AL-ATTIYAH, ABU AISHAH AND AL-AHLI LEAD AFTER PROLOGUE STAGE OF SAUDI BAJA-HAIL

 AL-ATTIYAH, ABU AISHAH AND AL-AHLI LEAD AFTER PROLOGUE STAGE OF SAUDI BAJA-

HAIL

HAIL (SAUDI ARABIA): Qatar’s Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah, Jordanian rider Abdullah Abu Aishah

and Emirati racer Abdulaziz Ahli set the quickest times in their respective car, motorcycle

and quad categories on the short Prologue stage that got the competitive action underway

at the 2023 Saudi Baja-Hail on Thursday afternoon.

The short stage was increased to 4.08km in length and Al-Attiyah and co-driver Mathieu

Baumel moved into a 12-second lead in the cars with the fastest time of 2min 57sec.

Saudi driver Saleh Al-Saif and his Qatari navigator Nasser Al-Kuwari were second quickest

and led the T3 lightweight prototype category in their Team Black Horse Can-Am Maverick

X3, while defending FIA T4 champion Cristiano Batista and Fausto Moto finished the stage in

third and topped the T4 standings in their South Racing Can-Am.

The opening round of the 2023 FIA World and Middle East Cups for Cross-Country Bajas, the

FIM Bajas World Cup and the Saudi Toyota National Rally Championship attracted 26 starters

in the FIA section, 26 FIM motorcycles and three quads. An impressive number of cars and

bikes have also entered the national status event.

They were flagged away from the ceremonial start at Maghwat by H.R.H. Prince Khalid bin

Sultan Al-Abdullah Al-Faisal, Chairman of the Saudi Automobile and Motorcycle Federation

(SAMF), H.R.H. Prince Abdulaziz bin Saad bin Abdulaziz, Governor of the Hail Region, and

H.R.H. Prince Faisal bin Fahd bin Muqrin, Deputy Emir of the Hail Region.

Several leading drivers and riders had already attended the official pre-event press

conference on Wednesday evening.

The stage times for the bikes and quads were multiplied by a co-efficient to give more of an

incentive for riders to set a competitive time rather than relying on a tactical race strategy.

The talented young Jordanian rider Abdullah Abu Aishah got the better of his rival and friend

Mohammed Al-Balooshi to win the motorcycle section on his KTM Amman-Darwazah

Motors Rally Team bike. His Emirati MX Ride Dubai rival came home in second place and

Great Britain’s Alex McInnes finished third. Local rider Abdulhalim Al-Mogheera and SRG

Motorsport’s Emirati Abdullah Lanjawi rounded off the top five.

Abdulaziz Ahli beat the defending champion Haitham Al-Tuwaijri to top the times in the

quads. Hani Al-Noumesi came home in third place.

The Baja is being managed by the Saudi Motorsport Company, in conjunction with the Saudi

Automobile and Motorcycle Federation (SAMF) and the Ministry of Sport and in partnership

with Abdul Latif Jameel (ALJ) Motors.

Friday

The first of two selective sections through the neighbouring deserts starts at Jubbah on

Friday morning and runs for 230km across rolling desert, gravel tracks and some sand dunes.

The first bike is scheduled to start the competitive section at 08.40hrs, with the leading car

taking the start at 10.17hrs.

2023 Saudi Baja-Hail – positions after Prologue stage (unofficial):

Cars

1. Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah (QAT)/Mathieu Baumel (AND) Toyota Hilux Overdrive 2min 57sec

2. Saleh Al-Saif (SAU)/Nasser Al-Kuwari (QAT) Can-Am Maverick (T3) 3min 09sec

3. Cristiano Batista (BRA)/Fausto Mota (PRT) Can-Am Maverick XRS Turbo (T4) 3min 09sec

4. Otavio Sousa (BRA)/João Ferreira (PRT) Can-Am Maverick X3 (T3) 3min 10sec

5. Meshari Al-Thefiri (KWT)/Oriol Vidal (ESP) Can-Am Maverick (T3) 3min 11sec

6. Krzysztof Holowczyc (POL)/Lukasz Kurzeja (POL) Mini John Cooper Works Rally Plus 3min 12sec

7. Yasir Seaidan (SAU)/Alexei Kuzmich (ARE) Can-Am Maverick X3 (T3) 3min 14sec

8. Jeremie Warnia (FRA)/Loic Minaudier (FRA) Polaris RXR Pro R (T4) 3min 18sec

9. Fernando Alvarez (ARG)/Xavier Panseri (FRA) Can-Am Maverick (T3) 3min 18sec

10. Ricardo Ramilo Suarez (ESP)/Andrei Rudnitskiy (ANA) Can-Am Maverick XRS Turbo (T4) 3min 18sec

11. Luis Maria Henderson (ARG)/Juan Carlos Carignani (ITA) Polaris RXR Pro R (T4) 3min 21sec

12. Kees Koolen (NLD)/Wouter Rosegaar (NLD) G Rally Team OT3 (T3) 3min 21sec

13. Saeed Al-Mouri (SAU)/Ata Al-Hmoud (JOR) Can-Am Maverick XRS Turbo (T4) 3min 22sec

14. Santiago Navarro (ESP)/Adrien Metge (FRA) Can-Am Maverick (T3) 3min 25sec

15. Michele Cinotto (ITA)/Maurizio Dominella (ITA) Polaris RXR Pro R (T4) 3min 25sec

16. Diego Martinez (ESP)/Sergio Lafuente (URY) Can-Am Maverick (T3) 3min 26sec

17. Hamad Al-Harbi (SAU)/Dmytro Tsyro (UKR) Can-Am Maverick (T3) 3min 26sec

18. Dania Akeel (SAU)/Laurent Lichtleuchter (FRA) Can-Am Maverick (T3) 3min 27sec

19. Khaled Al-Feraihi (SAU)/Sébastien Delaunay (FRA) Nissan Patrol Y61 3min 33sec

20. Juan Cruz Yacopini (ARG)/Daniel Oliveras (ESP) Toyota Hilux Overdrive 3min 33sec

T1 unless stated

Bikes (top 20)

1. Abdullah Abu Aishah (JOR) KTM EXC-F 450 28min 00sec

2. Mohammed Al-Balooshi (ARE) KTM 450 Rally 28min 40sec

3. Alex McInnes (GBR) Husqvarna FE 450 29min 04sec

4. Abdulhalim Al-Mogheera (SAU) KTM EXC F 450 30min 00sec

5. Abdullah Lanjawi (ARE) Husqvarna FE 450 30min 08sec

6. Andrew Houlihan (AUS) Husqvarna RFR 450 30min 24sec

7. Ehab Al-Hakeem (LEB) Yamaha WR 450F 30min 40sec

8. Jonathan Finn (CAN) Honda CRF 450 RL 30min 48sec

9. Martin Chalmers (AUS) Beta 450 30min 56sec

10. Mishal Al-Ghuneim (SAU) KTM 450 Rally 31min 52sec

11. Anass Al-Rehyani (SAU) KTM 450 32min 00sec

12. Ahmed Al-Jaber (SAU) KTM 450 32min 40sec

13. Sultan Al-Balooshi (ARE) TM 450 32min 56sec

14. Gerard Lubbinge (NLD) KTM EXC F 450 33min 44sec

15. Abdullah Al-Shatti (KWT) Husqvarna 450 Rally 33min 44sec

16. Brett Hunt (GBR) Husqvarna FE 450 35min 12sec

17. Mohammed Al-Kaabi (QAT) KTM 450 35min 20sec

18. Abdulrahman Al-Sheeb (QAT) KTM 450 35min 20sec

19. Barry Howe (GBR) KTM SXF 450 36min 24sec

20. Sarah Khuraibet (KWT) Husqvarna FE 450 36min 48sec

Quads

1. Abdulaziz Ahli (ARE) Yamaha Raptor 700 28min 32sec

2. Haitham Al-Tuwaijri (SAU) Yamaha Raptor 700 28min 40sec

3. Hani Al-Noumesi (SAU) Yamaha Raptor 700 32min 56sec