(MENAFN- The Peninsula)
The Peninsula
Lusail: The 2024 Qatar International Baja has moved from March to new dates from October 30 to November 2 and will play host to both the sixth rounds of the FIA World Baja Cup and the FIM Bajas World Cup and round two of the FIA Middle East Baja Cup.
The event is being organised by the Qatar Motor and Motorcycle Federation (QMMF) and will run under the chairmanship of QMMF President Abdulrahman Al Mannai, QMMF's Executive Director Amro Al Hamad and board member Abdulrazaq Al Kuwari.
Clerk of the Course Pedro Almeida and his deputy Rashid Al Sulaiti have tweaked the timetable and laid on a challenging route across some of the most demanding desert terrain in Qatar. Administration and technical scrutineering will again be based at the Lusail Sports Complex.
The 9.9km Prologue stage will kick off the competitive action from 1:15pm onwards on Thursday, October 31 before the ceremonial start takes centre stage from 7:20pm. The spectacular Katara Amphitheatre – the gem of Katara Cultural Village - will host the start, pre and post-event press conferences and the final prize giving, as has been the case on one occasion in the past.
As per the new regulations for FIA events, times set on the Prologue stage will merely determine starting positions for the following day and will not count towards the general classification.
Qatar International Baja action across classic desert terrain during the 2023 edition.
FIA competitors will then tackle stages of 122.48km and 122.04km through the Qatar deserts separated by a regrouping on Friday, November 1. FIM entrants will cross the same terrain for one stage in total with the two sections run in reverse order and separated by a neutralisation zone for refuelling.
All competitors will then tackle a 249.68km stage on Saturday (November 2), split by transfer zones, with the first of the motorcycles and quads starting 1hr 45min ahead of the leading FIA vehicles. There will be a refuelling point for FIM competitors after 125km with the second part of the stage being held entirely in the picturesque Sealine region to the south of Doha.
In a compact route of 856.43km, FIA competitors will tackle 494.20 competitive kilometres. FIM entrants will follow a route of 888.50km with 504.64km timed against the clock.
The Baja replaced the longer Qatar Cross-Country Rally in 2022 and has become an integral member of both the international FIA and FIM calendars. Nasser Saleh Al Attiyah and Mathieu Baumel claimed overall victory in the car category last year in a Toyota Hilux,young Pole Konrad Dabrowski won the motorcycle section for a second year in a row and Arnoud Dom of Belgium prevailed in the quads.
Meshari Al Thefiri (MCE-3 T3M) and Jeremie Warnia (Polaris) won the FIA T3 (now Challenger) and T4 (now SSV) categories. Entries opened yesterday and will close at reduced rates on October 2 with a final cut-off set for October 16.
The QMMF is offering generous concessions to competitors who pass both administration and scrutineering checks. Entrants in the FIA categories from the GCC will be offered a shipping allowance of $3,000, with international entrants receiving $6,000 class air tickets will also be supplied by the QMMF for international entrants after entry fees have been paid, in addition to a twin room for five nights with breakfast.
FIA entrants who register before October 2nd will also be eligible for a QR10,000 start prize, provided they pass both administration and scrutineering checks with the figure reducing to QR8,000 thereafter until October 16th.
GCC motorcycle and quad riders will be eligible for $1,500 and $3,000 will be offered to international riders. FIM entrants who register before October 2 will also be eligible for a QR5,000 start prize, provided they passboth administration and scrutineering checks with the figure reducing to QR4,000 thereafter until October 16. Similar flight and hotel concessions will also be offered to FIM entries.
For general information about the 2024 Qatar International Baja, contact the Qatar Motor and Motor Cycle Federation (QMMF) via [email protected , [email protected] and
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