Saudi rider Yazid Al-Raji set the best time in the car category, while British rider Alex McInnes in the conventional motorcycle category and Saudi Haytham Al-Tuwaijri in the ATV category took the lead in the first Saudi Baha Special Stage. – Hailstones 2022. Competitors completed the 229.52 km Al-Jubba Special Stage, which is subject to timing, along the course extending west and northwest of the Hailstones in two sections, the first with a length of 101.52 km and the other with a length of 128, 00 km, separated by a no-man’s land, including a break for rest and refueling for some categories.
Al Raji drove a Toyota “Hilux – Overdrive” in a time of 2:36:19, 9:48 minutes ahead of Czech driver Miroslav Zapletal in his Ford “F150 Evo”, his top contender for the world title. Baha World Rally Cup and Saudi Arabia Desert Rally Championship.
Spanish rider Fernando Alvarez (Can-AM “Maverick”) solidified his grip on the capabilities of the lightweight “T3” desert prototype by setting the third fastest time of the day in the general classification and moving up to the same position. in the preliminary general standings with his French co-driver Xavier Pansieri, and Fernando’s closest rival was the Saudi driver Hamad Al-Harbi (was the mother of the Maverick), who is aiming to win the middleweight title in this category. Eastern Baja Rally Cup.
In the T4 desert commercial class, Spanish rider Eduard Pons was in the lead, 29 seconds ahead of Dutch rider Kees Köln.
Saudi driver Khaled Al-Frayhi finished fourth overall and third in the T1 rally car prototype category, assisted by French co-driver Sebastien Delaunay.
Saudi rider Dania Akil finished 11th overall, third in the T3 category and first in the women’s category.
British rider Alex McKens set the best time in the regular motorcycle class on a Husqvarna FE 450, finishing 93 seconds behind his compatriot Maxis Reiss-Stavros, leading the year’s provisional standings by 1:43 ahead of second Saudi Anas Al Rahani and Emirati riders Mohammed Al -Balushi and Qatari-based Australian Martin Chalmers rounded out the top five spots.
In the ATV category, Saudi rider Haytham Al-Tuwaijri (Yamaha “Raptor”) won the special stage ahead of his competitor and compatriot Abdul Majid Al-Khulayfi (Yamaha “Raptor”), where Haytham took the lead in the conditional overall placement for this category, with a difference of 8:43 minutes over Abdel Megid.
Saudi rider Ahmed Al-Shammari set the fastest time in the National Rally category, beating his compatriot Mutaib Al-Shamri by 3:30 minutes, while cyclist Yasser Al-Khoraef set the best time in the National Rally motorcycle category.
The Saudi Arabian Automobile and Motorcycle Federation, led by HRH Prince Khalid bin Sultan Al Abdullah Al Faisal, organizes the seventh (penultimate) FIA-Baja World Rally Cup and the third (penultimate) Cup East Middle East Baja Rally by FIA “Baha Middle East”, the seventh (penultimate) round of the FIM-Baja Baja Rally World Cup, and the third (penultimate) round of the 2022 Saudi Arabian Toyota Cross Country Rally Championship in cooperation with the Ministry of Sports and the Hail Regional Development Authority and under the generous patronage of His Royal Highness Prince Abdul Aziz bin Saad, Prince Hail, Chairman of the Higher Committee for Hail Development and his deputy HRH Prince Faisal bin Fahd bin Muqrin.
Tomorrow, the participants will have to run a 183.42-kilometer special stage along the tracks stretching west from Grad, the Farkhania special stage, consisting of two parts, between which there is an untimely connecting stage passing along the track near the remote village of Farkhania.
