- Defending Champions Nasser Al Attiyah and Mohammed Al Balooshi head Entry List
- Top Off-Road Racers Bid for FIA and FIM Titles
- World Championship Leader Joao Ferreira Faces Off Against Fernando Alvarez for FIA Baja World Championship
- Dubai Baja comes back to the heart of the City in Dubai Festival City.
- Dubai, UAE, 20th November 2024: Multiple event winners Nasser Al Attiyah and local hero Mohammed Al Balooshi head the car and bike entries as the world’s top off-road crews get set to take on the challenging dunes of Dubai and rugged beauty of Hatta next week.
Titles are still up for grabs in numerous categories as the FIA and FIM World Cup season comes to a conclusion at the eighth edition of the Dubai International Baja Dubai International Baja next week (November 28-December 1).
The world’s top ranked drivers and riders are turning their attention to one final push for glory in 2024 in what is among the Middle East’s most important annual global sports events.
Since its reinvention as a Baja rally in 2016 breathed new energy into the event, the Dubai International Baja has become a ‘must do’ for off-road competitors and fans alike and this year’s adventure takes in the rocky surroundings of Hatta followed by the severely technical dunes in Dubai with the event hub once again centered at the heart of the city, in Dubai Festival City.
The Dubai event becomes the championship decider for both the FIM motorcycle Bajas World Cup and most of the car classes of the FIA World Cup for Cross-Country Bajas.
Once again the organisers will rely on the renowned reliability and off-road capability of Toyota vehicles including Land Cruisers to enable event officials to perform key time-sensitive tasks in the most challenging desert terrain.
The vital assistance of Al-Futtaim Toyota in supplying support vehicles helps make the arduous logistical challenges of the rally possible for the competitors and organisers alike.
With registration closed, a stellar lineup of talent has been confirmed with Toyota supplying the biggest number of cars in the Ultimate category.
After making his FIA Baja series debut on the Dubai International Baja last year, rising US star Seth Quintero will return with high hopes of overall success in his Toyota Hilux partnered by Germany’s Dennis Zenz.
The Toyota Gazoo Racing challenge also includes Brazil’s Lucas Moraes who stunned the regulars by winning stage one on his cross country competition debut at Dubai in 2022. He went on to finish fifth and second in class in one of the world’s most physically demanding Bajas.
Partnered by Armand Monleon in his Hilux he will be expected to cope well as will Juan Cruz Yacopini of the Toyota Overdrive team, the experienced Argentinian who was a podium finisher in Dubai 12 months ago back with Dani Oliveras on pace notes once again.
Completing the Toyota Overdrive attack are Frenchmen Ronan Chabot and Gilles Pillot.
Facing the Hilux equipped stars is a significant array of challengers including last year’s Dubai winner and the most successful competitor in the history of the event, Qatar’s Nasser Al Attiyah who is back to compete on one of his favourite events.
This time the eight-time world champion (five Cross Country Rally titles and three-time W2RC Rally Raid champion) is not competing in the ‘big car’ class as he has elected to drive a Taurus T3 Challenger run by his own blossoming team. While working on the development of the new Dacia Sandrider which aims to take the 2025 rally raid season by storm, he is also focused on developing new and emerging talent.
Among the names rising in prominence is Emirati hero Khalid Aljafla fresh from an outstanding overall victory in his T3 Taurus Challenge machine, beating even the cars racing in the top “Ultimate”class, in last weekend’s penultimate round of the FIA series, Jordan Baja. The local driver heads to the season finale leading the T3 World Cup tied in the points with Spaniard Eduardo Pons, but with a narrow advantage of having won in Jordan and now heading towards his home event.
Second last weekend, new overall world championship leader Joao Ferreira and Felipe Palmeiro (X-Raid Mini JCW Team) will face off for the world title against erstwhile leaders Fernando Alvarez and Xavier Panseri (South Racing Can-Am), the latter crew having already won the T4 class but with their sights now set on the biggest prize of all.
Leading the women’s challenge is Saudi driver Dania Akeel who recently moved up to the Ultimate cars while another notable entry is emerging Norwegian rallycross and Extreme E star Hedda Hosås transitioning into the FIA Baja World Cup series in a R-X Sport run Maverick X3.
Among the motorcycles, local superstar Mohammed Al Balooshi is out to defend his Dubai International Baja title and make it a third success on the event in total. Al Balooshi tuned up for his home event with victory in the Jordan Baja last Sunday and is clearly on flying form with a second consecutive World Cup Title, and the third of his career in his sights.
Al-Futtaim Motors are once again deeply embedded in the final round of the FIA and FIM International Baja World Cups through the location of the event headquarters and service park at Dubai Festival City and the vital logistical support of Al-Futtaim Motors-Toyota.
Jacques Brent – Managing Director of Al-Futtaim Toyota: “We are proud to once again partner with the Emirates Motorsports Organization (EMSO) and continue contributing to our collaborative legacy of motorsport thrills, high-endurance and supreme driving skills through another edition of the Dubai International Baja. The partnership perfectly aligns with the UAE’s as well as Toyota’s motoring heritage. The Dubai International Baja is a perfect proving ground where Toyota’s capabilities are tested against diverse terrains, from the sweeping desert dunes to the rugged Hajar Mountains in Hatta. Through events like these, we continue to translate lessons from the races into technologies that shape the future of Toyota’s next generation of high-performance cars.
“The race is a perfect embodiment of our enduring legacies – Toyota, a brand rooted in reliability and innovation, and Al-Futtaim Automotive, a proud homegrown UAE company deeply invested in the nation’s journey of progress.”
Muhammad Khamis Al Muhairi, Vice President of the EMSO and of the UAE Sports Executive Committee: “We would like to thank Al-Futtaim Automotive for their incredible support. Together we have taken the event to the next level, and their strategic support that took the event to the spectacular Dubai Festival City sets a great example on how to bring a predominantly remote event to the heart of the city. We are delighted to continue the collaboration with Al-Futtaim Automotive and of course with Toyota, our brand of choice for the use of race officials. At an event which asks so much of competitors and machinery, access to machinery as robust and reliable as the Toyota Land Cruisers serves to enhance the experience of everyone involved in the Dubai International Baja.”
The Dubai International Baja is a premier off-road motorsport event held annually in the UAE, celebrating 45 years since its inception as the Dubai International Rally in 1979. Now in its eighth edition under the Baja format, the event draws top competitors from around the globe to tackle the challenging dunes of Dubai.
Held under the patronage of H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum and organized by the Emirates Motorsport Organization (EMSO) in collaboration with the Dubai Sports Council, the Baja is supported by Official Automotive Partner Al-Futtaim Toyota, Energy Partner ENOC, and the strategic collaboration of the Dubai Government and its entities, including the Dubai Police, RTA and Dubai Municipality.
Serving as the final round of both the FIA World Baja Cup and the FIM Bajas World Cup, the Dubai International Baja reinforces its significance in the region’s motorsport heritage.
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Under the patronage of Hamdan bin Mohammed
Dubai International Baja in Hatta set to provide the final flourish in Baja World Cup series
The introduction of a prologue qualifying stage spices up the tussle for championship places in various classes of competition, be it cars, bikes or buggies
Spectator-friendly stages leading up to final round offer opportunities aplenty for motorsport enthusiasts to catch some of the world’s best rally racers in action
Government of Dubai Media Office – 18 November 2024: Two weeks out from the Baja World Cup title showdown at the Dubai International Baja, competing teams are drawing up elaborate plans and strategies for their visit to one of the UAE’s most serene and picturesque locations, with one of the most vibrant urban developments in the region getting set to become the centre of all the action.
Held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence of the UAE, and Chairman of The Executive Council of Dubai, the event is organised by the Emirates Motorsports Organization (EMSO) in collaboration with the Dubai Sports Council (DSC). It is backed by Official Automotive Partner Al-Futtaim Toyota, and enjoys the strategic support of the Dubai Government and its entities, including the Dubai Police, RTA, and Dubai Municipality. Additionally, the event proudly partners with charity organisation Al Jalila Foundation.
The Dubai International Baja, an event renowned throughout the off-road motorsports world for its desert challenges, makes a statement this year with a route characterised by unique and awe-inspiring geographical contrasts. For the first time in its current incarnation as an off-road challenge, the event moves away from the traditional sand dunes to venture into the rugged, rural idyll of Hatta for the spectator-friendly prologue at 2.30pm on Friday, 29 November.
Hatta plays host to Dubai International Baja for the first time this year but the spectacular and must-see destination that attracts Emirati and international visitors alike is already a familiar stop in the rallying circuit at the highest level having played host to the event’s predecessor, the FIA Dubai International Rally, for several years up to 2015.
The spectacular rocky terrain high in the Hajar Mountains will provide a unique and demanding challenge for drivers and riders before they enter the rolling dunes, which are the familiar stomping ground of the FIA and FIM World Cup competitors coming to Dubai.
Set against the backdrop of the Hajar peaks and within touching distance of the turquoise waters of the Hatta Dam, which offer an equally idyllic getaway for Dubai watersports enthusiasts, the world-famous inland enclave will provide the ideal setting for the vaunted field to set out on this year’s Dubai International Baja.
The introduction of the prologue qualifying stage will make this final round of the FIA/FIM World Cup series even more challenging for the crews vying for championship honours in the various competition classes, be it cars, bikes or buggies.
The Qualifying Stage of 4.5 km in Hatta will be a relatively short test on demanding terrain that offers a new challenge to many of the competitors while making its presence felt as a section of key strategic importance.
The prologue establishes the starting position for Special Stage 1 early on Saturday, 30 November and, for the top ten competitors, there is the added opportunity to select their starting position via an ingenious system.
An opportunity no less for fans
Fans travelling to Hatta for the Prologue will witness a stage of key importance in deciding the overall honours. Continuing the organisers’ policy of bringing the event to the city to make it as accessible as possible to the legions of motorsports fans across the region, Dubai Festival City will once again serve as the event hub throughout the four days of the event, with the official opening ceremony set to wow the crowds on the evening of 29 November.
The Ceremonial Start will be immediately preceded by the Start Selection Ceremony when the top ten competitors from the Prologue will make their choice of starting position for Special Stage 1. The tenth fastest racer from the Prologue is first to make a selection of starting position in the top ten followed by the ninth fastest who can select a position before, after or on the position of previous competitor and can move the previous racer up or down in the order.
Game of strategy
A fascinating game of strategy ensues as the top competitors make their choices. No one wants to be first on the stage, opening the ‘road’ for the other competitors. Even so, being too far back in the order is also a potential disadvantage, and so the Starting Order Ceremony is always particularly closely watched in the FIA and FIM Bajas World Cup series.
The return to Dubai Festival City for the Opening Ceremony at 7 pm on Friday evening, 29 November, offers fans another opportunity to get close to the competitors and their spectacular machines in the very heart of Dubai. The biggest entertainment, dining and fashion mall in the city sit on the edge of the desert at the doorstep to the city.
The remarkable proximity and inclusion of both the desert setting and the urban landscape are part of the charm of the event, which attracts a world class field across the categories, with many crews citing the unique locations as the one reason they yearn to return year after year.
The inclusion of the protected enclave of Hatta in this year’s event is only possible thanks to the vital support from local agencies and stakeholders including the Dubai Sports Council and the police force.
Muhammad Khamis Al Muhairi, Vice President of the Emirates Motorsports Organization and the UAE Sports Executive Committee, stated: “We are excited to unveil the introduction of a prologue that will amaze and delight our regular competitors with the fascinating terrain in the always welcoming city of Hatta.
“This is an innovation which we are sure will enhance the rally’s appeal for competitors, showcasing a landscape of Dubai that is perhaps less known to the international audience, and providing a fantastic spectacle for the local community to enjoy.
“The event also returns to Dubai Festival City this year, and with this mix, we anticipate a thrilling event that captivates audiences and competitors alike.
“Our collaboration with the Dubai Government, alongside the FIA and FIM, reflects our commitment to delivering a remarkable experience that upholds the highest standards of organisation and safety for all participants and spectators.”
The Dubai International Baja is a premier off-road motorsport event held annually in the UAE. The event marks 45 years since its inception as the Dubai International Rally in 1979. Now in its eighth edition under the Baja format, it draws top competitors from around the globe to take on the challenging dunes of Dubai.
Serving as the final round of both the FIA World Baja Cup and the FIM Bajas World Cup, the Dubai International Baja is primed to reassert its place in the region’s motorsport heritage.
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