X-Raid Mini Team’s Denis Krotov and Konstantin Zhiltsov overtook the overnight-leading Dania Akeel and Stephane Duple to snatch a first victory in an enthralling three-day Qatar International Baja yesterday. Meanwhile, MX Ride Dubai’s Mohammed al-Balooshi (KTM) delivered one of the greatest rides of his career to overturn a 15-minute deficit and upstage teammate Abdullah al-Shatti and win for the second time in the motorcycle category after the Kuwaiti suffered a niggling gearbox issue. Saudi Arabia’s Hani al-Noumesi (Yamaha) won the quad section.
Yesterday’s action featured one stage of 251.10km that started to the east of Dukhan and wound its way through the western Qatar deserts before cutting across the country to take in the dunes near Sealine and the Inland Sea in the south. The special then turned north to finish south of the Al Udeid Air Base, east of Mesaieed.
Dania Akeel was first on the road and attempting to become the first woman ever to win a Baja-type event in the Middle East. She had a 1min 32.9sec lead to defend but Krotov applied the pressure from the outset. It took the Mini driver over 45 minutes to catch the determined Saudi but he gained the virtual rally lead on the run southeast before the run towards the dunes and the Inland Sea.
Akeel kept Krotov in her sights for much of the stage but the X-Raid driver gave the new petrol-engined Mini JCW Rally 3.0i a maiden win by a somewhat flattering margin of 30min 06.7sec.
A delighted Krotov said: “I am very happy to come back to Qatar and take the win with the new petrol Mini. This race is very challenging and tough for the driver, co-driver and the car. I am proud that we have the first victory with X-Raid in the new car. I am sure this project has a great future. Thanks to the organisers for an amazing race. Our crew was on the podium last year and now we have won.”
Cruelly, Akeel stopped shortly before the stage finish with a broken steering arm and was deprived of her second runner-up spot in as many weekends in her Overdrive Racing Toyota Hilux. She managed to make desperate emergency repairs and reached the finish in fifth place.
Her misfortune paved the way for the Portuguese pairing of Joao Ferreira and Filipe Palmeiro to snatch second overall and vital FIA World Baja Cup points in their Can-Am Maverick XRS Turbo RR. Their Santag Racing team-mates Joao Dias and Gonçalo Reis rounded off the podium places in the second of the Can-Ams.
Czech driver Miroslav Zapletal was fourth in his self-built Ford F-150 Evo, Akeel’s teammate Akira Miura finished sixth after a late time penalty for a tyre infringement and South Racing’s Fernando Alvarez collected valuable FIA World Baja Cup points for finishing seventh and sixth of the registered drivers.
Eighth-placed Anja van Loon (Can-Am) won the Challenger category after Khalid al-Jafla (Taurus) incurred a late seven-minute time penalty and slipped to 10th behind Rashid al-Muhannadi.
Qatari drivers Abdulaziz al-Kuwari and Ahmed al-Kuwari were fastest on the last stage in the Challenger and SSV categories. Abdullah al-Rabban won the Stock category in his Nissan Patrol.
Engine issues prevented local hero Nasser Saleh al-Attiyah from restarting and Kuwait’s Nasser al-Ajmi was also sidelined with mechanical issues.
Time penalties of two hours were awarded to both Salem al-Dhafeeri and Abdulaziz al-Yaeesh on Friday evening for running off-road tyres not fitted with FIA bar codes. Al-Yaeesh also relinquished any points he would have earned in the FIA Middle East Baja Cup.
Numerous time penalties for route violations were imposed on a large number of the bike entrants before the final stage. Al-Shatti emerged unscathed and opened the stage trying to defend a lead of 7min 29.1sec over Badr al-Hamdan, after the Saudi rider’s hefty overnight penalties were withdrawn yesterday because of a GPS error.
FIM Bajas World Cup title contenders, al-Balooshi, Pedro Bianchi Prata and David Megre, were classified in fifth, 11th and 19th. American rider Terrell Thien withdrew before the restart with physical fatigue and was joined on a growing list of retirements by Hanno Geyser, Mishal al-Ghuneim, Norbert Swietochowski, Han-Yeh Chiang and Karsten Hoitz.
Al-Shatti was happy for Gregor Mikl and Pole Filip Grot to pass him and lead the way after the start and the Kuwaiti rode alongside teammate al-Balooshi. The quartet ran close together on the run south with al-Shatti using the ‘safety in numbers’ tactic to guide him through the closing stage. FIM Veteran class rider Andrew Houlihan and Canadian Matthew Glade retired with rear tyre mousse issues. Muhamad Plicanic (Yamaha) and Frederic Fontarosa (Kove) also broke down.
After refuelling, al-Balooshi and al-Shatti pulled away from their European challengers and headed for the dunes and the Inland Sea. The Emirati then pulled clear of Grot and al-Shatti but al-Hamdan had started 36th on the road after his time penalty and was running strongly in the chasing pack until he lost time in the dunes. Briton Robert Wallace had struggled to keep his KTM running and then stopped to support Mikl, who crashed out of the Baja and was suffering from heat exhaustion.
Al-Balooshi claimed the stage win in 3hr 48min 15.8sec to earn a sensational second victory in the event. He had started the stage 15min 33.8sec behind his friend and team-mate and pulled away on the run south to beat al-Shatti by 23min 47.4sec.
Briton Alex McInnes rounded off the podium places and Pole Filip Grot and Rafic Eid finished fourth and fight after a gruelling two-wheel event held in punishing heat.
The Portuguese duo of Pedro Bianchi Prata and David Megre kept the FIM Bajas World Cup title fight alive with sixth and seventh places but trail al-Balooshi heading to the last three rounds in Portugal, Jordan and Dubai. Isle of Man TT legend James Hillier completed the event in 10th.
Al-Noumesi fended off Abdulaziz al-Atawi to seal an emphatic victory in the quad category after lengthy delays for third-placed Abdulaziz al-Shayban on Friday.