Attiyah takes commanding lead as Den Brink boosts title hopes

 Qatar’s Nasser Al Attiyah delivered a commanding performance on Saturday’s Al-Futtaim Toyota Stage 1 of the Dubai International Baja, powering through the demanding Al Qudra desert to establish a lead of more than five minutes while Alex McInnes has established a strong advantage among the motorcycle racers.

Leaving behind Friday’s short Prologue at Mushrif Park, the FIA and FIM competitors faced a very different challenge as the rally moved into the vast desert expanses beyond the city. The constantly changing sand, steep dune climbs and demanding navigation tested drivers, riders and co-drivers alike, with the first substantial competitive kilometres bringing the World Cup title battles into sharper focus.

The Al-Futtaim Toyota Stage 1, set amid one of Dubai’s most distinctive desert landscapes, demanded a combination of speed, precision and mechanical endurance. With little margin for error in the soft sand, competitors had to balance outright pace against the risks of becoming stranded or losing valuable time through navigational mistakes.

Saturday’s programme featured 177.24km of timed competition for the FIA crews and 193.90km for the FIM motorcycle and quad competitors, making it the first major examination of the field following Friday’s 4.80km opening test.

With Sunday’s final desert stage still to come, Al-Attiyah holds a commanding advantage in the event standings, but the FIA World Baja Cup championship battles remain open as the season approaches its conclusion.

The Qatari, a three-time winner of the event in its current Baja format and a ten-time winner of its predecessor, demonstrated his mastery of the Dubai desert alongside French co-driver Max Delfino. Driving an Optimus MD Rallye, Al-Attiyah completed the 177.24km special stage 5m16.7sec ahead of Dutchman Mitchel van den Brink and co-driver Bart van Heun in their Can-Am Maverick R.

The UAE’s Mansour Al-Helei produced an impressive performance on home soil, taking third on the day alongside Khalid Al Kendi in their Can-Am Maverick R, 8min 39.8sec behind Al-Attiyah. The result also strengthened Al-Helei’s challenge for the FIA World Baja Cup SSV title at the final round of the season.

Portugal’s Francisco Barreto, partnered by compatriot co-driver Paulo Fiúza, arrived in Dubai leading the FIA World Baja Cup standings and sits fourth overall in their Toyota Hilux IMT Evo, 10min 33.2sec behind Al-Attiyah and 5m16.7s behind title rival Van Den Brink.

The result strengthened Barreto’s prospects of securing the overall World Cup title after one of his principal championship rivals, South Africa’s Saood Variawa, was forced to retire with mechanical problems halfway through the stage.

Variawa, who began the final round third in the championship standings, had made an encouraging start by finishing second in Friday’s Mushrif Park Prologue alongside co-driver Charan Moore in another Toyota Hilux IMT Evo. His retirement ended his hopes of a strong result in Dubai and brought his challenge for the Ultimate category crown to an end.

Dutchman Van den Brink, second fastest on Saturday, remains Barreto’s principal challenger for the overall World Cup title heading into Sunday’s decisive final stage.

“Today we had a very nice stage,” said Van Den Brink. “We enjoyed the stage. The dunes here are amazing. We pushed all day. And yeah, we are very happy with the results: P1 in the World Cup, P1 in the Challenger category, and second overall after Nasser Al Attiya. So yeah, we’re very happy with the results. The car did a great job too, and everything went very well and we’re looking forward for tomorrow.

Van den Brink’s second-fastest time was particularly significant in the championship battle. The Dutchman also strengthened his position in the Challenger category, where he entered the weekend on the verge of securing the season’s honours.

Al-Helei’s third place strengthened his chances of snatching title honours in the closely fought SSV championship. The Emirati began the final round among three title contenders separated by just 21 points, alongside Argentina’s Fernando Álvarez and Norway’s Hedda Hosås. However, Álvarez crashed out of Saturday’s stage, dealing a major blow to his title hopes and leaving Al-Helei in a strong position heading into Sunday’s decisive final stage after powering to third overall and the class lead.

Meanwhile Hedda Hosas remains firmly in contention for the SSV championship despite a challenging day struggling with failing brakes which meant she finished the day fourth in class.

Sergei Remennik in a Taurus T3 Max, completed the provisional top five, with the UAE’s Rashid Alketbi sixth in a Can-Am Maverick R. Oman’s Hamed Al-Wahaibi took seventh on the day.

Britain’s Alex McInnes strengthened his grip on the motorcycle competition with an impressive performance across the demanding Al Qudra desert, winning Saturday’s 193.90km Al-Futtaim Toyota Stage 1 in 2hr 38min 54.5sec on his KTM 450 RFR. McInnes, who was narrowly beaten by Konrad Dąbrowski in last year’s Dubai International Baja, finished 3min 17.2sec ahead of fellow Briton Ethan Lane (Yamaha YZF 450), with Slovenia’s Toni Mulec (KTM 450 Rally) third, a further 4min 43.4sec behind.

The result leaves McInnes leading the overall motorcycle classification by 3min 17.9sec from Lane, with Mulec third, 8min 07sec off the pace. Poland’s Dąbrowski, winner of the last two editions, could manage only fourth fastest on Saturday aboard his KTM 450 Rally Replica and now trails McInnes by 9min 40.1sec overall. France’s Romain Dumontier occupies fifth, 11min 42.1sec behind the leader, while the UAE’s Abdulla Lanjawi produced a strong performance on home soil to claim sixth, 16min 07.4sec adrift.

Local favourite and two-time Dubai International Baja winner Mohammed Al-Balooshi saw his hopes of another home victory dashed by a mechanical problem in the second half of Saturday’s Al-Futtaim Toyota Stage 1. The Emirati had been running inside the top five before the setback left him out of contention, bringing a disappointing end to his challenge after a difficult Prologue on Friday.

There will also be a new winner in the quad category after four-time defending champion Abdulaziz Ahli retired from the event with mechanical problems. Fellow Emirati Khalifa Al-Bastaki (Yamaha Raptor 700), winner of last weekend’s Qatar International Baja quad category, now leads the surviving quad contenders. Al-Bastaki completed Saturday’s stage in 3hr 28min 02sec and holds a cumulative time of 3hr 31min 26.9sec heading into Sunday’s finale. The UAE’s Ali Almarzouqi (No. 137) is second in the quad standings after completing the stage in 3hr 53min 30sec, leaving him 25min 26.5sec behind Al-Bastaki overall.

The Dubai International Baja continues on Sunday with the final competitive stage in the desert, where the remaining 191.58km of timed competition for the FIM competitors will provide another stern examination before the rally reaches its conclusion. With championship titles and category honours still at stake, the final day promises another dramatic contest across Dubai’s challenging desert terrain.

Jacques Brent, Managing Director Toyota and Lexus UAE at Al-Futtaim Toyota, Official Event Vehicle Partner of Dubai International Baja, said:

“For Al-Futtaim Toyota, it's important for us to have as many Toyotas as possible in the field. I know this was a particular challenging year, so I appreciate everyone turning up for this event.

“I know it took a lot to make that commitment and obviously from our side we value and appreciate that. I think it's a great testament obviously to the endurance and the commitment from everyone involved.

“We're honoured to host and it's a great privilege for us to use all the facilities that we have at our disposal at Festival City, including Al-Badia where obviously this scrutineering took place. Obviously the start and the finish that'll happen here at this facility over the weekend.

“It’s great to be a part of the event again. It's our fifth year and I've been involved for four of them and it's been exciting each and every single time.”

The Dubai International Baja is held under the patronage of 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.