The Qatar International Baja will be the penultimate round of the FIM Bajas World Cup on November 6th-8th. The final round will then be held in Dubai at the end of the month.
Following the cancellation of August’s Hungarian Baja, the series will be contested over just seven rounds. Action kicked off in early February with the Hail Baja across the deserts of north-central Saudi Arabia and that was followed by Baja Escuderia Castelo Branco across winding tracks and wet conditions in Portugal.
British rider Alex McInnes secured his first victory in the opening round and Junior rider Martin Ventura followed that with a win in round two.
MX Ride Dubai’s Mohammed Al-Balooshi then confirmed his fifth victory at the Jordan Baja in April, an event that was held across the spectacular Wadi Rum desert in southern Jordan. This success propelled the defending champion back into contention for the title.
The FIM Bajas World Cup then returned to Europe for a pair of Bajas in Spain. Honda factory rider Tosha Schareina overcame challenging muddy conditions to defeat Javi Vega at the Baja TT Dehesa Extremadura, while Lorenzo Santolino (Sherco) took the victory in Baja Spain Aragón.
Now, riders return to the vast expanses of the Middle East desert for an event in Qatar that runs over a total course of 773.83km and offers 453.21km against the clock.
Fifty-seven motorcycles and four quads will undergo administration and technical checks on Wednesday (November 5th) at the Lusail International Circuit, north of Doha. This will be the nerve centre of the event over the weekend.
On Thursday, November 6th, riders will tackle a 10km Prologue to determine the starting order for the opening special stage – a 363km day that includes 219km against the clock on Friday, November 7th.
Competitors will then tackle a route of 408km on Saturday, November 9th with 234km timed against the clock before the podium and awards ceremony at the iconic ‘Way to the World Cup’ viewing point onDoha Corniche.
Dubai-based Al-Balooshi will start the event with a nine-point lead over his Lebanese team-mateRafic Eid in the 450cc World Cup standings.
Polish rider Konrad Dabrowski (Duust Rally)won the Qatar International Baja in 2022 and 2023 and will be a serious contender to watch. He is currently 13 points behind Spaniard Victor Manuel Moya Aguilera in the race to become the top junior rider in 2025. Rafic Eid leads the Veterans’ category by six points from Al-Balooshi.
The FIM Bajas World Cup also features a very popular women’s category: Alona Ben Natan (Husqvarna) leads with 58 points, but she will have to contend with Joanna Modrzewska of the Duust Rally Team - who is determined to reach the top step of the podium - and Kuwait’s Sarah Khuraibet.
Hani Al-Noumesi won the quad category at the Qatar International Baja in 2024 and also leads this year’s points standings. His rivals include fellow Saudi Abdulaziz Al-Atawi, Emirati Abdulaziz Ahli and local rider Yaghoob Azadi.
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