South Racing Can-Ams seal top three places in T3 and top two positions in T4

The South Racing Can-Am Team enjoyed another superb weekend of successes at  the weather-shortened Qatar International Baja, round two of the FIA Middle East Cup for Cross-Country Bajas.   
South Racing were involved in the running of 10 Can-Ams on the Qatar event. Six machines were entered under the QMMF Team banner with a further three by the Nasser Racing Academy and a 10^th machine for Qatari veteran Sadoon Al-Kuwari. 
Violent winds and shifting sands forced rally officials to cancel the final day’s competitive action and the final results stood as at the end of Friday’s action.

WRC star Kris Meeke teamed up with French co-driver François Cazalet for the first time and the Andorra-based Ulsterman reached the ceremonial finish in Lusail in fourth place in the overall rankings behind a trio of T1 Toyotas and first in the T3 category for lightweight prototype machines.

“I actually really enjoyed this new discipline,” said Meeke, who had tackled the Dakar Rally before on one occasion. “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 (stage), 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 Baja.”

Khalifa Saleh Al-Attiyah teamed up with Frenchman Max Delfino in the second of the Nasser Racing-entered Can-Ams. Despite incurring 12 minutes of time penalties for missing route waypoints on Friday, the Qatari reached the finish in sixth overall and won the T4 category. The father and son crew of Sadoon and Nasser Al-Kuwari were second in the category, one place behind in the general classification.

Meeke’s former team-mate and current WRC star Dani Sordo joined forces with Frenchman Xavier Panseri in the third of the Nasser Racing Mavericks. He set some competitive pace on his first ever Baja-style event, but a succession of missed waypoints cost the Spaniard dearly and 47 minutes of time penalties pushed him down to 13^th overall and eighth in T3.

Ahmed Al-Kuwari and Manuel Lucchese opened the road on the first day in the desert and overcame minor navigational issues and punctures to finish in a fine fifth overall and second in T3 in their QMMF Team Can-Am.

Rashid Al-Muhannadi teamed up with Michal Goczal’s usual co-driver Szymon Gospodarczyk to finish eighth overall and third in T3. Former FIA World Cup T2 champion Adel Abdulla returned to action alongside Portugal’s Hugo Magalhães, the Portuguese being a last-minute replacement co-driver for Spain’s Marc Serra. The Qatari guided his QMMF Team car to 10^th place and fifth in T3.

The QMMF Team’s Khalid Al-Muhannadi recruited the services of biker Edward Lines to finish 12^th overall and seventh in T3, while his cousin Ahmad Al-Muhannadi lined up with Mubarak Al-Khelaifi to finish 16^th and 10^th in T3.

Abdullah Al-Kuwari teamed up with Spanish off-road biker Marc Sola as his co-driver. The pair suffered serious tyre issues on the first day that dropped them to 17^th in the general classification and the fatigued Qatari decided not to restart on Saturday.

South Racing Can-Am Team’s managing director Scott Abraham said: “Another great Qatar Baja. It was great to be back here after a small hiatus. The terrain in Qatar has always proved to be challenging for man and machine. It was a great stage yesterday for the team. Congratulations to Kris and François for winning T3 and it was a great return to form for Khalifa with Max to win T4. We had a clean sweep of the podium in T3. On the T4 side there was a nice return for Sadoon Al-Kuwari, together with his son, on his return to racing for the first time in many years. It’s great to see families getting back involved in the sport again. The development programme with the QMMF was a great initiative and, hopefully, we can continue to drive similar programmes like this across the region in the future to build cross-country championship events in the Middle East.

Competitors began the compact three-day event with a run through a 9.20km Qualifying Stage on Thursday afternoon. Meeke and Sordo had never driven a Can-Am in competition before, although Meeke had tackled one Dakar and Sordo saw the dunes in the south of Qatar for the first time two days before the start.

It hardly mattered and the duo showed their WRC pedigree to set the third and fifth quickest times and earn first and second in T3. Khalifa Saleh Al-Attiyah came home in sixth and first in T4 in the thrd of the Nasser Racing-entered Can-Ams, the brother of four-time Dakar winner Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah, easing ahead of veteran Sadoon Al-Kuwari in the T4 tussle.

There were strong performances for the Qatari quartet of Khalid and Ahmad Al-Muhannadi, Adel Abdulla and Ahmed Al-Kuwari, who came home in third, fourth, fifth and sixth in T3 in their South Racing-built QMMF Team Can-Ams.

Crews tackled two selective sections of 122.73km and 124.86km the following morning.

Meeke sustained two flat tyres but praised co-driver François Cazalet for guiding him to fourth in the car category and first in the T3 class for lightweight prototype machines. Al-Attiyah came home in sixth and increased his T4 lead, despite two punctures. Seventh-placed Sadoon Al-Kuwari was Al-Attiyah’s closest challenger in T4.

Sordo’s desert debut 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 13^th 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 in the morning and avoided serious delays to hold fifth overall, with Rashid Al-Muhannadi and former FIA T2 World Champion Adel Abdulla holding eighth and 10^th in the general classification. Tyre issues cost Abdulla Al-Kuwari a lot of time.  

The wind intensified on Saturday morning and conditions began to deteriorate in the western deserts. Race officials moved the start of the car stage to PC1, but it was to no avail. There was no respite in the powerful north-westerly winds and the decision was taken to cancel the stage, with results standings after Friday’s two timed sections.

With the FIA regulations stating that a certain percentage of the event had to be covered before full championship points were awarded, only 50% of the designated points were handed to registered drivers.

2022 Qatar International Baja – FIA T3 final standings:

1. Kris Meeke (AND)/François Cazalet (FRA) Can-Am Maverick X3 (T3)                              2hr 50min 40.6sec
2. Ahmed Al-Kuwari (QAT)/Manuel Lucchese (QAT) Can-Am Maverick X3 (T3)                                 3hr 12min 05.9sec
3. Rashid Al-Muhannadi (QAT)/Szymon Gospodarczyk (POL) Can-Am Maverick XRS (T3) 3hr 22min 48.3sec
4. Yasmeen Koloc (ARE)/Stéphane Duplé (FRA) Can-Am Maverick DV21 (T3)                        3hr 29min 23.6sec
5. Adel Abdulla (QAT)/Hugo Magalhães (PRT) Can-Am Maverick X3 (T3)                          3hr 35min 48.8sec
6. Aliyyah Koloc (ARE)/Sebastien Delaunay (FRA) Can-Am Maverick DV21 (T3)                     3hr 36min 35.6sec

Source South Racing

Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah and Mathieu Baumel continued their remarkable run of successes by securing victory at the Qatar International Baja, round two of the 2022 FIA Middle East Cup for Cross-Country Bajas.

Following the cancellation of Rally Kazakhstan, Al-Attiyah added his home Baja to his racing calendar and Toyota Gazoo Racing and Overdrive Racing used the kilometres on offer to further develop the latest specification Toyota Hilux DKR T1+ that won the Dakar Rally in January.

Despite inclement weather conditions forcing event officials to cancel the final day’s action in the western and southern Qatar deserts, Al-Attiyah had done enough on the opening stage to win the rally by the margin of 3min 52.6sec.

“Safety is the most important thing for everyone and it was the only decision to cancel the stage today,” said Al-Attiyah. “It would have been a good fight. I was very happy with the way the car performed yesterday and I am always so happy to win races in Qatar. This terrain is tough and the navigation is never easy.”

Al-Attiyah led from the opening Qualifying Stage with Overdrive Racing team-mates, Yazeed Al-Rajhi and Michael Orr, also using the latest V6-engined Toyota with great effect to win stage three and secure second overall.

Al-Rajhi said: “It was a clever and good decision to cancel the stage, safety is very important. There was a lot of wind and dust and the organisers tried to push us to CP1 to try and see how it was. We could not see, so it was a good decision. We want to do motor sport in a safe way. Sure I am happy with my position. Second place in Qatar, you have to be happy. To win here is difficult. Nasser has a lot of experience.” 

Fellow Saudi Yasir Seaidan teamed up with French co-driver Laurent Lichtleuchter in a third Overdrive Racing Toyota and overcame several time-consuming navigational errors on day two to round off the podium places and give Toyota a 1-2-3 finish.  

Action got underway with a Qualifying Stage of 9.20km on Thursday afternoon.

Before the start, Al-Attiyah said: “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.”

Seaidan added: “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!”

Al-Attiyah stayed clear of trouble to set the fastest time on the opener and moved into a 4.3-second lead over Al-Rajhi, although the Saudi admitted that the car had stuttered a couple of times in the stage. Seaidan’s return to the Toyota fold was rewarded with the fourth fastest time.

After an 85.85km from Lusail, crews tackled two selective sections of 122.73km and 124.86km the following morning, with the motorcycles getting to grips with the longer section first.

Al-Attiyah started the day from 10^th position on the road and quickly began to overtake his rivals to win stage two. The latest Toyota GR DKR Hilux never missed a beat and the Qatari was able to shadow Al-Rajhi to the finish of the second of the 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 opened the road for much of the second 124.86km stage and his pace and performance was rewarded with the stage win and a comfortable second place in the rankings. 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 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.”

Al-Rajhi had planned to challenge Al-Attiyah hard over the final 200.39km, but the weather began to deteriorate as the morning progressed. The motorcycle riders had the better of the conditions and rally officials decided to start the car stage shortly after PC1, around 38km into the original stage.

Competitors duly arrived for the restart but the visibility was appalling and the special was finally cancelled on safety grounds with the overall classification standing from Friday evening.

2022 Qatar International Baja – final positions:

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. Ahmed Al-Kuwari (QAT)/Manuel Lucchese (QAT) Can-Am Maverick X3 (T3)                      3hr 12min 05.9sec
6. Khalifa Saleh Al-Attiyah (QAT)/Max Delfino (FRA) Can-Am Maverick XRS (T4)                  3hr 14min 01.7sec

Source Overdrive

WRC stars Kris Meeke and Dani Sordo hold third and fifth in the cars
Al-Noumesi leads FIM quad section; Chalmers withdraws with hand injury

Qatar’s Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah and Polish junior rider Konrad Dabrowski set the quickest times in the car and motorcycle categories through the opening 9.20km Qualifying Stage of the Qatar International Baja on Thursday afternoon.
A time of 5min 11.8sec ensured that Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah and Mathieu Baumel were the early leaders of the second round of the FIA Middle East Cup for Cross-Country Bajas. The defending Dakar champion guided the latest specification Toyota Hilux to a 4.3-second lead over Toyota team-mate Yazeed Al-Rajhi.

“A good start because it was not easy in a narrow place,” said Al-Attiyah. “I think we did a good job without any mistakes. Tomorrow will be much faster. Maybe it’s better for me to start first. I don’t want to be behind the Can-Am. Maybe it will be more dusty. We will see.”

Al-Rajhi added: “Happy we finish because the car switch off a few times. I think electric problem. But we only lose 4.3 seconds. We pushed very well. We continue to push. Most important for me is to enjoy. That’s why I came here.”

Dabrowski, the son of former cross-country rider and driver Marek, stopped the clocks in 6min 01.3sec to lead the motorcycle and junior categories on his Husqvarna FR450. With the time multiplied by a coefficient of four, the Pole headed into the night halt on the second round of the FIM Bajas World Cup with a comfortable lead and the choice of a favourable starting position for Friday.

Emirati Mohammed Al-Balooshi finished second and Great Britain’s Maki Rees-Stavros rounded off the top three. Kuwait’s Abdullah Al-Shatti and Jordanian Abdullah Abu Aishah set the fourth and fifth fastest times, while Poland’s Joanna Modrzewska was the leading female rider in 14th.

Defending Qatar Baja champion Al-Balooshi said: “This is one of the toughest events you can tackle on a bike. The navigation is exceptionally difficult, especially when you are competing against the clock. I should know, I’ve had good results and I’ve also been evacuated by helicopter in the past. Riders will also need to be very careful on Friday when we do the second stage after the cars. There are sure to be ruts and tracks in the softer places and that will make it even more tricky for the bikes.”

Andorra-based Ulsterman Kris Meeke began his campaign strongly in a Nasser Racing-entered Can-Am and teamed up with Frenchman François Cazalet to record the third quickest time in the car section to hold third overall and first in the FIA T3 category. Former WRC team-mate and desert debutant Dani Sordo finished fifth overall and second in T3.

“I have never been in this situation where all the categories are linked together,” said Meeke. “I had half an idea that I would be ninth or 10th fastest, which means you are opening the road. I didn’t want to end up playing the game. Today was totally different to what we can expect tomorrow. Today we made pace notes, so it was half a rally stage, half a cross-country stage. I did the whole Dakar in an open car. The temperatures today were not so bad. I enjoyed it. The South Racing Can-Am is so nice. It’s balanced and everything works correctly.”

“It is difficult to find the point to turn in to the corners (open desert),” added Sordo. “I need to know how much you can go out when the waypoint is coming. The only problem is the corners never arrive... We had a problem with the sun (vision). But it’s good fun. Fifth today but we want more…”

Khalifa Saleh Al-Attiyah held sixth overall and a lead of 24.3 seconds over Sadoon Al-Kuwari in the FIA T4 category. Saudi Arabia’s Muneef Al-Shammeri topped the FIA T2 standings.

Hani Al-Noumesi edged into a small lead over Saudi rivals, Faisal Al-Suwayh and Abdulmajeed Al-Khulaifi, in the quad category. Emiel Stuckens struggled to get his quad to fire up at the start of the stage, but the Belgian went on to finish fourth.

Eighteen FIA machines, including 11 in T3 and three in T4, were permitted to start, in addition to six vehicles in the National Baja. Several drivers, including Miroslav Zapletal, Saleh Al-Saif, Khalid Al-Feraihi and Mohammed Al-Tuwaijri, were not able to attend the event. Abdullah Al-Rabban was demoted to the National Baja after his Jeep failed to comply with the most recent safety regulations.

The FIM’s starting list confirmed 22 motorcycles, four quads, an SSV and a further 16 riders in a National Baja. Germany’s Philip Horlemann, Australia’s Simon Francis and several Saudi riders, including quad entrants, Abdulaziz Al-Atawi and Sultan Al-Masoud, were non-starters.

Qatar-based Australian rider Martin Chalmers sustained a pre-event arm injury and was forced to withdraw his entry after racing so strongly at the opening round of the FIM Baja series in Jordan.

Talented Emirati rider Mohammed Meerza led the FIM National Baja on his Husqvarna from Saudi Arabia’s Mishaal Al-Ghuneim. Al-Mashna Al-Shammeri clocked the quickest time in the FIA National Baja.

Friday
Tomorrow, FIA vehicles will leave Lusail on a liaison of 85.85km and then tackle two selective sections of 122.73km and 124.86km, starting at 09.05hrs and 11.25hrs, respectively.
Motorcycles, quads and the solitary FIM SSV will start the slightly longer of the two sections first from 09.25hrs and then move on to the shorter combined second section of 122.73km after a 20-minute neutralisation stop and refuel.

Source QMMF

Dani Sordo gets his first taste of the sand dunes at Sealine
Leading competitors attend pre-event press conference at Losail

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.

Source QMMF

Frenchman Xavier Panseri to partner Spanish WRC star Dani Sordo
Nasser Al-Kuwari to team up with his father Sadoon in a T4 Can-Am

Competitors and officials from several corners of the world are arriving in Doha to make their final preparations for this weekend’s Qatar International Baja, the second round of the FIM Bajas World Cup and round two of the FIA Middle East Cup for Cross-Country Bajas.
After a hectic start to both the FIA and FIM seasons in the Middle East, Qatar will host the last off-road event before the start of the Holy Month of Ramadan at the end of next week. Temperatures continue to climb with the Qatar desert set to see around 34˚C on Thursday before a slightly cooler (27-29˚C), windier and unsettled weather system moves in for the weekend.
Nasser Racing has now confirmed that Frenchman Xavier Panseri will team up with Dani Sordo on the Spaniard’s cross-country rallying debut in the Middle East.
In recent seasons, Panseri has been better known for his off-road rallying exploits with the likes of Sheikh Khalid Al-Qassimi, Bernhard Ten Brinke, Krzysztof Holowczyc and Adam Malysz, but the 51-year-old has a considerable pedigree in Sordo’s asphalt special stage rallying back yard as well. Panseri has vast previous experience in French rallies alongside the likes of Bryan Bouffier, Emmanuel Guigou and Benôit Rousselot, the highlights being outright victories in the 2006 and 2014 Rally of Antibes, the 2011 IRC Rally Monte-Carlo, the 2013 Tour de Corse and numerous other Polish rally wins.
Sordo is yet to start his Hyundai Motorsport campaign with the new hybrid era in the 2022 FIA World Rally Championship and will compete in the southern Gulf region for the first time. With three WRC wins to his name, 51 podiums and 214 stage wins, the 38-year-old Spaniard is the most experienced of the current crop of elite drivers in the WRC. The closest Sordo has come to competing near Qatar, however, was when he secured second and fourth places with Citroën in the Jordanian rounds of the WRC in 2008 and 2010.
Meshari Al-Thefiri was the revelation of last weekend’s Kuwait International Rally until a cruel engine failure robbed him of the outright lead. The Kuwaiti had intended to compete in Qatar at the helm of a Can-Am Maverick X3, but a late withdrawal for this weekend’s event has enabled his regular co-driver Nasser Al-Kuwari to accompany his father Sadoon in a Can-Am entered in the FIA T4 category. The pair have competed together in the past, most notably to finish seventh overall at the 2005 Qatar International Rally, but the 61-year-old has been away from the hot seat for a long time.
Talented Qatari driver Khalid Al-Muhannadi finished third in the SSV category at last year’s Qatar International Baja and won the National event that was held in conjunction with the 2021 round of the MERC. This season he was switched from a Polaris to a Can-Am and will team up with Kiwi biker Nick Lines for the first time as his co-driver.
The Qatar Motor and Motorcycle Federation (QMMF) is also running national status events for both the car and motorcycle categories.
Six vehicles feature on the original National Rally entry, with Saudi Arabia’s Abdulaziz Al-Yaeesh heading the field in his Nissan Patrol. Sixteen motorcycles are entered on the FIM national list, with Saudi Arabia’s Mishal Al-Ghuneim, Qatar’s Khalid Al-Maadeed and Emirati Mohamed Abdulla Meerza among the front-runners.
Tomorrow (Wednesday), competitors will pass their customary administration checks at the Losail International Circuit before several leading riders and drivers attend the official pre-event press conference from 18.00hrs.

Source QMMF

March 24-26, 2022
SS: 459.30km - Liaison: 422.54km - Total: 881.84km

The FIM Bajas World Cup season continues its tour in the State of Qatar. No less than 30 motorcycles are registered, in addition to six quads and one SSV.
A great race is in prospect over a total distance of 881.84 km, including 459.30 km of selective sections.

After his victory in Jordan in the motorcycle category, Mohammed Al-Balooshi leads the FIM Bajas World Cup and, of course, is the favourite on the handlebars of his Husqvarna FR450. His main opponents are the Jordanian Abdullah Abu Aishah, Pole Konrad Dabrowski (Husqvarna Duust) – the leader of the Junior category - Kuwaiti Abdullah Al-Shatti and the Danish rider Thomas Kongshøj (Husqvarna Duust).

Qatar will be represented on two wheels by the Extreme Enduro trio of Mohammed Al-Kaabi, Abdulrahman Al-Sheeb and Sheikh Mohammed Al-Thani, as well as Rasen Team's Yaghoob Azadi.

Saudi Arabian riders account for five out of the six entries in the quad section and they are all riding Yamahas: Abdulmajeed Al-Khulaifi, Hani Al-Noumesi, Faisal Al-Suwayh, Abdulaziz Al-Atawi and Sultan Al-Masoud and the sole Belgian rider Emiel Stuckens (CanAm).

Kuwait's Sarah Khuraibet and Poland's Joanna Modrzewska will compete for points in the FIM Women's category, while Qatar’s Abdullah Al-Khelaifi and Abdulaziz Al-Jabri form the crew of the sole FIM SSV.

Administrative and technical checks will take place on March 23rd and 24th at the Losail International Circuit.
On Thursday, March 24th, riders will also qualify on a 9.85km SS1A special stage, the time of which will be multiplied by four (Coefficient 4).
On Friday March 25th, SS1B will run for 420.67km and includes 249.25km of competition.
On Saturday, March 26th,** riders will cover a total of 385.05km including 200km against the clock.

All results and documents on SPORTITY code FIMQIB22
More info on QMMF

Source FIM

WRC stars Kris Meeke and Dani Sordo join Al-Attiyah and Al-Rajhi
Al-Balooshi tops impressive entry for FIM Bajas World Cup

The Qatar Motor and Motorcycle Federation (QMMF) today (Sunday) released a staggering entry list for next weekend’s Qatar International Baja, the second round of the FIM Bajas World Cup and round two of the FIA Middle East Cup for Cross-Country Bajas.
Twenty-eight cars, including 10 and six entries in the respective FIA T3 and T4 categories, have entered the three-day spectacle (March 24th-26th), alongside 29 motorcycles, six quads and one SSV in the FIM section. There will also be a National Baja running behind the main FIA event.
Competitors from 20 nations will head to the Losail International Circuit this weekend. The world class facility recently hosted the opening MotoGP race of the 2022 season and is the base for technical and administration formalities, rally HQ and the start and finish ceremonies.
While cross-country regulars, Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah, Yazeed Al-Rajhi, Yasir Seaidan and Miroslav Zapletal, top the FIA T1 entry, there are some surprising names further down the list.
Kris Meeke has tackled two Qatar special stage rallies and one Dakar Rally in a career where the numerous highlights and international spotlight have been in the FIA World Rally Championship. The Andorra-based Ulsterman will team up with Frenchman François Cazalet to drive one of three Can-Am Mavericks entered by Nasser Racing.
A second Nasser Racing machine will be in the hands of WRC star Dani Sordo, the Spaniard making his first competitive appearance on an event in the Gulf region and his debut on the cross-country rallying scene in a T3 lightweight prototype Can-Am. The third Maverick will be in the hands of Al-Attiyah’s brother Khalifa and his Italian co-driver Max Delfino.
Six Can-Ams have been entered by the QMMF Team for Ahmed Al-Kuwari, Ahmed Al-Muhannadi, a returning Adel Abdulla, Abdullah Al-Kuwari, Khalid Al-Muhannadi and Rashid Al-Muhannadi. Veteran Qatari rally driver Sadoon Al-Kuwari also returns to try his hand in a T4 Can-Am.
Mohammed Al-Balooshi is the early leader of the FIM Bajas World Cup and the Emirati tops the two-wheel contingent on a Husqvarna FR450, with main competition likely from his closest Jordanian FIM rival Abdullah Abu Aishah, Poland’s leading Junior rider Konrad Dabrowski, Kuwait’s Abdullah Al-Shatti and Dane Thomas Kongshoj.
Qatar will be represented on two wheels by the Extreme Enduro trio of Mohammed Al-Kaabi, Abdulrahman Al-Sheeb and Sheikh Mohammed Al-Thani and the Rasen Team’s Yaghoob Azadi.
Saudi riders dominated the quad category, which also sees an entry from Belgium’s Emiel Stuckens. Kuwait’s Sarah Khuraibet and Poland’s Joanna Modrzewska will be competing for points in the FIM Women’s category, while Qatar’s Abdullah Al-Khelaifi and Abdulaziz Al-Jabri crew the sole FIM SSV
Seventeen-year-old female Emirati racer Aliyyah Koloc is the early pace-setter in the FIA Middle East Cup for Cross-Country Rallies Drivers’ Championship and the FIA T3 section. The Can-Am pilot has 40 points to Hamad Al-Harbi’s 33 points and Muneef Al-Salmani’s 25. All three will take part in Qatar.
Koloc returns to action with Buggyra ZM Racing, alongside her twin sister Yasmeen in a second car. The experienced San Marino-based Camelia Liparoti will be competing for T4 honours in her Yamaha YXZ 1000R, but Kuwait’s Meshari Al-Thefiri is the top seed in this category.
The 2022 Baja is being held under the chairmanship of QMMF President Abdulrahman Al-Mannai, QMMF’s Executive Director Amro Al-Hamad and board member Abdulrazaq Al-Kuwari.

Entry lists (links bellow)

FIA QIB Entry list

FIM QIB Entry list

Source Qatar International Baja

 The Middle East’s leading rally drivers have arrived in the State of Kuwait and are making their final preparations for this weekend’s 26^th Kuwait International Rally, round three of the 2022 FIA Middle East Rally Championship (MERC).  

Tomorrow (Wednesday), competitors will carry out a full day of reconnaissance of the five special stages, repeated twice, that will challenge them on Friday and Saturday.

Several crews will also carry out pre-event testing, although Autotek Motorsport was waiting for the release of some spare parts from customs before refettling Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah’s championchip-leading Volkswagen Polo GTI.

Action gets underway at 10.00hrs on Friday morning with the first pass through a 16.38km special, south of Kuwait City, and this precedes the first of two runs across the gravel trails of a 19.69km special (10.38hrs), named in memory of the late Kuwaiti rally driver Saleh bin Eidan. The third special of the loop has been named in memory of Gazi Al-Thafiri and runs for 19.18km from 11.26hrs.

After a return to the Kuwait Motor Town for a service stop, the three specials will be repeated at 14.01hrs, 14.39hrs and 15.27hrs, respectively.

Saturday’s action is centred around two special stages run twice. Crews will tackle the Al-Zour stage of 17.85km from 11.05hrs and then a second timed test of 17.20km (11.58hrs) that has been named in memory of Qatar’s Sheikh Hamed bin Eid Al-Thani, the 1993 regional champion who passed away suddenly in October 2020. The two stages will be repeated at 14.23hrs and 15.16hrs.

Rally headquarters and the service park will be based at Kuwait Motor Town. The facility will host pre and post-event scrutineering, the pre-event press conference and the ceremonial start on Thursday.

The rally is being organised by the Kuwait International Motorsport Club (KIMC) in co-operation with the Kuwait International Automobile Club (KIAC). It is being held under the patronage of His Excellency Ali Husain Ali Al-Mousa, Minister of Public Works and Minister of State for Youth Affairs.

Kuwait’s Emad Bukhamseen is the new chairman of the organising committee alongside board members, Issa Hamzeh, Mohammed Bukhamseen, Garbis Karzelian, Clerk of the Course Hamad Marafie, Hamad Al-Saif, Meshari Al-Sabti and Fuad Abu Arja.

Source: Kuwait Rally

Two out of two for Chaleco in T3, triumph and drama for the Goczal family in T4 – the fifth and last stage of Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge was nothing short of thrilling.

T3 (light prototype)

At the start of the last stage, less than 10 minutes separated rally leader Francisco “Chaleco” Lopez and runner-up Cristina Gutierrez. Gutierrez, of course, put Chaleco under pressure and won the stage – but the gap (1 minute 15 seconds) was too small to snatch the overall victory. Third to arrive was Seth Quintero, at 4 minutes 11 seconds.
South Racing Middle East boss Thomas Bell clocked the fourth time (+00:06:42), followed by Hernan Garces (+00:08:56), Annett Fischer (+00:29:36), Conrad Rautenbach (+00:32:59), and Jean-Luc Pisson (+00:37:16).

In the final overall classification, South Racing’s Chaleco topped the standings once again after the Dakar, Cristina Gutierrez had to settle for the second place, only 8 minutes 18 seconds from the winner. US young gun Sezh Quintero rounded off the podium, who again showed remarkable speed but his problems early in the race deprived him of any chance for the final victory.
Conrad Rautenbach finished fourth (+02:04:26), followed by Annett Fischer (+03:02:08), Thomas Bell (+05:05:29), and Jean-Luc Pisson (+05:28:33). Eighth-placed Diego Martinez (+29:27:59) and Hernan Garces, in ninth position, were handed hefty penalties, relegating them to the end of the field.

Interviews

Francisco “Chaleco” Lopez: “We are happy to win the race. These five days were good training. It was a good fight with Christina, she is a good racer. Now I am concentrating on the next race.”

T4 (standard SSV)

In T4, Dakar winner Austin Jones scored another stage win, with Rokas Baciuska finishing second at 33 seconds and Marek Goczal at 36 seconds. Speaking of the Goczal family, they must have had somewhat mixed feelings at the end of ADDC 2022 as Marek,
crowned a perfect rally but Michal lost his chance for being runner-up behind his older brother in the overall classification and had to retire due to overheating problems in the last stage.
Back to the stage results, Lucas Del Rio finished fourth (+00:09:22), in front of Geoff Minnit (+00:31:41), Robert Szustkowski (+00:47:13), and Malgorzata Golda (+01:17:50).

Overall, Marek Goczal’s victory was well-deserved, the Pole made no mistake during the five grueling stages. Runner-up Rokas Baciuska finished with a gap of 22 minutes 18 seconds, while rookie Malgorzata Golda scored a fantastic podium finish in her first outing in cross-country rallies. The young Pole (Wait, another Pole? An ‘SSV superpower’ is rising?!) was one of the few competitors who finished all stages – which many of her much more experienced rivals didn’t manage to do.
Golda was followed Austin Jones in fourth (+20:04:49). The US Dakar winner was deprived of the chance of another victory by an electrical problem right in the first stage, took the fifth position, and a nice amount of points for the World Championship, where he’s still leading – with one single point over Marek Goczal.
Six-placed Lucas Del Rio (+41:01:47) was followed by Geoff Minnit (+44:59:19) and Robert Szustkowski (+47:45:12).

Interviews

Austin Jones: “Just finished the Abu Dhabi rally 2022. The race this year for sure, it was hard. Yeah, with all the stuff that we've managed to fight through, the mechanical failure on Day 1, kind of took us out of the race, gave us a big penalty for not finishing, so we knew that we were out of contention for the win, but we just kept on going and fighting every day, trying to get points for the championship. We won today and we won on Day 3, so two stage wins, one second, one third, so picked up some good points. And yeah, it's been a fun race. Congratulations to all the winners have to look and see who won the bikes and the cars and everything like that. But congratulations to all the winners, especially in my class for Marek. Yeah, it was fun. So excited to come back next year and excited for the next race.”

Scott Abraham: “Another great race for Can-Am and South Racing, taking home not only T3 and T4 first place but also the first place in overall in a World Championship – I think it’s a first time in a cross-country event. Obviously AUDI won the event itself but for Championship points Chaleco will take the lead, so that is a great story for a little car.
We had some ups and downs - Abu-Dhabi is always hard event both on the drivers and on the cars especially with these high temperatures. Unfortunately due to the cancellation of the Kazakhstan rally or postponing we’ll have a little bit of a brake we’ll race in Tunisian Desert Challenge in some baja events but then a big focus on a Andalucia rally in June where will be more South Racing and Can-Am participants.”

Text: Rita Kónya
Interviews: Sveta Amelichkina
Photo: South Racing Can-Am Team / MCH

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Matthias Walkner has placed third on the short, final stage of the 2022 Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge. Toby Price, who was the second rider to enter the special finished in 10th. In the overall classification, both riders completed the event inside the top five, with Price finishing fourth and Walkner one place behind in fifth.

Covering a total distance of 371 kilometers, stage five at the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge included a short but demanding 209-kilometer timed special. Offering up the now familiar mix of dunes and faster, sandy tracks, the final day of racing at the 2022 ADDC still proved a sizeable task for all racers.

Matthias Walkner was the 13th rider to enter today’s special, and making the best use of his skill and start position, the reigning world champion was able to immediately make up time on the riders ahead. Second quickest to the first timed checkpoint, Walkner maintained his strong pace throughout the stage to ultimately complete the stage as third fastest. The result placed Matthias fifth overall, eight and a half minutes down on the rally winner.

Matthias Walkner: “I’m super happy to finish the rally with a strong result and without any big problems. Any race like this that is held 90% off piste is a huge challenge and you have to stay at maximum focus the whole time. I finished third on today’s stage for fifth overall, which is good, but sometimes the final result doesn’t show the full story. I’m really happy with how I rode here in Abu Dhabi, especially with my navigation while opening the stage. We have made some good changes to the bike too, so all-in-all we’re moving in the right direction.”

After his runner-up result on yesterday’s stage four, Toby Price was second away into today’s timed special. Catching up with the single rider ahead of him by around kilometer 80, the Australian assisted in opening the remainder of the stage. In completing the final stage in 10th, Price secured his top-five result in the overall rally standings, claiming fourth, 14 seconds ahead of teammate Walkner after 17 hours of racing.

Toby Price: “I’m pleased with how the race has gone. I’m definitely feeling a lot more comfortable on the bike, and was well in the hunt for the podium, which is definitely an improvement over Dakar. It’s been a tough event and I’m definitely feeling a little bruised and battered right now, but I’ve completed the race in more or less one piece. I got off on the wrong foot on day one with the GPS issue, but that’s out of our control. And the result still isn’t quite where I want to be, but the team has done a great job and we’ve learned a lot from the event. I’ve got a few things to work on before the next race, so we’ll go away now and get ready for the next round.”

Following the technical issue that plagued his day-four result, Kevin Benavides had a late 26th place start to today’s stage. Eager to make up time and end his 2022 Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge on a high, the 2021 Dakar winner pushed hard through all of the 209 kilometers that made up the special, ultimately finishing as fourth quickest. Despite the time lost and penalty incurred on day four, Benavides was able to salvage a highly commendable 13th place overall, and will take many positives from the event.

Kevin Benavides: “It’s been a tough race, and a little disappointing obviously because of the issue I had yesterday, but I’m pleased that up until that point I was in the fight for the win. It always feels good to complete a race and I managed to do a good job with my navigation all the way through, as well as avoiding any big crashes, so physically I feel good. It’s been a really good test of my speed and I have definitely found more pace when riding in the dunes, so all-in-all the event has been positive. We have some work to do now before the next race, so hopefully I can come back even stronger in Andalucia.”

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing will next be in action at the Andalucia Rally, held in Spain from June 6.

Provisional Results – Stage 5 Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge 2022

1. Sam Sunderland (GBR), GASGAS, 2:20:57
2. Ricky Brabec (USA), Honda, 2:21:31 +0:34
3. Matthias Walkner (AUT), KTM, 2:22:08 +1:11
4. Kevin Benavides (ARG), KTM, 2:24:12 +3:15
5. Pablo Quintanilla (CHI), Honda, 2:24:30 +3:33
Other KTM
10 Toby Price (AUS), KTM, 2:27:32 +6:35

Provisional Standings – Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge 2022 after 5 of 5 stages

1. Sam Sunderland (GBR), GASGAS, 16:54:24
2. Ricky Brabec (USA), Honda, 16:57:32 +3:08
3. Pablo Quintanilla (CHI), Honda, 16:58:20 +3:56
4. Toby Price (AUS), KTM, 17:02:41 +8:17
5. Matthias Walkner (AUT), KTM, 17:02:55 +8:31
Other KTM
13. Kevin Benavides (ARG), KTM, 18:02:34 +1:08:10

Source Red Bull KTM Factory Racing