Al Attiyah sets Dubai Baja pace with stage victory

Qatar’s Nasser Al Attiyah seized the lead of the Dubai International Baja on Saturday, winning the first major desert stage by five minutes and 16.7 seconds as Britain’s Alex McInnes established a commanding advantage in the motorcycle competition.

Al Attiyah, accompanied by French co-driver Max Delfino in an Optimus MD Rallye, completed the 177.24km timed section through Al Qudra in two hours, 41 minutes and 59.9 seconds. Dutch driver Mitchel van den Brink and navigator Bart van Heun finished second in a Can-Am Maverick R.

The UAE’s Mansour Al Helei, partnered by Khalid Al Kendi, placed third in another Can-Am, eight minutes and 39.8 seconds behind the leader. His performance strengthened his position in the contest for the FIA World Baja Cup title in the side-by-side vehicle category.

Saturday’s stage also reshaped the overall FIA World Baja Cup championship contest. Portugal’s Francisco Barreto, who entered the Dubai round leading the standings, finished fourth alongside co-driver Paulo Fiúza in a Toyota Hilux IMT Evo, 10 minutes and 33.2 seconds behind Al Attiyah.

Barreto remained ahead in the championship battle, although Van den Brink gained valuable time on his principal rival. The Dutchman’s second-place finish kept him firmly involved in the title contest before Sunday’s final stage.

South Africa’s Saood Variawa, another contender entering the season finale, retired with mechanical problems midway through Saturday’s competition. Variawa and co-driver Charan Moore had finished second in Friday’s short prologue at Mushrif Park, but their Toyota could not complete the longer desert test.

Van den Brink described the stage as enjoyable and praised the performance of his vehicle after finishing first among the World Cup entrants. His result also placed him at the head of the Challenger classification, although Al Attiyah remained ahead overall. The final stage would decide both championship contests.

The opening stage presented a sharp contrast with the 4.80km prologue. Crews negotiated changing sand conditions, steep dunes and demanding navigation, with reliability becoming a significant factor as the field tackled the first extended timed section.

McInnes meanwhile won the 193.90km motorcycle stage in two hours, 38 minutes and 54.5 seconds aboard a KTM 450 RFR. Fellow Briton Ethan Lane, riding a Yamaha YZF 450, finished three minutes and 17.2 seconds behind, while Slovenia’s Toni Mulec took third on a KTM.

Including the prologue, McInnes held an overall advantage of three minutes and 17.9 seconds over Lane. Mulec was third, eight minutes and seven seconds behind the leader, with Poland’s Konrad Dąbrowski fourth at nine minutes and 40.1 seconds.

Dąbrowski, winner of the previous two Dubai editions, had been among the leading contenders but could not match McInnes across the longer stage. France’s Romain Dumontier occupied fifth overall, followed by the UAE’s Abdulla Lanjawi in sixth.

Lane’s second place kept the motorcycle contest alive, while Mulec remained within striking distance of a podium finish. Saturday’s result also left Dąbrowski facing a sizeable deficit despite his record at the Dubai event.

The result was significant for McInnes in the FIM Bajas World Cup title race. His championship challenger Abdulhalim Al Mogheera lost substantial time during the desert stage, leaving the British rider better placed ahead of the final day without settling the championship.

Mechanical failures also affected prominent home competitors. Mohammed Al Balooshi, a two-time Dubai Baja winner, withdrew after encountering trouble during the second half of the motorcycle stage. He had been running among the leading five riders before the problem ended his challenge.

The quad category lost its defending winner when Abdulaziz Ahli, champion of the previous four Dubai editions, also retired because of mechanical difficulties. His withdrawal ensured that the competition would produce a different winner this year.

Khalifa Al Bastaki of the UAE moved into the quad lead on a Yamaha Raptor 700. His cumulative time stood at three hours, 31 minutes and 26.9 seconds, giving him an advantage of 25 minutes and 26.5 seconds over compatriot Ali Al Marzooqi.

Al Bastaki had completed Saturday’s timed section in three hours, 28 minutes and two seconds, building on his victory in the quad category at the Qatar International Baja the previous weekend.

Oman’s Hamed Al Wahaibi finished seventh in the car classification. The Dubai event is scheduled to continue on Sunday, with the final desert stage including 191.58km of timed competition for motorcycle and quad entrants.