(MENAFN- Gulf Times) Qatar's Abdulaziz al-Kuwari and Polish rider Konrad Dabrowski topped the times in the car and motorcycle categories on the afternoon's Prologue stage before the 2025 Qatar International Baja was officially flagged away at the 'Way to the World Cup' landmark on Doha Corniche in the evening.
Forty-three cars, 53 motorcycles and four quads graced the official start lists for the penultimate rounds of the FIA World and Middle East Cups and the FIM Bajas World Cup.
While the afternoon's Prologue to the north-west of Lusail sorted the starting order for today's opening desert stage, the highlight of the day was the ceremonial start at the 'Way to the World Cup' landmark with the stunning backdrop of Doha's spectacular hi-rise West Bay skyline.
Cars were flagged away by Abdulrahman al-Mannai, President of the Qatar Motor and Motorcycle Federation (QMMF), and the QMMF's general secretary Abdulrazzaq al-Kuwari in the presence of distinguished guests and senior officials from both the FIA and FIM.
Czech duo of Martin Prokop and Viktor Chytka were initially fastest in the FIA category with a run of 6min 46.0sec. That enabled the Ford Raptor driver to win the Prologue by just four-tenths of a second from last year's event winners Denis Krotov and Konstantin Zhiltsov (X-Raid Mini). But both drivers were later handed time penalties that dropped them down to 18th and sixth positions, respectively.
The QMMF Team's Abdulaziz al-Kuwari and Khalifa Saleh al-Attiyah eventually finished first and second in the car category after numerous time penalties were imposed on their rivals.
Sweden's Mattias Ekstrom was third in a Can-Am and the current FIA World Baja Cup leader Juan Cruz Yacopini finished fourth in his Toyota Hilux with his championship rival Miroslav Zapletal in fifth.
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Yacopini said:“We were the first car on the road. It was a tricky Prologue between the flags. We made it properly. We have the chance of a good starting position for this race. We will have a clear road and some lines (to follow). Let's see what happens.”
Nasser Saleh al-Attiyah had been the fastest driver at the mid-stage split before losing time late on with a fuel pump issue on his Taurus T3 Max. The Qatari finished the Prologue down in 25th position.
Al-Attiyah said:“We had a good run and then we had a small issue with the fuel pump and we stopped for one minute. We will try to do our best tomorrow. It will be a long day.”
A dominant Dabrowski clocked a time of 7min 02.8sec on the Prologue on his KTM 450 Rally to beat British Husqvarna rider Alex McInnes to the win by 39.3 seconds in the motorcycle category. Frenchman Jean Loup Lepan (KTM), Slovenian Simon Marcic (Kove) and regular Indian factory Sherco rider Harith Noah rounded off the top five.
The FIM Bajas World Cup's front-running Mohammed al-Balooshi and Rafic Eid were classified in sixth and ninth. Emirati Abdulaziz al-Ahli was the quickest of the quad riders and faster than all but four of the bikers.
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Al-Balooshi said:“Not a good result for us. This is not the way we wanted to start the race. Tomorrow is a new day. I am happy that we are here safe. Hopefully we make the most of tomorrow.”
Title rival Eid added:“It was super hot and super rocky. It was a tricky ride with tight corners. Now I am position 10 (including leading quad) and that means I will open the road for everybody. With Qatar's difficult navigation this will be a good training for me for Dakar 2026!”
Qatar's Mohammed al-Kubaisi and Abdulrahman al-Sheeb finished the Prologue in 43rd and 49th positions in the two-wheel contingent, the latter suffering niggling electrical issues on his Fantic XEF. Jordan's Eyad Salmirza (Yamaha) was a non-starter and received a 30-minute penalty.
On Friday, competitors face a revised opening stage of 220.31km. This will be split into three shorter timed sections. The first bike is scheduled to get the action underway at 07.45hrs.
Prologue result:
Cars (top 20 only)
1. Abdulaziz Al-Kuwari (QAT)/Stéphane Duplé (FRA) Taurus T3 Max 6min 50.3sec+
2. Khalifa Saleh Al-Attiyah (QAT)/Bruno Jacomy (ARG) Taurus T3 Max 6min 51.8sec+
3. Mattias Ekström (SWE)/Emil Bergkvist (SWE) Can-Am Maverick R 6min 53.6sec
4. Juan Cruz Yacopini (ARG)/Dani Oliveras (ESP) Toyota Hilux IMT Evo 6min 58.7sec*
5. Miroslav Zapletal (CZE)/Marek Sykora (SVK) Ford F-150 Evo 6min 59.8sec*
6. Denis Krotov (KGZ)/Konstantin Zhiltsov (KGZ) Mini John Cooper Works Rally 3.0i 7min 01.4sec
7. Mitchel van den Brink (NED)/Bart van Heun (NED) Can-Am Maverick R 7min 02.8sec*
8. Hamed Al-Wahaibi (OMA)/Ilka Minor (AUT) Can-Am Maverick R 7min 06.3sec*
9. Lionel Baud (FRA)/Lucie Baud (FRA) Mini John Cooper Works Rally 3.0D 7min 09.1sec
10. Eugenio Amos (ITA)/Paolo Ceci (ITA) Can-Am Maverick R 7min 12.5sec*
11. Nouef Al-Suwaidi (QAT)/Aisvydas Paliukenas (LTU) Taurus T3 Max 7min 17.5sec+
12. Sergei Remennik (UAE)/Aleksei Ignatov (KGZ) Taurus T3 Max 7min 17.9sec*
13. Hamza Bakhashab (KSA)/Marcin Pasek (POL) Can-Am Maverick R 7min 20.4sec+
14. Dania Akeel (KSA)/Sébastien Delaunay (FRA) Toyota Hilux 7min 21.0sec+
15. Amerigo Ventura (ITA)/Erika Mingozzi (ITA) Yamaha YXZ 1000R Short Shift 7min 21.7sec*
16. Erik van Loon (NED)/Martin van den Brink (NED) Can-Am Maverick R 7min 23.6sec*
17. Ronan Chabot (FRA)/Xavier Panseri (FRA) Toyota Hilux 7min 28.9sec
18. Martin Prokop (CZE)/Viktor Chytka (CZE) Ford Raptor 7min 31.0sec
19. Paul Severn (GBR)/Delphine Denfino (FRA) Polaris RZR Pro R Sport 7min 34.7sec*
20. Khalid Al-Feraihi (KSA)/Candido Carrera (ESP) Toyota Hilux IMT Evo 7min 35.6sec
*denotes registered for the FIA World Baja Cup
+ denotes registered for the FIA Middle East Baja Cup
Bikes (Top 20 only)
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