The crews have arrived in Dubai and preparations are complete in the Service Park, Festival City Mall ahead of tomorrow’s final event in international off-road rallying season, the Dubai International Baja this week (November 28- December 1)
There is much cause for optimism for local fans ahead of the event which begins with the free to attend Qualifying Stage at Hatta at 14:30 with Mohammed Al Balooshi aiming for back to back wins on motorbikes while all-time great rallying hero Nasser al Attiyah from Qatar is back to defend his automobiles title with his own team..
For Al Balooshi, who heads into his home event leading the FIM Bajas World Cup Standings the prospect of securing a third win at home and taking a third World Cup title to go with it, is an exciting one as he explained at the pre-event press conference:
“I’m very happy to be participating in the 45th edition and I very lucky to have participated in all eight Baja,” he said.
“This year the situation is different. I’m more relaxed. Last year was very high pressure. This year, the main task of the world championship is done and now the main task is to defend the Dubai International Baja title. I’ll give 100%.
“I’m injury free this year, I’m healthy, I feel I’m fit. I’m ready to win the world title and to win the Dubai International Baja on our national day. This is the icing on the cake.
“I look forward. I train all year for this moment. This is our race, our round of the season. I’ve done quite well in all the rounds so far this season and it’s time to bring it home now.”
For Nasser Al Attiyah, the defending and 12-time winner of the event had one simple answer when asked why he keeps coming back to the Dubai International Baja year after year:
“I love Dubai,” he said. “To be honest, I didn’t want to miss this race event though I won’t be driving the car that I will use in Dakar.
“This time is completely different. I am running a new team Nasser Racing. I need to look after my drivers but at some point I need to compete. Mr Mahir (Badri, CEO of the EMSO), was pushing me and I said ‘yes, definitely,’.
“I love to compete. Really I am so happy. This is such an important race in Baja and on the FIA calendar. It’s one of the best locations in the world . Everybody wants to come here to Dubai and the time that race is happening, it’s a great date. We are in good hands and thanks to everybody who made this happen.”
Speaking at the final press conference ahead of the event (Thursday 28th November) Mr Mahir Badri, CEO of the EMSO said:
“On 2nd of December, 1971, history was made and Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid became the founding fathers of a nation. Their vision shaped the future of what we know today as the United Arab Emirates.
“In appreciation and gratitude, the Dubai International Baja’s final Stage has been named in honor of Zayed and Rashid.
“We’ve introduced several exciting changes this year. One of the most significant is the addition of a stage in Hatta, a beautiful city that offers a challenging and rocky terrain for competitors.
“Today, as we are celebrating the National Day of the UAE, we also celebrate 45 years of the Dubai International Baja, the final round of the FIA and FIM World Baja Championships.
“This event would not have been possible without the support of the Government of Dubai and its entities, including Dubai Police, Civil Defense, and Dubai Sports Council.
“We are also deeply grateful to our partners – Al Futtaim Group, Toyota, Festival City
Mall, and Emirates National Oil Company (ENOC) – for elevating this event to new heights.”
Fans are already soaking up the atmosphere and enjoying the spectacle of the world’s top off road rallying crews fine tuning their vehicles and running through their plans for three tough days of arduous motorsport in the physically and technically demanding terrain offered by an event celebrating its 45th edition this year.
For the teams and spectators, the addition of a Qualifying Stage in Hatta tomorrow at 14:30 is a considerable focus of attention. The unforgiving, rocky terrain in Hatta is amongst the most beautiful in the Middle East but is uncharted territory for most of the teams and carries the potential to badly compromise their event just as it begins.
After the teams vacate the Service Park tomorrow crowds will flock to Hatta for the all-important opening stage and a first opportunity to see the teams in action in Hatta since the Dubai International Rally switched to Baja machinery in 2016.
Following the completion of the action in Hatta the crews and fans will make their way back to Dubai Festival Mall for the Start Selection Ceremony and the Ceremonial Start with the entertainment starting at 19:00.
Al Jalila Foundation, global healthcare philanthropic organisation, has joined the Dubai International Baja family as the official charity party. Al Jalila Foundation leads the giving mission of Dubai Health and is dedicated to transforming patients lives.A record entry of cars, motorcycles and quads is already in place ahead of the Qualifying Stage in Hatta.
Portugal’s Joao Ferreira heads to Dubai with a nine-point lead over previous series leader Fernando Alvarez (Argentina) in the race to become the FIA World Cup Champion of 2024.
Titles are still up for grabs in numerous categories and all eyes will be on Emirati driver Khalid Aljalfa who took overall victory at the penultimate round in Jordan two weeks ago. Aljalfa is now level on points in the Challenger class with Spain’s Edoardo Pons and both are also tied for third overall.
Once again the event has garnered vital support from the Al Futtaim Group who will be hosting the event at the Dubai Festival City and supplying logistical support through Al Futtaim Toyota.
Jacques Brent, Managing Director of Toyota and Lexus, Al Futtaim Motors:
“It’s truly an honour and a privilege for us at Al Futtaim Motors, particularly as Toyota to be part of the event again and I’d like to welcome all the competitors and visitors to the event, a lot of which is held around our facility at Dubai Festival City so we’re looking forward to hosting you and helping you to enjoy all that not just the Festival City but also Dubai and Hatta has to offer.
“You can never quite understand what it takes to do this. It should be a good course to test the skills of the competitors and test the machinery. Hopefully there are a lot of Toyotas in the finishing lineup and we look forward to that.
“I think overall it’s a good opportunity not only to showcase Toyota and what it’s about but also the facility and Dubai.”
Now in its eighth edition under the Baja format, the event draws top competitors from around the globe to tackle the challenging dunes of Dubai.
Held under the patronage of H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum and organized by the Emirates Motorsport Organization (EMSO) in collaboration with the Dubai Sports Council, the Baja is supported by Official Automotive Partner Al-Futtaim Toyota, Energy Partner ENOC, and the strategic collaboration of the Dubai Government and its entities, including the Dubai Police, RTA and Dubai Municipality.
The desert classic event kicks off with a prologue stage in Hatta Suhaila Area, in Dubai at 14:30 on Friday, November 29th, followed by the Ceremonial Start Selection Ceremony and the Ceremonial Start at Dubai Festival Bay from 19:00 on Friday evening offering spectators a chance to see all of the competitors in action ahead of Saturday and Sunday’s cross-country legs in Al Qudra Desert.
The event is entirely free to attend, but going to the desert may be challenging.
Therefore the best opportunity to see these world class crews and their extraordinary machines is to come to see the Ceremonial Start in Festival City, the official event HQ throughout the weekend.
There will be high-profile VIPs flagging off the race cars, bikes, quads and buggies.
This is a spectacular opportunity for motorsports lovers to see these wonderful mechanical beasts set against the amazing backdrop of Dubai’s skyline.
