Katara to host start of Qatar International Baja today

The Qatar International Baja will be officially flagged away from the iconic amphitheatre in Katara Cultural Village from 7.20pm tonight. Drivers and riders from 33 countries will tackle two days of gruelling competitive action in the Qatar deserts over the weekend with a Prologue stage of 10.01km today afternoon being used to determine the starting order for the first stage on Friday morning.
While local media attention turns to the presence of Nasser Saleh al-Attiyah and a host of Qatari drivers, the event is also the sixth round of the FIA World Baja Cup and the two leading title protagonists, Fernando Alvarez and Joao Ferreira, both realise the importance of achieving a top result in the Lusail-based event.
Argentina-based Alvarez currently leads his Portuguese rival by 19 points in the overall Drivers’ Championship and is well clear of his other competitors in the SSV category at the wheel of his South Racing Can-Am Maverick XRS RR. His co-driver Xavier Panseri has a similar lead in his category.
Ferreira looks to have an unassailable lead in the Ultimate class and has replaced his usual X-Raid Mini JCW Rally for a Can-Am Maverick XRS Turbo RR in Qatar. With third-placed Miguel Toril absent from the event, Edouard Pons, Khalid al-Jafla, Amerigo Ventura and Diego Martinez will be aiming to close the gap and rekindle their title bids. Pons also holds a 19-point lead over al-Jafla in the Challenger category.
Ferreira’s co-driver Filipe Palmeiro is second behind Panseri in the Co-drivers’ Championship. The Portuguese said: “I have been here twice before. The first time was with Yazeed al-Rajhi in 2012 and in 2014 with Martin Kaczmarski. I have good and bad memories of the race. We rolled and crashed with Yazeed. The navigation is always challenging but I like this kind of race. There are very fast tracks with lots of rocks and punctures.”
While Ferreira concentrates on the overall title at the expense of the Ultimate category on this occasion, the top-seeded X-Raid driver Denis Krotov (Mini), Overdrive Racing’s Akira Miura (Toyota) and Czech veteran Miroslav Zapletal (Ford F150) will be aiming to challenge for outright victory.
Miura is making his first appearance in Qatar. The Japanese said: “The futuristic city scape (Doha) really makes an impression. I’m thrilled to have another opportunity to race in a Baja with the Overdrive Team. This time, I’ll be racing in a new model with a wider track and the tyres have been improved based on our experience in Greece.”
Fourteen drivers are registered for FIA Middle East Baja Cup points for a competition where Qatar is the second round of four. Ahmed al-Kuwari holds a seven-point lead over Saudi rivals Saleh al-Saif and Majed al-Thunayyan in the overall standings. Al-Saif is not in Qatar but al-Thunayyan leads the Stock category for series production cross-country machines in his Nissan Patrol.
Overdrive Racing’s Dania Akeel is chasing Middle East Baja Cup honours in her Toyota Hilux, while the Saudi Can-Am duo of Hamad al-Harbi and Maha al-Hameli are concentrating on the Challenger category. Abdulaziz al-Yaeesh and Nasser al-Ajmi are also registered for the Ultimate section in their Nissan Patrols.
Akeel said: “I have some points in the Middle East Cup but I am not sure I will go to the remaining rounds. The plan is to get more seat time in the Ultimate car and that’s why I jumped on this opportunity. I finished second in the race in Saudi last week in this car, where it was very sandy with dunes. This event is known for its hard rocky surface and some dunes.
“I am looking forward to adding to my experience with every kilometre. If that lands us on the podium, I would be very happy for that.”
A large field of motorcycles and quads will tackle the stages in advance of the FIA entrants. Emirati Mohammed al-Balooshi tops the field from closest FIM Bajas World Cup rivals David Megre and Pedro Bianchi Prata. Qatar-based Martin Chalmers suffered a set-back when he lost a wheel and took a tumble during a brief shakedown of his Gas Gas 450 RFR motorcycle today morning.
The amphitheatre being used for the start location in Katara Cultural Village was completed in 2008 and is a crafted balance between classical Greek theatre design and Islamic features. It was officially opened in December 2011 and has a seating capacity of 5,000.
On-stage action in the Qatar International Baja gets underway with a timed Prologue stage of 10.01km from 1.45pm onwards today.