Cross Country – Krotov and Zhiltsov take first X-Raid victory at Qatar Baja Mini JCW Rally

Qatar International Baja – FIA World Baja Cup semifinals quarterfinals / FIA Middle East Baja Cup semifinals second round

X-Raid Mini Team’s Denis Krotov and Konstantin Zhiltsov overcame a puncture on day one to set the fastest time on day two, confirming a comfortable first win for the new petrol-engined Mini JCW Rally 3.0i at the three-day international event in Qatar. Bach.

Krotov trailed overnight leaders Dania Akeel and Stéphane Duplé by more than a minute and a half into the final morning of the sixth round of the FIA ​​World Baja Cup. However, a small navigation error by the Saudi allowed Krotov through, and a late break in the Overdrive Racing driver’s steering arm allowed Krotov to seal the win by 30 minutes 06.7 seconds.

Krotov said: “I am very happy to return to Qatar and win with the new petrol Mini. This race is very challenging and tough for the driver, co-driver and car. I’m proud of my first win with X-Raid in a new car. I am confident that this project has a good future. Thank you to the organizers for hosting such an amazing race. Our team reached the podium last year and now we have won.”

Akeel made up for his Toyota’s tiering with a massive time loss, eventually relegating him to fifth, but this opened the door for the Portuguese combination of João Ferreira and Filipe Palmeiro to secure second and important FIA World Baja Cup points. Can-Am Maverick XRS Turbo RR. As a result, they were also able to close the gap on Fernando Alvarez and Xavier Panseri in the Drivers’ and Co-Drivers’ Championships and win the SSV category.

Ferreira said: “It was a season with many races and many achievements. This result is very important for our goals in the World Cup. We really want to win the competition and we are currently five points behind the leaders. We will do our best to achieve good results in Jordan and Dubai. “We know anything can happen in racing, so we have to be careful.”

Santag Racing teammates João Dias and Gonçalo Reis rounded out their second podium places in Can-Ams to strengthen their FIA World Cup title challenge.

Czech Miroslav Zapletal and his Slovakian co-driver Marek Sykora finished fourth in their self-built Ford F-150 Evo, while Akeel’s Overdrive Racing teammate Akira Miura finished sixth after being penalized 10 minutes late for a tire violation. took the top spot. Akeel still achieved maximum points in the FIA ​​Middle East Baja Cup and finished third behind Krotov and Zapletal in the FIA ​​World Cup Ultimate section.

Alvarez and Panseri of the South Racing Can-Am team earned valuable FIA ​​World Baja Cup points by finishing seventh and sixth among registered crews. They still lead the overall FIA World Baja Cup and SSV Championship.

Anja van Loon (Can-Am) took part in the South Racing Can-Am with fellow Dutch girl Floor Maten and the duo finished eighth to build on their success in the Challenger category. Qatar’s Rashid Al-Muhannadi came in ninth but failed to score any points with his Taurus T3 Max, while Emirati Khalid Al-Jafla rounded out the top 10 with a similar car.

Al-Jafla entered the event 19 points behind Spaniard Eduardo Pons in the Challenger section, but his win and fuel consumption and Pons’ sailing problems closed the gap in the championship race.

Pons eventually finished fourth among Qatar-registered World Cup drivers in the South Racing Can-Am, behind Van Loon, Al-Jafla and title-chasing Argentina’s Diego Martinez. Martinez overcame a 17-minute time penalty for missing two waypoints on the first day to finish third. Al-Jafla’s co-driver Andrei Rudnitski continues to lead the Challenger co-driver championship.

The Lusail base was organized by the Qatar Motor and Motorcycle Federation (QMMF) and attracted 36 starters. There are 8 registered in the Ultimate section, 13 competing in the Challenger group, 12 in SSV, 2 in the Stock category and a development Can. -The Maverick R is running in an experimental section that is not eligible for the main FIA event. Twelve qualified for the FIA ​​World Baja Cup and 14 competed for FIA Middle East Baja Cup points.

Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah entered late and surprised his rivals with the fastest time in the prologue. Qatar beat his brother Khalifa by 12.2 seconds despite being penalized 15 seconds for missing the stage gate. Running in the Challenger section, the Taurus T3 took the top four positions with an open road mission in Stage 1, eventually falling to Krotov.

Navigation problems and rocky terrain caused chaos across the field on the first day on two tricky stages in the North West desert. Akeel and Krotov finished first and second overall and were leading the FIA ​​World and Middle East Baja Cup battles respectively, but punctures cost Miura and Ahmed Al-Kuwari a lot of time and sailing problems plagued Pons, who was eliminated in the Dakar. Al-Attiyah, a five-time winner, lost oil. From the engine of his Taurus.

Al-Attiyah was unable to start the final 251.10km stretch from Qatar’s west, through the inland sea and sea dunes to the east of the oil terminal in Mesaid. Krotov recorded the fastest time overall on his way to victory, while Qatari drivers Abdulaziz Al-Kuwari and Ahmed Al-Kuwari were fastest in the Challenger and SSV categories.

A front suspension break cost Saudi Arabia’s Ibrahim Al-Muhanna valuable time in the SSV battle, while Italy’s Amerigo Ventura suffered a time penalty for missing a waypoint and lost further ground to his rivals.

The South Racing Can-Am team continues to lead the team championship in Overdrive Racing.

Dania Akeel’s maximum FIA Middle East Baja Cup points

Dania Akeel may have suffered the disappointment of losing second place overall in the final kilometres, but there was little consolation as the Saudi was taking maximum points in the FIA ​​Middle East Baja Cup.

Akeel said: “We had a great day opening the stage. It was something new for us. We stayed in second place until one of the steering arms came loose 10km from the end. It’s off. We ended up taking 5th place instead of 2nd. That happens sometimes. It’s part of the game. We came here to learn and train and we learned a lot.”

Qatar’s Nouef Al-Sowaidi (Taurus), Saudi Arabia’s Maha Al-Hameli (Can-Am) and local driver Abdullah Al-Khelaifi (Yamaha) rounded out the top four at the FIA ​​Middle East Baja Cup. Al-Sowaidi might have finished higher had he not suffered two punctures on the first day.

Quaddy Racing’s Ahmed Al-Kuwari started the event with a slight lead overall in the FIA ​​Middle East Cup and SSV classes, but tire problems and punctures cost him a lot of time on day one. He fought back strongly to set the fastest time on stage three and finished fifth on the new Yamaha YXZ 1000R Short Shift. Saudi Arabia’s Hamad Alharbi was ranked 6th.

Majed Al-Thunayyan led the stock category in his Nissan Patrol before the event, but finished second in Qatar behind local driver Abdullah Al-Rabban.

Abdulaziz Al-Kuwari was recently crowned FIA Middle East Rally Champion, but his switch to Baja racing in his Taurus T3 Max wasn’t quite as lucrative. Qatar lost more than 90 minutes on the first day due to electrical gremlins and fuel pressure issues and finished seventh in the FIA ​​Middle East Baja Cup.

Abdulaziz Al-Yeeesh was given a two-hour time penalty for driving off-road tires without an FIA barcode. Al-Yaeesh also gave up all the points he could have earned in the FIA ​​Middle East Baja Cup. Kuwait’s Nasser Al-Ajmi retired the second stage in SS2 and his Nissan Patrol with engine problems, leaving out Khalifa Saleh Al-Attiyah in his Nasser Racing Taurus T3 Max.

The seventh round of the FIA ​​World Baja Cup and the third round of the FIA ​​Middle East Baja Cup will see sailors depart from the Red Sea port of Aqaba in Jordan from 14 to 16 November.

Qatar International Baja 2024 – Final Results

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+ indicates registration for the FIA ​​Middle East Baja Cup.