Mushrif Park Prologue lights up Dubai Baja as crowds welcome World Cup stars

The 2026 Dubai International Baja roared into life in a new setting on Friday as the world’s leading off-road drivers and riders tackled the Mushrif Park Prologue, with enthusiastic crowds providing a fitting welcome to the international field.

For the first time, the popular Dubai park hosted the opening competitive action, bringing the sights and sounds of World Cup rally-raid machinery within easy reach of the city’s residents and visitors. Spectators gathered in designated viewing areas in hot, sunny conditions to watch cars, motorcycles and quads take on the 4.80km test before the rally moved on to its traditional desert battleground.

The opening day offered a contrasting challenge to the vast dunes awaiting competitors over the weekend. Although the short Prologue established the first benchmark times and helped shape the starting order, the decisive tests of speed, navigation and endurance are still to come.

FIA World Cup series leader Francisco Barreto made a flying start to the 2026 Dubai International Baja, setting the fastest time in Friday's 4.80km Mushrif Park Prologue as he began his bid to secure the FIA World Baja Cup title.

With Portuguese compatriot Paulo Fiúza alongside him in their Toyota Hilux IMT Evo, Barreto clocked 2min 55.9sec to finish 5.6sec ahead of South Africa's Saood Variawa and co-driver Charan Moore in another Toyota Hilux IMT Evo. Aliyyah Koloc and Polish navigator Marcin Pasek completed the top three in their Red-Lined Revo GRT, 12.1sec off the pace.

While Barreto is content with his good start, the 28-year-old is taking nothing for granted. “We’re really happy,” he said. “The prologue is good. I'm having a lot of fun a lot and it’s so fast. The terrain is good with good grip. But the race starts tomorrow. We have a big race in front of us.

“We need to focus in the next days, we need to push like in the other races this season and be smart because we are leading only by a small number of points and Mitch is a very good pilot. The race only finishes on the final metres of the last day. So we need to be smart in pushing from the beginning to the final of the race.”

Barreto arrived in Dubai leading the overall championship after finishing second in last weekend's Qatar International Baja, where he secured maximum FIA World Baja Cup points. Variawa is one of only two drivers who can deny the Portuguese the overall title, alongside Dutchman Mitchel van den Brink, and is also Barreto's sole remaining challenger for the Ultimate category crown. The South African's strong Prologue performance sets up an intriguing battle between the two Toyota crews as the championship reaches its decisive stages.

Sergei Remennik was fourth fastest alongside Aleksei Ignatov in their Taurus T3 Max, just nine-tenths of a second behind Koloc, with Oman's Hamed Al-Wahaibi and French co-driver François Cazalet completing the top five in their Can-Am Maverick R, 14.9sec behind Barreto. Van den Brink, driving another Can-Am Maverick R with Willem van Heun, was sixth, 17.3sec off the lead.

The Dutchman is on the verge of securing the Challenger category title but also remains in contention for the overall World Cup, adding further significance to his performance over the weekend.

Among the other notable performances, the UAE's Rashid Alketbi, driving a Can-Am Maverick R with Oriol Mena Valdearcos, placed seventh, while fellow Emirati Mansour Al-Helei, competing alongside Khalid Al Kendi in another Can-Am Maverick R, finished 10th, 19.2sec behind the leader.

Al-Helei is fighting for the SSV World Cup title on home soil against Argentina's Fernando Álvarez and Norway's Hedda Hosås, with just 21 points separating the three contenders before the final round. Álvarez, who regained the championship lead with victory in Qatar, finished eighth in the Prologue, while Hosås was 12th. With Friday's short opening test accounting for only a fraction of the competitive distance, the SSV title remains wide open ahead of Saturday's demanding desert stages.

Britain's Alex McInnes made the perfect start to the 2026 Dubai International Baja, setting the fastest time in Friday's 4.80km Mushrif Park Prologue. Last year's runner-up McInnes, riding a KTM 450 , clocked 2min 56.5sec to edge out compatriot Ethan Lane (KTM 450 ) by just seven-tenths of a second, with 2024 and 2025 winner Konrad Dąbrowski (KTM 450) from Poland third, 3.3sec off the pace.

France's Romain Dumontier was fourth, just four-tenths behind Dąbrowski, while Slovenia's Toni Mulec completed the top five, 6.4sec behind the leader.

In the quad category, the UAE's Abdulaziz Ahli made the strongest start, the four-time winner setting the fastest time of 3min 19.3sec. Fellow Emirati Khalifa Al-Bastaki, winner of last weekend's Qatar International Baja quad category, was second, just 5.6sec behind Ahli.

Local motorcycle favourite and two-time Dubai International Baja winner Mohammed Al-Balooshi endured a difficult opening, finishing 33rd in the combined FIM classification after recording 4min 30.6sec, losing 1min 34.1sec to McInnes.

However, the Emirati remains very much in contention, with Friday's short Prologue representing only a fraction of the event's 390.28km of timed competition. With 193.90km awaiting competitors on Saturday and a further 191.58km on Sunday, Al-Balooshi has ample opportunity to recover lost time and challenge for honours on home soil.

The 2026 edition brings the FIA World Baja Cup and FIA Middle East Baja Cup seasons to their conclusion in Dubai, while the FIM Bajas World Cup reaches its penultimate round. The result is a particularly high-stakes weekend, with several championship battles still unresolved as competitors prepare to leave the city behind for the desert.

Among the leading names on the entry list are Portuguese FIA World Baja Cup contender Francisco Barreto, South Africa’s Saood Variawa and Dutchman Mitchel van den Brink, while Emirati Mansour Al-Helai is targeting a home-soil SSV title. The motorcycle entry includes Alex McInnes, Konrad Dąbrowski and local favourite Mohammed Al-Balooshi, alongside a strong field of quad competitors.

In presenting the stars ahead of the event, Mr Mahir Badri, Chief Executive of the EMSO welcomed competitors and spectators to the event:

“One of the great challenges of off-road rallying is finding ways to bring the sport closer to the public.

“Thanks to Toyota Al-Futtaim and Dubai Festival City Mall, we have created a place where people can meet the rally, see the cars up close and feel part of the excitement. Festival City has become a home for the Dubai International Baja, and when I travel, people often recognise the rally through its connection with this wonderful venue. That tells me how powerful this partnership has become.

“For the past two years, we have held the qualifying stage in Hatta. The images captured by ASO and shared by international media brought the beauty of the rally and the UAE to audiences around the world. This year, we are creating another new experience by bringing the rally to Mushrif Park, one of Dubai’s oldest parks, for the first time.

“Taking a rally into a place like this takes courage, trust and the hard work of many people. I would like to thank Dubai Municipality and Dubai Public Parks for making it possible. My sincere thanks also go to all the government entities supporting the rally, including our strategic partner, Dubai Police.

“Finally, I want to recognise the many people working quietly behind the scenes, day and night, to make this event happen. From the bottom of my heart, thank you for your time, effort and care. Your contribution matters, and we are deeply grateful.”

Following the Prologue, the focus returned to Dubai Festival City Mall for the evening ceremonial start at Festival Bay. Against the backdrop of the waterfront venue, the assembled crews and riders were presented to spectators before the rally’s principal competitive stages get under way on Saturday. The event hub at Dubai Festival City Mall also serves as the Service Park and will welcome the field back for Sunday’s finish celebrations.

Attention now turns to the rolling dunes of Al Qudra on Saturday, November 7, where the FIA car crews are scheduled to tackle the 177.24km Al Qudra–Al Qudra selective section. The first car is due to start at 10:40am. For the motorcycle and quad field, the FIM itinerary lists a 193.90km first desert stage; the two disciplines follow their respective road books and schedules.

Saturday’s terrain will be a very different proposition from the parkland opening test. Long stretches of sand, changing dune formations and demanding navigation will test the competitors’ pace and judgment, with mechanical reliability and tyre management likely to be every bit as important as outright speed. A mistake in the desert could have a decisive effect on the World Cup title contests.

The rally continues on Sunday, November 8, with the FIA crews scheduled to contest the 179.56km Al-Faqa’a–Al-Faqa’a selective section from 9:45am, before returning to Dubai Festival City Mall for the evening podium ceremony and prize giving at 8:00pm. The FIM itinerary lists a 191.58km second stage for motorcycles and quads.

The Dubai International Baja is held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Defence, and Chairman of the Executive Council of the Emirate of Dubai, and is organised by the Emirates Motorsport Organization (EMSO).

The Dubai International Baja is brought to you thanks to the strategic support of the Dubai Government and its entities, including Dubai Police, Dubai Sports Council, Dubai Municipality, Dubai Public Parks, Wild Affairs Region Department, Dubai Civil Defence and Dubai Customs, as well as the Roads and Transport Authority.

The Dubai International Baja also enjoys the support of Al Futtaim Toyota, the event’s Official Automotive Partner. Dubai Festival City Mall is the official hosting venue of the Dubai International Baja.

Energy Partner ENOC, Dubai Air Wing and Dubai Sports TV also support the event. Al Jalila Foundation is the Dubai International Baja’s Social Responsibility Partner.