Dubai: Under the patronage of Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of Dubai Executive Council, Sheikh Mansoor bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairman of Dubai Sports Council, on Thursday flagged off the Dubai International Baja, organised by the Emirates Motorsport Organisation (EMSO) in collaboration with the Dubai Sports Council.
The oldest motorsport event in the UAE, the Dubai International Baja, is a world-class cross-country rally that brings together racers from all over the world. Coinciding with the 51st UAE National Day, the event is being held from 1-3 December.
Based at the Dubai Festival City, the Dubai International Baja has a demanding course running through the Al Qudra desert in Dubai.
The Dubai International Baja this year features the participation of 42 cars and 43 bikes from 30 countries. The event is being broadcast in 180 nations around the world.
The event was attended by Mohammed Ahmed ben Sulayem, President of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA); and Omar Abdullah Al Futtaim, Vice Chairman and CEO of the Al Futtaim Group.
Featured in the calendars of both the 2022 FIA World Cup for Cross-Country Bajas and the 2022 FIM BAJAS World Cup, the Dubai International Baja also marks the season finale for both prestigious championships.
The Dubai Baja is expected to be an exhilarating culmination of the season as both World Cups go down to the wire.
Formerly known as the Dubai International Rally, the event has been staged annually since the late 1970s and organised by the EMSO (formerly ATCUAE) since 1997.
The introduction of a shorter Baja format more suited to desert regions made the event accessible not just to cars but also buggies, bikes and quads.
This transformation has proved a success with a flood of entrants from across the region and the world.
