LUSAIL, Qatar: In terms of numbers and strength in depth across the different classes, this week’s Qatar International Baja is the largest ever to be hosted by the Qatar Motor and Motorcycle Federation since 33 bikes tackled the event back in November 2004, with victory on that occasion going to UAE-based German rider Tim Trenker on a KTM.
This week, 51 motorcycles and four quads grace the entry list for the second round of the 2023 FIM Bajas World Cup.
MX Ride Dubai has entered four motorcycles in Qatar and the team’s lead rider Mohammed Al-Balooshi will be hoping to repeat his recent Saudi victory and extend his early lead in the FIM Bajas World Cup. The Emirati has mixed memories of his previous visits to Qatar for the longer cross-country rally and knows full well how tricky the navigation is and how deceptive the terrain can be.
His brother Sultan is 10th in the championship standings and rides a second team bike alongside fellow Emirati Marwan Al-Rahmani and Kuwait’s Abdullah Al-Shatti. Jordan’s Abdullah Abu Aisheh is not present on this occasion.
Qatar-based Australian Martin Chalmers is seeded at two after finishing second to Al-Balooshi in Saudi Arabia, while Briton Alex McInnes is third in the points’ standings after round one and starts at three.
Talented Polish rider Konrad Dabrowski claimed overall victory in last year’s Qatar International Baja and this year’s fourth seed is also the pre-event favorite to win the FIM juniors’ class for riders under 25-years-old on Jan. 1, 2023. He comes into the weekend as both the defending FIM Bajas World Cup and junior champion.
Konrad’s closest junior rival may well be McInnes, who leads the junior section on his Motozone Husqvarna after finishing second in the championship last season. Canadian Jonathan Finn and Italy’s Alessandro Iacovelli will also be chasing points in the juniors.
The experienced KTM rider Mirjam Pol is the defending FIM women’s world champion and leads three rivals into a tussle for honors in Qatar. The Dutchwoman lines up against last year’s runner-up, Poland’s Joanna Modrzewska, Kuwait’s Sarah Khuraibet and Great Britain’s Vanessa Ruck, the latter riding a Honda CRF 450 RX.
Fourteen riders are eligible to score points in the FIM veterans category for over 45s. Australia’s Andrew Houlihan leads the class after his useful ninth-place finish in Saudi Arabia but competition will be intense in the Qatar deserts.
The Husqvarna rider faces a six-strong Italian challenge from Cesare Zacchetti, Francesco Catanese, Fabrizio Macchitella, Alberto Bertoldi, Elio Aglioni and Enrico Tanganelli, while Britain’s Barry Howe also holds European hopes of success alongside Norway’s Ola Floene.
The Qatari trio of Sheikh Mohammed Al-Thani, Mahanna Rashid Al-Naimi and Mohammed Al-Kaabi, South Africa’s Jaco Anderson and Emirati rider Mohammed Al-Shamsi round off the runners eligible for the ceterans’ category.
The competitive action gets underway with a prologue stage on Thursday from 2:15 p.m. onwards. This precedes the ceremonial start at a new location on Lusail Boulevard, starting with the motorcycles and quads from 7:30 p.m.
