The penultimate round of the FIM Bajas World Cup took place in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia this weekend.
After a Prologue that was shortened to just 3.9km, riders tackled a selective section of 229km on Friday and 183km on Saturday. Mohammed Al-Balooshi (Husqvarna) claimed the motorcycle laurels and Haitham Al-Tuwaijri (Yamaha) topped the quad category.
The Baja had started well for the Briton Alex McInnes (Husqvarna) who, on Friday, won the opening stage by 93 seconds from his compatriot Makis Rees-Stavros (KTM). However, winning a stage means being the first to start the next day and it’s never easy. Unfortunately, while opening the 183.42km stage, McInnes crashed heavily, fractured his nose and wrist and sustained a back injury.
His retirement opened the way for several pursuers to challenge for the win. Al-Balooshi finished the last stage with the fifth fastest time but that allowed the Emirati to win the Saudi Baja for a second time with a 4min 24sec advantage over Kuwait’s Abdullah Al-Shatti.
After time penalties were added to stage times, local rider Mishal Al-Ghuneim rounded off the podium finishers, while Anass Al-Reheyani and Abdullah Abu Aisheh finished fourth and fifth overall.
In the quad category, Abdulaziz Ahli, Abdulmajeed Al-Khulaifi and Hani Al-Noumesi incurred hefty time penalties for missing route waypoints. That paved the way for Al-Tuwaijri to take the top step of the podium.
Margot Llobera (Husqvarna) finished as the first female rider, the Egyptian Hussein Hassan (Beta) triumphed in the Junior category and Othman Al-Ghfeli (Honda) clinched success in the Veterans’ section.
The final round of the FIM Bajas World Cup starts in Dubai on December 1.
FIM Bikes
1. Mohammed Al-Balooshi (ARE) TM 450. 5hr 41min 14sec
2. Abdullah Al-Shatti (KWT) Kawasaki KC 450 5hr 45min 38sec
3. Mishal Al-Ghuneim (SAU) Husqvarna 450 Rally 5hr 46min 02sec
4. Anass Al-Reheyani (SAU) KTM EXC F 450 5hr 46min 02sec
5. Abdullah Abu Aishah (JOR) KTM 450 Factory Rally 5hr 51min 25sec
6. Martin Chalmers (QAT) Honda CRF 450 5hr 54min 32sec
7. Makis Rees-Stavros (GBR) KTM EXC F 450 5hr 55min 02sec
8. Abdulhalim Al-Mogheera (SAU) KTM EXC 450 5hr 57min 53sec
9. Brett Hunt (GBR) Husqvarna FE 450. 5hr 59min 22sec
10. Hussein Hassan (EGY) Beta 430 RR. 7hr 10min 36sec
11. Othman Al-Ghfeli (SAU) Honda CRF 4540 R. 7hr 11min 17sec
12. Salman Mohamed Farhan (BAH) Husqvarna FE 450. 7hr 17min 52sec
FIM Quads
1. Haitham Al-Tuwaijri (SAU) Yamaha Raptor 700. 6hr 09min 48sec
2. Abdulaziz Ahli (SAU) Yamaha YFZ 450R 31hr 22min 47sec
3. Hani Al-Noumesi (SAU) Yamaha Raptor 700 41hr 49min 11sec
FIM Communications