The Saudi Baja kicked off on Thursday with a short but significant six-kilometer prologue. In both the car and motorcycle classes, the favorites immediately secured the best starting positions for Friday’s first full stage.
Al-Rajhi seizes revenge
Yazeed Al-Rajhi made an immediate statement in his quest for revenge after his early Dakar exit. The Saudi driver, together with navigator Timo Gottschalk, posted the fastest time in the Ultimate class with 3:57 minutes. This secured the Overdrive Racing duo pole position for Friday’s 242-kilometer opening stage.
Teammate Saood Variawa followed eight seconds behind, while Dakar winner Nasser Al-Attiyah in his two-wheel-drive Optimus MD Rallye buggy finished nineteen seconds off the fastest time. The Qatari immediately showed he could be competitive despite switching to a different vehicle concept. Francisco Barreto and Dania Akeel completed the top five, at 21 and 24 seconds respectively.
Dutch entries
In the SSV class, it was Mansour Al Helei who posted the fastest time with 4:28 minutes. The South Racing Can-Am drivers secured a strong second and third place: Fernando Alvarez clocked 4:40 minutes (twelfth overall), while Erik van Loon was one second slower with 4:41 minutes (thirteenth overall). Anja van Loon finished with the 24th time overall and tenth place in the SSV category.
In the Challenger class, Yasir Seaidan finished tenth with 4:32 minutes, 35 seconds behind the leader. Hamed Al Wahaibi followed in 11th place with 4:35.
McInnes dominates in motorcycles
In the motorcycle class, it was British Junior rider Alex McInnes who delivered an impressive prologue. The young KTM rider posted the fastest time of 4:45 minutes, beating all experienced competitors, including reigning champion Mohammed Al-Balooshi.
Al-Balooshi, defending his FIM Bajas World Cup title, had to settle for 23rd starting position after finishing 1:42 minutes behind McInnes. His teammate and rival Rafic Eid also had a difficult prologue with fifth place, 33 seconds back.
Haitham Altuwayjiri finished second just twelve seconds behind, followed by Abdallah Abuaisheh at seventeen seconds. Thomas Blackburn and Rafic Eid completed the top five in motorcycles.
Battle breaks out in the dunes
The prologue results determine the starting order for the first real test on Friday, January 30. With a 242-kilometer special stage through the Great Nafud Desert, participants face a demanding day. Al-Rajhi has secured the ideal starting position to have clean air, while Al-Attiyah must attack from third position.
In motorcycles, McInnes has proven he’s not just competing for the Junior title, but can also make a serious bid for the overall classification. Whether the young Brit can hold his lead against the experienced Al-Balooshi will become clear on Friday.
