AQABA (JORDAN): Competitors, officials and members of the international media have arrived in Aqaba in advance of this weekend’s three-day Jordan Baja, the second round of the FIA and Middle East Baja Cups and the FIM Asia Baja Cup and the third round of the FIM Bajas World Cup.
The ever-expanding Baja has attracted a record entry. Among them are 13 riders chasing honours in the event being hosted by Jordan Motorsport, with three aiming for success in the quad section and five riders also chasing success in the FIM Veteran category.
The Jordan Baja follows round one in Saudi Arabia at the start of February and Portugal’s Baja
Escuderia Castelo Branco in March.
Mohammed Al-Balooshi is a four-time winner of the event that was first staged in Jordan in 2018 as a candidate for acceptance into the 2019 FIA World Cup for Cross-Country Bajas. The defending FIM Bajas World Cup champion claimed points for second place in Saudi Arabia and picking up precious additional points in Portugal. The MX Ride Dubai racer now has a six-point cushion over the absent round two winner Martim Ventura.
With third-placed Alex McInnes, the winner of the Saudi Baja, also absent this weekend, Lebanon’s Rafic Eid is Al-Balooshi’s closest title challenger, albeit seven points behind at this early stage of the season. Emirati Sultan Al-Shanqiti and Australian Thomas Cross are also present in the Hashemite Kingdom and hold ninth and 10th in the points’ standings.
Al-Balooshi has a two-point cushion over Eid in the Veteran section with Barry Howe, Al-Shanqiti and Frenchman Frederic Fontarosa also present at the third round of the series and currently holding fifth, seventh and ninth in the FIM rankings.
Ventura and McInnes being absent leaves the door open for young Jordanian rider Abdullah Al-Bataynah to move into contention for the prestigious Junior title. His fellow countryman Abdullah Abu Aisheh will be setting his sights on an overall podium finish at the front of the field on his GasGas 450 Rally.
Four Yamaha riders have scored points after two rounds of the quad championship and Saudi Arabia’s Hani Al-Noumesi leads the way on 36 points. Round two winner Fernando Jorge Sampaio has not made the trip, so Al-Noumesi faces competition from Haitham Al-Tuwaijri (25 points) and last year’s Jordan Baja winner Abdulaziz Al-Shayban (20 points) for quad honours.
Several riders will also be looking to score points in the new four-round FIM Asia Baja Cup.
Meanwhile, in the FIA category for cars competing in the Ultimate, Challenger, SSV and Stock categories, the list was reduced from 33 to 32 before pre-start formalities in Aqaba.
A freak recent accident on his bike resulted in two broken ribs and means that Argentina’s Diego Martinez misses out on his second visit to the Jordan Baja in the Challenger category with the South Racing Can-Am Team and its new Maverick R.
Tomorrow (Wednesday), competitors will need to pass the mandatory administration checks in Aqaba and equipment will be subjected to the all-important scrutineering and safety checks at the Aqaba Service Park before the opening Prologue stage and official start on Thursday afternoon.
The 2025 Jordan Baja is sponsored by Zain Jordan, Markazia Toyota, Bank of Jordan, Manaseer Oil and Gas, Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority (ASEZA), Guarantee Travel Group, Budget Jordan, Hala and Bliss FM.
