Qatar International Baja attracts quality entry list

The Qatar Motor and Motorcycle Federation (QMMF) has released a quality entry list for next weekend’s Qatar International Baja, round six of the FIA World Baja Cup and the FIM Bajas World Cup and the second round of the FIA Middle East Baja Cup. The event takes place from October 30th to November 2nd.
Thirty-eight cars have entered under the various FIA categories with 62 motorcycles and five quads competing under the auspices of the FIM. The FIA section is further broken down into eight cars registered in the Ultimate section, 12 competing in the Challenger group, 13 in SSV and five in the Stock category for series production cross-country machines. Of those entrants, 12 are registered for the FIA World Baja Cup and 14 will challenge for points in the FIA Middle East Baja Cup.
Dennis Krotov tops the car category in an X-Raid Mini JCW Rally 3.0l, where main competition is likely in the Ultimate section from the Overdrive Racing Toyota duo of Dania Akeel and Akira Muira. Miroslav Zapletal will also make the trip directly from this weekend’s Qassim Rally Toyota in Saudi Arabia.
The South Racing Can-Am Team’s Diego Martinez is chasing overall Challenger honours. The Argentine heads the lightweight prototype section against the likes of Eduoard Pons and Khalid al-Jafla in their Taurus T3 Max entries and five similar machines entered by the QMMF for Rashid al-Muhannadi, Abdulaziz al-Kuwari, Khalifa al-Attiya, Nouef al-Sowaidi and Ahmad al-Muhannadi.
Spaniard Fernando Alvarez leads the overall FIA World Baja Cup Drivers’ Championship and the SSV section in his Can-Am Maverick XRS Turbo RR and the Argentina-based Spaniard heads a field that includes his main series rival Joao Ferreira and the title-challenging Amerigo Ventura and João Dias. Ferriera looks to have the Ultimate title in the bag already and has switched from an X-Raid Mini to compete in a Can-Am on this occasion.
Quaddy Racing will run new Yamaha YXR 1000R Sport Shift models for Ventura and Qatar’s Ahmed al-Kuwari with local drivers Mohammed al-Atteya and Abdullah al-Khelaifi also entered in SSVs.
Dutch veteran Erik van Loon will continue test and development work with the new Can-Am Maverick R, but will run in an ‘Experimental’ category and will not be eligible for the official SSV classification.
Local driver Abdullah al-Rabban and Saudi rival Majed al-Thunayyan top the Stock class and are registered for the FIA Middle East Baja Cup.
MX Ride Dubai’s Mohammed al-Balooshi is chasing overall FIM Bajas World Cup honours. The Emirati tops a quality multi-national motorcycle field that includes his two main Portuguese rivals David Megre and Pedro Bianchi Prata, Australian Andrew Houlihan and a host of riders from Poland, Kuwait, Lebanon, Great Britain, Slovenia, Germany, Ireland, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, France, India, Croatia, Canada, Mexico and the USA.
Abdulattif Mojadam, Abdulrahman al-Sheeb and Mohammed al-Thani represent the host nation, while Pole Joanna Modrzewska and India’s Sarah Kashyap will duel for FIM Women’s category honours.
Haitham al-Tuwaijri, Abdulaziz al-Shayban, Hani al-Noumesi and Abdulaziz al-Atawi fly the Saudi flag in the quad category against the Emirati Abdulaziz Ahli in an all-Yamaha line-up.
The event is being organised by the QMMF run under the chairmanship of QMMF President Abdulrahman al-Mannai, QMMF’s Executive Director Amro al-Hamad and board member Abdulrazaq al-Kuwari.