Saudi Arabian driver Yazid Al-Rajhi and Jordanian riders Abdullah Abu Aisha and Saudi Arabian Abdul Majeed Al-Khulaifi dominated the classifications in the car, motorcycle, two-wheeler and four-wheeler “Quad” categories, in the special stage of Baja Saudi Arabia – Hail 2022 , with a distance of 3.91 kilometres, which took place on Thursday afternoon.
The Baha will span three days and be part of the competition, as it is the seventh (penultimate) round of the FIA Baha Rally World Cup “FIA-Baja”, and the third (penultimate) round of the FIA Baha Rally World Cup” FIA-Baja” Baha Rally Middle East Cup.” Baja Middle East”, the seventh (penultimate) round of the FIM-Baja Baha Rally World Cup, and the third (penultimate) round of the 2022 Saudi Toyota Desert Rally Championship
Yazid, with his German co-driver Dirk von Zsitswitz, managed to clear the stage distance in 3:09.9 minutes, in a Toyota “Hilux Overdrive”, 8.8 seconds ahead of their closest rivals, Brazilian driver Cristiano de Souza Batista and the Portuguese navigator Fausto Motta. The fastest in the category of light desert vehicles from mass production “T4” in its “Can-Am”. Czech driver Miroslav Zablital, the main contender for Yazid’s World Rally Championship title, finished third with his Slovak co-driver Marek Sikora in a Ford F-150 Evo. The Spanish driver, Fernando Alvarez, with his co-driver Frenchman, Xavier Pansieri, finished the stage in fourth place, and first in the T3 category, with the Can-Am vehicle.
Young Jordanian cyclist Abdullah Abu-Eisheh dominated the two-wheeled motorcycle category, clocking 3:33 minutes on his KTM 450 Rally Factory bike, followed by British riders Alex MacInnes and Makis-Rhys Stavros.
Saudi Arabian cyclist Abdul Majeed Al-Khulaifi set the fastest time in the “Quad” four-wheel motorcycle category, aboard a Yamaha “Raptor”, nine seconds ahead of his compatriot Abdulaziz Al-Ahly, and Abdul Majeed was also fastest of the riders in the two-wheeled motorcycle category.
After the opening ceremony at the Al-Magwa celebrations theme park, the participants went through a special qualifying stage, the rally organizers shortened the distance from 18 kilometers to 3.91 kilometers. There were 19 cars in the international rally, 31 two-wheeled motorcycles and four-wheeled quads and 25 cars in the national rally category.
The two Saudi drivers, Majid Al-Thunayan and Yahya Ali Abdo, were excluded from the international rally category due to the fact that their cars did not comply with the strict regulations and laws in force in the technical examination, while the Saudi driver, Maha Al -Hamli, with his Swedish co-driver, Annie Seal, has decided to retire from the international rally category and participate in The National Rally category in a Can-Am light desert vehicle with the colors of the “Dark Horse Team”.
In addition, the Saudi Automobile and Motorcycle Federation, led by His Royal Highness Prince Khaled bin Sultan Al-Abdullah Al-Faisal, is overseeing the organization of the seventh (penultimate) round of the FIA Baha Rally World Cup, and the third (penultimate) ) round) of the FIA Baha Middle East Cup, seventh (penultimate) round of the FIM Baha Rally World Cup and third (penultimate) round of the Saudi Toyota Rally Championship Desert 2022, in collaboration with the Ministry of Sports and the Authority for the Development of hail region, and under the generous sponsorship of His Royal Highness Prince Abdulaziz bin Saad Al Saud, Prince of Hail, and the Chairman of the Supreme Committee for the Development of Hail, and his deputy, His Royal Highness Prince Faisal bin Fahd bin Muqrin Al Saud, and in partnership with Abdul Latif Jameel Motors.
Tomorrow (Friday), the participants will tackle a slightly modified special stage, with a distance of 229.52km, on tracks extending west of Hail. It bears the name of the city of Jubbah, which is located 90 kilometers northwest of Hail, on the ancient caravan route between Najd and the eastern Mediterranean.
Results after the special review phase:
Car category
01- Yazid Al-Rajhi (Saudi Arabia) / Dirk von Zestwitz (Germany) – Toyota Hilux Overdrive – 3:09.9 minutes
02- Cristiano de Sousa Batista (Brazil) / Fausto Motta (Portugal) – Cannes-AM “Maverick XRS Turbo RR” (T3) – 3:18.7 minutes
03 – Miroslav Zapletal (Czech Republic) / Marek Sykora (Slovakia) – Ford F-150 Evo – 3:20.5 minutes
04- Fernando Alvarez (Spain) / Xavier Pansieri (France) – Cannes – M “Maverick X3” (T3) – 3:21.5 minutes
05- Saleh Al-Saif (Saudi Arabia) / Tariq Saleh Al-Rammah (Saudi Arabia) – Cannes – mother of “Maverick X3” (T3) – 3:21.5 minutes
06- Egidius Valjesa (Lithuania) / Mindaugas Varza (Lithuania) – Cannes-AM Maverick XRS Turbo (T4) – 3:26.5min
07 – Alia Koloch (UAE) / Stephane Doble (France) – Cannes – mother of “Baguera DV21” – 3:31.4 minutes
08- Hamad Al-Harbi (Saudi Arabia) / Dmytro Tsero (Ukraine) – Cannes – mother of “Maverick X3” (T3) – 3:34.0 minutes
09- Kees Köln (Netherlands) / Paolo Secchi (Italy) – Can-AM “Maverick XRS Turbo” (T4) – 3:34.0 minutes
10- Mashari Al-Dhafiri (Kuwait) Auriol Vidal Montejano (Spain) – Can-Am “Maverick XRS Turbo” (T4) – 3:34.2 minutes
motorcycle category:
01- Abdullah Abu Aisha (Jordan) – “KTM” “450 Factory Rally” – 3:33.0 minutes
02- Alex McInnes (GBR) – Husqvarna “FE 450” – 3:37,7 minutes
03- Makis Reese – Stavros (GBR) – KTM EXCF450 – 3:47.0 minutes
04- Mohammed Al Balushi (UAE) – “TM 450” – 3:52.6 minutes
05- Salman Al-Farhan (Bahrain) – Husqvarna “FE 450” – 3:59.6 minutes
06- Martin Chalmers (Qatar) – Honda “CRF450” – 4:01.4 minutes
07- Abdullah Al-Shatti (Kuwait) – Kawasaki “KC450” – 4:09.1 minutes
08- Ihab Al-Hakim (Saudi Arabia) – Yamaha “WR450F” – 4:15.7 minutes
09- Margot Lopera (ESP) – KTM EXC450 – 4:21.1 minutes
10- Othman Al-Ghafili (UAE) – Honda CRF450 – 4:21.8 minutes
Four-wheel motorcycle category “Quad”:
01- Abdul Majeed Al-Khulaifi (Saudi Arabia) – Yamaha “Raptor 700” – 3:32.7 minutes
02- Abdulaziz Ahli (Saudi Arabia) – Yamaha YFZ 450R – 3:41.2 minutes
03- Hani Al Nomsi (Saudi Arabia) – Yamaha “Raptor 700” – 4:11.4 minutes
04- Haitham Al-Tuwaijri (Saudi Arabia) – Yamaha “Raptor 700” – 5:01.7 minutes
