saturday in a compact route of 749.30km.
Jordan Motorsport will also host a national event for 11 additional drivers and the exciting new Wadi Al-Qamar Navigation Rally, where 27 amateur crews will tackle a non-competitive desert route for the first time to gain first-hand experience of off-road driving, navigation and road book-reading techniques.
The South Racing Can-Am Team’s Fernando Alvarez starts with a five-point cushion over Portuguese rival and fellow Can-Am driver João Ferreira in the Drivers’ Championship. Their respective co-drivers Xavier Panseri and Filipe Palmeiro are separated by a similar margin in the quest to become the champion co-driver.
Santag Racing’s Ferreira said: “It is my first time here. It is amazing weather and an amazing landscape. I m really looking forward to the next few days. Obviously, we have to keep an eye on our main rivals for the championship. I will stay focused on my job. On Friday, I will see what Wadi Rum is like for the first time.”
Alvarez is all but assured of the SSV crown in the FIA World Baja Cup, but the top-seeded Czech driver Miroslav Zapletal is making a late bid to snatch the Ultimate class title from Ferreira, who has opted to enter a car in the SSV category for a second event in succession.
Spaniard Eduardo Pons still has a slim chance of claiming the overall title but the Nasser Racing Taurus T3 Max driver is more concerned with securing the prestigious Challenger crown. He leads Emirati Khalid Al-Jafla by just seven points with Alvarez’s South Racing team-mate Diego Martinez still in with a fighting chance in third.
Pons said: “We’re happy to be back. This is my second time here. Apart from my accident in the last race, I have great memories because it was a great combination of dunes, sand roads, stony roads and normal tracks where navigation was key. It’s an open desert in many parts but I am very excited to race again in this red desert. I think it’s the most amazing place in the world.”
Nine crews are chasing FIA World Baja Cup points with the other 10 targeting the FIA Middle East Baja Cup. Quaddy Racing’s Ahmed Al-Kuwari leads the series after two of four rounds by just seven points from Saudi Arabian rival Dania Akeel. The Qatari claimed maximum points in Saudi Arabia and Akeel redressed the balance a fortnight ago by winning the category in Qatar. Akeel has replaced her Toyota Hilux with a Can-Am Maverick on this occasion.
Saudi driver Majed Al-Thunayyan leads the Stock section for series production cross-country vehicles and the nature of the class-orientated championship means that the Nissan Patrol driver remains in contention for the overall title. The Saudi duo of Maha Al-Hamali and Hamad Al-Harbi are also within striking distance.
Adding weight to the category is the recently-crowned FIA Middle East and Jordanian national champion Abdulaziz Al-Kuwari. He drives one of three Taurus T3s entered by the Qatar Motor and Motorcycle Federation (QMMF) alongside Khalifa Saleh Al-Attiyah and Rashid Al-Muhannadi.
In the absence of the Portuguese duo of David Megre and Pedro Bianchi Prata, Emirati rider and top seed Mohammed Al-Balooshi has the perfect opportunity to extend his slender two-point lead in the FIM Bajas World Cup before the final round in Dubai at the end of the month.
The MX Ride Dubai racer heads a 16-strong field of bikes and quads that also includes Kuwait’s Abdullah Al-Shatti (Husqvarna), local rider Abdullah Abu Aisheh (GasGas), Lebanon’s Rafic Eid (GasGas), Saudi rider Abdulhalim Al-Mogheera (KTM) and Qatar-based Australian Martin Chalmers (GasGas).
Al-Balooshi said: “I’m very excited to be starting here. The terrain is really nice. It’s closer to some of the stages on the Dakar. I am hoping to increase the gap in the competition before Dubai. It has been two long weekends. Qatar was quite tough and then we went to Portugal, a bit of different terrain. The sun suits me and, hopefully, it translates into a win this weekend.”
The field is boosted by Al-Balooshi’s brother Sultan, Briton Steven Holt, Emirati Marwan Al-Rahmani and the Jordanian trio of Tia’at Al-Shishane, Hamza Al-Zawahreh and Abdullah Al-Batayneh.
Hani Al-Noumesi is the new leader of the quad category after his performance in Portugal last weekend and he heads a four-strong Saudi field against Yamaha-mounted rivals Haitham Al-Tuwaijri, Abdulaziz Al-Shayban and Abdulaziz Al-Atawi.
This year's event is supported by Zain Jordan, Jordan Kuwait Bank, Can-Am, Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority (ASEZA), Aqaba Development Corporation (ADC), Aqaba Cruise Terminal (part of AD Ports Group), Guarantee Travel Group, Hala and Bliss FM.
2024 Jordan Baja – entry list:
Cars
200. Miroslav Zapletal (CZE)/Marek Sýkora (SVK) Ford F-150 Evo*
300. Hamad Al-Harbi (SAU)/Aleksei Kuzmich (ARE) Can-Am Maverick X3+
300. Eduardo Pons (ESP)/Jaume Betriu (ESP) Taurus T3 Max*
302. Khalid Al-Jafla (ARE)/Andrei Rudnitski (LTU) Taurus T3 Max*
303. Diego Martinez (ARG)/Sergio Lafuente (URY) Can-Am Maverick X3*
304. Maha Al-Hameli (SAU)/Oriol Mena (ESP) Can-Am Maverick X3+
305. Abdulaziz Al-Kuwari (QAT)/Nasser Al-Kuwari (QAT) Taurus T3 Max+
306. Khalifa Al-Attiya (QAT)/Enio Bozzano (BRA) Taurus T3 Max+
307. Rashid Al-Muhannadi (QAT)/Szymon Gospodarczyk (POL) Taurus T3 Max+
400. João Ferreira (PRT)/Filipe Palmeiro (PRT) Can-Am Maverick XRS Turbo RR*
401. Fernando Alvarez (ARG)/Xavier Panseri (FRA) Can-Am Maverick XRS Turbo RR*
402. Amerigo Ventura (ITA)/Erika Mingozzi (ITA) Yamaha YXZ 1000R*
403. João Dias (PRT)/Gonçalo Reis (PRT) Can-Am Maverick XRS Turbo RR*
404. Ahmed Al-Kuwari (QAT)/Augusto Sanz (ARG) Yamaha YXZ 1000R Short Shift+
405. Dania Akeel (SAU)/Sébastien Delaunay (FRA) Can-Am Maverick XRS Turbo RR +
406. Ibrahim Al-Muhanna (SAU)/Faisal Al-Suwayh (SAU) Can-Am Maverick XRS Turbo RR*
500. Majed Al-Thunayyan (SAU)/Fahad Al-Sufyani (SAU) Nissan Patrol+
501. Abdullah Al-Rabban (QAT)/Ali Hassan Obaid (ARE) Nissan Patrol+
502. Mohammed Al-Meer (QAT)/Alexsey Mun (KAZ) Nissan Patrol+
*denotes registered for the FIA World Baja Cup
+ denotes registered for the FIA Middle East Baja Cup
Bikes
1. Mohammed Al-Balooshi (ARE) Yamaha YF450-F
2. Abdullah Al-Shatti (KWT) Husqvarna 450
3. Rafic Eid (LBN) GasGas HX450-F
4. Abdulhalim Al-Mogheera (SAU) KTM Rally Bike
5. Abdullah Abu Aisheh (JOR) GasGas 450
6. Martin Chalmers (AUS) GasGas Rally Replica
7. Sultan Al-Balooshi (ARE) Husqvarna 450
8. Steven Holt (GBR) Honda CRF 450X
9. Marwan Al-Rahmani (ARE) KTM 450RR
10. Tla’at Al-Shishane (JOR) Yamaha WR-450F
11. Hamza Al-Zawahreh (JOR) Yamaha WR-450F
12. Abdullah Al-Batayneh (JOR) Honda CRF 450R
Quads:
100. Haitham Al-Tuwaijri (SAU) Yamaha Raptor 700
101. Abdulaziz Al-Shayban (SAU) Yamaha Raptor 700
102. Hani Al-Noumesi (SAU) Yamaha Raptor 700
103. Abdulaziz Al-Atawi (SAU) Yamaha Raptor 700
Source: Jordan Motorsport / Jordan Baja
