Qatar Motor and Motorcycle Federation (QMMF)
Qatar Motor and Motorcycle Federation (QMMF) announced that Qatar International Baja will take place from March 24 to 26, 2022. The three-day event will be a counting round of both the FIM Bajas World Cup and a new FIA Middle East Cup for Cross-Country Bajas for the first time.
The two Bajas will run in parallel but the respective routes and programmes will not be the same, the Baja has been devised in such a way as to reduce the clash between the FIA and FIM categories as much as possible.
The Qatar International Baja will again be based at the Lusail Sports Arena, which will also host the customary service park, administration checks, scrutineering and the finish of the rally.
Rally officials have confirmed that the Qualifying Stage that determines starting orders for the first of the desert selective sections will also be held close to Lusail Sports Arena.
Four desert stages have been planned for FIM entrants and three for FIA teams: the opener is for the FIM event only and heads through the deserts of central Qatar, the second and third cross terrain through the centre and north of the country and the final timed selective passes through central and southern regions.
On Thursday, March 24, the FIM contingent will tackle the 10km Qualifying Stage in the morning and then a first stage of 125km. FIA entrants will only tackle the qualifying stage in the afternoon. FIM entrants will compete over stages B and C (125km apiece) on Friday, March 25th, while FIA teams will tackle C before B.
On the final day (Saturday, March 26), FIM riders and drivers compete over a short 125km stage D and FIA teams end their desert action with a stage D that runs for 200km and begins 75km before the start of the FIM special.
The FIA announced in December that the new 2022 FIA Middle East Cup for Cross-Country Bajas will consist of four rounds in Jordan (February 17th-19th), Qatar, Saudi Arabia (November 10-12) and Dubai (December 1-3).
The Regional Cup will offer awards for drivers, co-drivers, teams, T3 and T4 drivers and T4 teams with the best three scores to count from the four rounds. No FIA registration is required to score points.
This years FIM Bajas World Cup will be fought out over nine scoring events with a coefficient of one and the finale in Dubai in December with a scoring coefficient of two. The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan hosts round one next month, before further scoring rounds take place in Qatar, Portugal, Spain, Hungary, two in Chile, a second event in Portugal and Saudi Arabia.
Last years Qatar event was open to FIM and National status competitors only and ran in October as the fifth round of the FIM Bajas World Cup and Qatars Ahmed Al Kuwari starred in motorcycle category.
The revised 2022 Baja will again be held under the chairmanship of QMMF President Abdulrahman Al Mannai, QMMFs Executive Director Amro Al Hamad and board member Abdulrazaq Al Kuwari.
Source: QNA
