Al-Attiyah claims victory at 2026 Hail Baja international rally

The Hail Baja Toyota International Rally 2026 ended on Saturday with Nasser Al-Attiyah claiming overall victory. (Supplied)
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Updated 01 February 2026
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Al-Attiyah claims victory at 2026 Hail Baja international rally

HAIL: The Hail Baja Toyota International Rally 2026 ended on Saturday with Nasser Al-Attiyah claiming overall victory, completing the event in a total time of 4 hours, 6 minutes, 23 seconds. Yazeed Al-Rajhi finished second with 4:07:05, while Dania Akeel secured third place with 4:20:47.

The event was organized by the Saudi Automobile and Motorcycle Federation, in cooperation with the Ministry of Sport, the Hail Region Emirate and the Hail Region Development Authority, with Jameel Motorsport as official partner alongside the Saudi Motorsport Marshals Club.

The winners were crowned by Mansour Al-Mokbel, CEO of Saudi Motorsport Company, in the presence of Prince Abdulaziz bin Saad bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud, chairman of the Hail Region Development Authority board.

The ceremony followed the second and final stage of the rally, which was hosted in Baqaa and covered a total distance of 323 km, including 151 km of the timed special stage.

The event brought together 152 drivers and navigators from 26 nationalities, including 72 Saudis, with 93 vehicles competing across six categories.

Overall classification — Hail Baja Toyota International Rally 2026

FIA Ultimate Category

Nasser Al-Attiyah (Qatar)

Yazeed Al-Rajhi (Saudi Arabia)

Dania Akeel (Saudi Arabia)

FIA Challenger Category

Yasir Bin Saiedan (Saudi Arabia)

Hamad Al-Wuhaibi (Oman)

Abdulaziz Al-Kuwari (Qatar)

FIA SSV Category

Fernando Alvarez (Argentina)

Mansour Al-Helai (UAE)

Erik van Loon (Netherlands)

FIA Stock Category

Majed Al-Thunayan (Saudi Arabia)

Abdullah Al-Shegawi (Saudi Arabia)

Al-Mashna Al-Shammari (Saudi Arabia)

FIM Motorcycles Category

Alex McInnes (Great Britain)

Mohammed Al-Balooshi (UAE)

Sultan Al-Balooshi (UAE)

FIM Quad Bikes Category

Hani Al-Noumesi (Saudi Arabia)

Abdulaziz Al-Atwi (Saudi Arabia)

Ahmed Al-Jaber (Saudi Arabia)

Saudi Toyota Baja Championship

Ultimate Cars Category

Faris Al-Shammari (Saudi Arabia)

Motab Al-Qnon (Saudi Arabia)

Khalaf Al-Shammari (Saudi Arabia)

SSV Category

Prince Sultan bin Turki bin Sultan (Saudi Arabia)

Mashael Al-Huwaish (Saudi Arabia)

Abdulmoeen Al-Shawaf (Saudi Arabia)

Stock Category

Mohammed Al-Asiri (Saudi Arabia)

Salem Al-Quraini (Saudi Arabia)

Hatem Al-Shammari (Saudi Arabia)

The Hail Baja international rally is considered one of the region’s premier motorsport events. It has been a key fixture on the desert rally calendar for more than two decades, offering high standards and an exciting sporting experience for both competitors and spectators. The rally also holds an important position on the calendars of several regional and international championships, reinforcing its status as one of the standout cross-country rallies in the region and reflecting Saudi Arabia’s growing reputation as a global motorsport destination.


Norway’s Carlsen wins first FIDE Freestyle World Chess Championship

Updated 16 February 2026
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Norway’s Carlsen wins first FIDE Freestyle World Chess Championship

Norway’s Magnus Carlsen added ‌another crown to his collection on Sunday by becoming the first official FIDE Freestyle Chess world champion after ​a comeback win over Fabiano Caruana in Germany.
The chess master secured the title with a cautious draw in the fourth and final game, clinching a 2.5–1.5 match victory against his 33-year-old American opponent in Weissenhaus.
Sunday’s turning point came in the thrilling third game, in ‌which Carlsen, ‌35, pulled off a stunning ​win ‌from ⁠a ​seemingly lost ⁠position, swinging the entire contest in his favor.
The world number one only needed a draw in the decisive fourth game, and that’s exactly what he got in an equal endgame, with Caruana missing late opportunities to mount a ⁠comeback.
Carlsen has now won 21 world ‌titles in various formats.

 

The ‌World Championship marked a breakthrough ​collaboration between FIDE and ‌private organizer Freestyle Chess, staging the first ‌officially recognized title in this format.
Carlsen had previously failed to capture the FIDE Fischer Random World Championship, making this victory particularly sweet for the chess great.
In ‌the bronze medal match, Uzbekistan’s Nodirbek Abdusattorov beat Germany’s Vincent Keymer, securing ⁠his spot ⁠by drawing from a winning position in the final game.
Both finalists and Abdusattorov have qualified for next year’s championship.
The tournament’s lower placings saw Hans Niemann of the United States take fifth with a 2-0 victory over India’s Arjun Erigaisi, while Armenia’s Levon Aronian won his Armageddon game against Uzbekistan’s Javokhir Sindarov for seventh place.
In the women’s exhibition match, Kazakhstan’s ​Bibisara Assaubayeva prevailed over ​Switzerland’s Alexandra Kosteniuk after their final encounter ended in a draw.