The final day of the Saudi Baja delivered a spectacular conclusion. Nasser Al-Attiyah struck in the Ultimate class with an impressive attack, Alex McInnes dominated in motorcycles, and Erik van Loon recovered with a convincing stage win in the SSV class.
Al-Attiyah takes surprise victory
Nasser Al-Attiyah won the Saudi Baja in spectacular fashion. The Qatari won the final stage with more than three minutes advantage over Yazeed Al-Rajhi, turning a 2:24 minute deficit into a 42-second lead in the final classification. It’s a remarkable achievement for Al-Attiyah, who competed for the first time in his new two-wheel-drive MD Sport Optimus Evo 5 and for the first time with navigator Max Delfino.
“Yesterday was a good stage, but we opened the whole way and that wasn’t easy,” said Al-Attiyah. “Today we pushed and controlled and we won the stage and we won the rally. This is really amazing with two-wheel drive and we showed that it’s possible.”
For Al-Rajhi it means second place overall, but victory in the FIA World Baja Cup since Al-Attiyah only competes in the Middle East Cup. “We did the maximum we could, but no chance,” Al-Rajhi responded. “I think the two-wheel drive helped him enormously. I hope next time I come with four-wheel drive and then we’ll see how it goes.”
Dania Akeel completed the podium in third, more than fourteen minutes behind the winner but with a comfortable lead of over two minutes on Francisco Barreto.
Van Loon recovers with stage win
Erik van Loon demonstrated spectacularly what was possible without Friday’s technical problems. The Dutchman won the final stage by just seven seconds over Mansour Al Helei and shot from fifth to third place in the final classification.
After a day full of technical problems, the team got everything sorted, from the injector to the suspension. With flawless navigation from Wouter Rosegaar and a spotless drive, Van Loon could finally deliver Friday’s pace. With the stage win and podium in the first World Cup round, third place is an excellent start in the hunt for the world title in the FIA World Cup for Cross-Country Bajas.
Fernando Alvarez became the overall SSV class winner with a 2:34 minute advantage over Al Helei. “We are the championship leader, so this is the best way to start the championship,” said the Argentinian. “The car was perfect. Everything was okay.”
Anja van Loon and Christiaan van der Rijsen also had a stronger final day than Friday and closed the rally with seventh place in the SSV class. For Van der Rijsen it was his first Cross Country rally.
Seaidan wins Challenger
Yasir Seaidan dominated the Challenger class and won both stages after the prologue. The Saudi finished sixth overall, ahead of all SSVs and Stock cars. Hamed Al Wahaibi finished second at 5:38 minutes, while Abdulaziz Al-Kuwari completed the podium.
Al Wahaibi did win the FIA World Baja Cup in the Challenger category, while Seaidan took the Middle East Cup. “We found at the refuel that the rear differential was leaking a bit, so we slowed down the pace,” Seaidan explained. “We’re happy we won the rally.”
McInnes dominant in motorcycles
Alex McInnes completely dominated the Saudi Baja. The Brit won the prologue and both stages and finished with more than 34 minutes advantage over Mohammed Al-Balooshi. It’s his second consecutive victory in Hail, after last year on a Husqvarna now on a KTM.
The battle for the podium was more exciting, with Mohammed Al-Balooshi ultimately staying 27 seconds ahead of his younger brother Sultan. Abdulhalim Al-Mogeera finished fourth after a strong final day in which he finished second.
