Dubai: Local champion Shaikh Khalid Bin Faisal Al Qasimi will head the cream of drivers into this weekend’s Dubai International Baja powered by Nissan and AW Rostamani.
Only the second round on this year’s FIA World Cup for Cross Country Rallies for cars and buggies, the Dubai International Baja will take off from its new headquarters at Dubai Autodrome at 5pm on Thursday.
The international assembly of cars, buggies, bikes and quads will tackle a demanding 173.7km special stage running through the dramatic Al Qudra desert terrain on Friday and again the following day. The event will cover a total of 548km finishing at Dubai Autodrome on Saturday.
Partnered by French co-driver Xavier Panseri in his Peugeot Abu Dhabi Racing Team 3008 DKR, Shaikh Khalid will start as a favourite to win the second round of this year’s event after finishing runner-up last year.
The world champion in the two-wheel drive category, Shaikh Khalid heads a powerful line-up of 88 competitors from 19 countries in the official seedings lists announced earlier this week by the Automobile and Touring Club for the UAE (ATCUAE), the national motorsport authority and rally organisers.
The top-seeded Peugeot-Abu Dhabi Racing Team driver successfully completed testing his new Peugeot in the desert earlier this week.
“I don’t have that much experience in cross countries. But what I have achieved has helped me keep my head up and chase bigger dreams,” Shaikh Khalid said.
“The recent world championship for two-wheel drivers title and as champion of the Abu Dhabi Challenge last year along with a good result in the Dakar Rally have all been great experiences. Such results can only hand out more responsibility on my shoulders and push me towards greater results in such a strong field,” he added.
Drawn as the top-seeded driver for this weekend’s Dubai Baja, Shaikh Khalid will be unable to race his Peugeot 3008 DKR Maxi as the specs do not fit cross-country racing. Hence, the Peugeot-Abu Dhabi Racing Team driver has opted for a Peugeot 3008 DKR after carrying out an intense day of testing in the desert.
“It’s a good sense as immediately I could get a feel of the car and its position. And after a few kilometres it got even better and I found it to be an enjoyable experience. I am ready for the challenges ahead,” Shaikh Khalid said.
Another UAE national trying his hand at landing on the podium will be last year’s third-placed rider Mohammad Al Baloushi in the bikes category. “I am very optimistic and always looking forward to improve myself. I have been ranked sixth in the world and having a round in my country can only help me,” the Red Bull-backed Al Baloushi said.
“I would really like to do well and target a podium spot since it is in the familiar conditions of Dubai,” he added.
Mansour Al Hilli, who will drive along with Khalid Al Kindi, was looking forward to a learning curve. “I think this race will only push me towards excellence. And having an experienced co-driver like Khalid can only help my learning curve,” he said.
Abdullah Al Huraiz was left hoping for a comeback after a ten-year gap. “I had stopped for ten years, although I took part in Dakar in 2011. I am hoping to rediscover my skills,” he said.
