Nasser Saleh Al Attiyah in action in the UAE this weekend.
Lusail: The Qatar Motor and Motorcycle Federation (QMMF) has received an overwhelming response for entries for the forthcoming Qatar International Baja, which will host the second rounds of the FIA World and Middle East Cups for Cross-Country Bajas and round two of the FIM Bajas World Cup from March 15 to 18.
With international cross-country rallying attention switched to this week’s Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge in the UAE, the QMMF is expecting a late flurry of additional entries before the closing date on March 1.
Officials in Qatar are currently finalising the start and finish locations and fine tuning the route for the 2023 Baja, which will again run under the chairmanship of QMMF President Abdulrahman Al Mannai, QMMF’s Executive Director Amro Al Hamad and board member Abdulrazaq Al Kuwari.
Competitive action gets underway with a Prologue stage on March 16 from 15.00hrs.
The FIM, the governing body for world motorcycle racing, has recently announced minor changes to the later events in the 2023 FIA Bajas World Cup calendar and a revised competition format for this season.
Riders have already taken part in the opening round in Saudi Arabia and Emirati Mohammed Al Balooshi will bring a five-point advantage over the Qatar-based Australian rider Martin Chalmers into the Qatar Baja weekend next month.
This year’s FIM Bajas World Cup now comprises eight rounds in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, two in Spain, Hungary, Portugal, Dubai and Jordan and a rider will be able to count his best six scores towards the final classification.
Qatar’s national hero Nasser Saleh Al Attiyah won the car category of the Saudi Baja and holds an eight-point cushion over his Toyota team-mate Juan Cruz Yacopini in the FIA World Cup for Cross-Country Bajas Drivers’ Championship.
Polish veteran Krzysztof Holowczyc is third.
It’s an all-Saudi affair at the top of the FIA Middle East Cup standings. Yasir Seaidan claimed maximum points and leads the way from Hamad Al Harbi and Abdullah Al Shegawi.
The QMMF is offering generous concessions to competitors who pass both administration and scrutineering checks. Entrants in the FIA car, T3 and T4 categories from the GCC will be offered a shipping allowance of $3,000, with international entrants receiving $6,000 if they started their trip from an international destination.
GCC motorcycle and quad riders will be eligible for $1,500 and $3,000 will be offered to international riders starting their trips from international destinations.
The QMMF will also book economy class return tickets for drivers and co-drivers after entry fees have been paid and a twin hotel room with breakfast will be offered for five nights.
