After a four-month break, the FIM Bajas World Cup is back in full force with this weekend’s Badajoz-based Baja TT Dehesa Extremadura. Of the 82 riders in the field, 26 are registered for the FIM series and will challenge for World Cup points.
The border town of Badajoz is just a stone’s throw from Portugal. Crossed by the Guadiana River and surrounded by remote landscapes – cork oak forests, meadows and rivers – it offers the perfect setting for this third round of the FIM series.
With the Castelo Branco round of the championship rescheduled for November because of storm damage, young Briton Alex McInnes (KTM) leads the provisional FIM Bajas World Cup standings with 50 points after two rounds in Saudi Arabia and Jordan.
He is followed by Abdulhalim Al-Mogeera (KTM) and reigning champion Mohammed Al-Balooshi (KTM), who are both tied on 36 points apiece.
With last year's Baja winner Tosha Schareina and the current championship leader absent, Al-Balooshi has every chance of scoring big points, even though this type of terrain has never been his forte. He will have to watch out for compatriot Mohammed Ahmad Juma, his brother Sultan Al-Balooshi, the Saudi rider Abdulhalim Al-Mogeera, his current joint closest rival but he will have to be particularly wary of the young Konrad Dabrowski.
Three women are also registered: Spaniards Esther Merino and Sara Garcia are joined by Polish riderJoanna Moderzewska.
Last year's winner Hani Al-Noumesi leads the quad category with 50 points, ahead of Ahmed Al-Jaber, who is tied with Abdulaziz Al-Atawi on 36 points. Al-Noumesi will be keen to keep the five other quads well behind him. Both his main rivals are present, in addition to Pole Marcin Wilkolek.
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
Friday, June 19: Administrative and technical checks are based at the Centro Joven Puente Real in Badajoz. After the official announcement of the list of riders authorised to start, competitors will contest a Prologue, initially scheduled for Elvas, Portugal, but moved to Campo Maior due to unforeseen circumstances that arose at the last minute.
Saturday, June 20: Race action will be condensed into a single day and will consist of two 228km loops south of Badajoz, in addition to the previous day’s Prologue.
All results and information are available on SPORTITY - code BEXT26BIKE.