Qatar International Baja flags off with spectacular opening ceremony
The Qatar International Baja, the 5th round of the FIM Bajas World Cup, flagged off yesterday with an impressive opening ceremony witnessed by scores of dignitaries and off-road sports enthusiasts at the Al Bayt Stadium, one of the venues of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, in Al Khor.
Qatar's Sheikh Mohamed Al Thani, Khalid Al Mohannadi, Abdullah Al Khelaifi and Ahmed Al Kuwari were joined by British rider Patsy Quick, Emirati Mohamed al-Balooshi, Kuwait's Sarah Khuraibet and Saudi Arabia's quad front-runner Haitham Al-Tuwaijri for the pre-event press conference held before the start of the race.
While expressing her delight at participating in the event, Quick, who is the first British woman to compete in the Dakar Rally in 2003, said that she had been impressed with the sport's growth in Qatar over the years.
"This is my second time coming to Qatar, the first being in 2005. I'm quite delighted that the country and the sport has witnessed massive growth over the years. I am equally thrilled with the strength of the field at the tournament. Kudos to the organizers for putting this together. I look forward to an exciting time here," she said.
A total of 32 bikes, four quads and four SSVs tackled the 7.68km opening stage yesterday, though six of those 32 motorcycles were in the over-450cc category that will not score FIM Baja points.
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There was also a separate Qatar National Baja section for competitors running behind the FIM event.
Logistical issues forced Jordan's front-running rider Abdullah Abuaisheh to miss the start of the event.
At the end of the opening super special stage at Semaisma, Kuwait's Mohamed Jaffar Meshari, Saudi Arabia's Haitham al-Tuwaijri and Qatar's Ahmed al-Kuwari led the motorcycle, quad and SSV categories, respectively.
MX Ride Dubai's Mohamed Al-Balooshi came second in the motorcycle class behind the leading Kuwaiti, and British youngster Robert Wallace was third and topped the Juniors section.
Al-Balooshi is hoping to extend his eight-point lead in the FIM Bajas World Cup's 450cc motorcycle category. In addition to his closest series rival, Abdullah Abuaisheh, Al-Balooshi faces competition from several Qatar riders, including Sheikh Mohammed Al-Thani and Mohammed Al-Kaabi.
Kuwait's Sarah Khuraibet led the FIM Women's category, although she was beaten by both Patsy Quick and Vanessa Ruck on their over-450cc bikes. Mozambique's Paulo Oliveira led the Veterans Trophy on his Husqvarna CRF450 RX.
Ahmed Al Kuwari teamed up with Nasser Al Kuwari to lead the SSV section by 21 seconds in a Yamaha YXZ 1000R. Khalid Al Mohannadi made a late co-driver change that saw French navigator Sebastien Delaunay replaced by Chris Barwick. The Qatari held second in the category, with Lebanon's Henry Kahy in third place.
Meanwhile, the Executive Director of the Qatar Motor and Motorcycle Federation (QMMF) Amro Al Hamad said that with the participation of a large number of world champions and distinguished drivers, including a large number of Qataris, the Qatar International Baja is poised to be one of the strongest in the series.
"We are very excited to host this event despite the global challenges of the COVID 19 pandemic, and I would like to thank all the QMMF officials and staff and all the members of the organizing committee for their great efforts at putting this together," he said.
"I expect a powerful and highly competitive race considering that the Qatari deserts are difficult in rally racing due to the difficulty of navigation and the nature of the rough and gravel roads. I wish all the participants good luck and all the best as they compete."
Drivers from Qatar, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Lebanon, the UAE, Bahrain, Australia, Tunisia, Russia, Mozambique, Britain, New Zealand, Germany, and Italy are participating in the competition, which ends on Saturday at the Al Bayt Stadium.
Spectators are welcome to witness the podium ceremony in Al Bayt Stadium (opposite McDonald’s) on Saturday at 6 pm.
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