Jordan Motorsport to host second rounds of FIA World and Middle East Baja Cups from a base in Aqaba
The second round of both the FIA World and Middle East Baja Cups has moved back two months in the calendar to run before the start of the Holy Month of Ramadan.
Inaugurated as an FIA candidate event in 2018, the seventh edition of the three-day event (2020 and 2023 were cancelled), which runs through some of the most spectacular and scenic moonscapes and Martian terrain on the planet, has attracted 35 entries.
There are six cars running in the Ultimate category, seven in Challenger, 15 in SSV and seven in Stock. Fifteen will compete for FIA World Baja Cup points and 17 will be chasing glory in the FIA Middle East Baja Cup.
Fresh from his success at the last round in Saudi Arabia less than two weeks ago, Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah is the early FIA Middle East Baja Cup leader and will wheel out an MD Sport Optimus Evo 5 Buggy for the second time. The Qatari took full advantage of the nimble and lightweight car’s weight advantage at the last round to win the final stage and seal victory. He will be hoping that his first ever appearance as a driver at the Jordan Baja results in yet another win. Belgian Fabian Lurquin returns to the hot seat as his co-driver.
Yazeed Al-Rajhi and Timo Gottschalk lead the FIA World Baja Cup after finishing second overall in Saudi Arabia but will not take part in Jordan this year.
Overdrive Racing has entered a single Toyota Hilux Evo for last year’s FIA Middle East Baja champion Dania Akeel and her navigator Sébastien Delaunay. The Saudi faces FIA World Baja Cup competition in the Ultimate category from Toyota Gazoo Racing’s Saood Variawa and François Cazalet in an SVR-run machine.
Both Czech veteran Miroslav Zapletal (Ford) and Saudi Ahmed Al-Shamy (Century CR6) are chasing Ultimate points in the regional Baja Cup.
The French father and son duo of Lionel and Lucie Baud are registered for the FIA World Baja Cup in the solitary diesel-engined X-Raid Mini JCW Rally Plus.
Seaidan and Flick head Challenger field
In-form Saudi driver Yasir Seaidan and French navigator Xavier Flick lead the regional Challenger category after round one in their Nasser Racing Team Taurus Evo Max and head six rivals into the Aqaba-based event. Seaidan is also second in the Drivers’ Championship behind Al-Attiyah.
Competition in the FIA Middle East Baja Cup comes from the UAE-based British expatriate duo of David Mabbs and Dave McBride in a Can-Am Maverick X3, the QMMF’s Nouef Al-Sowaidi and Aisvydas Paliukenas (Taurus) and Saudi driver Abdullah Al-Fahad and his South African navigator Leander Pienaar.
Omani veteran Hamed Al-Wahaibi made a strong start to his FIA World Baja Cup campaign two weeks ago in Saudi Arabia and leads the Challenger category with his new Polish navigator Maciej Giemza in an R-X Sport Can-Am.
His closest championship rival is Qatar’s Abdulaziz Al-Kuwari, who has also nominated the Jordan round of the Baja series with his French navigator Stéphane Duplé in a QMMF Taurus.
Andrey Novikov and Aleksei Goriunov are not registered for either Baja series in their G-Force T-3 GF.
FIA World Baja Cup leader Alvarez tops SSV entries
Fifteen crews have entered the burgeoning SSV category. Six will be chasing FIA World Baja Cup points and eight have registered for the regional series. The sole Jordanian crew of Farah and Bayan Zakaria (Can-Am) are not registered for either Baja Cup.
South Racing’s Fernando Alvarez and Xavier Panseri made the perfect start to their FIA World Baja Cup campaign in Ha’il and lead a strong line-up with main competition coming from the Emirati duo of Mansour Al-Helai and Khalid Al-Kendi in an R-X Sport Maverick and South Racing Can-Am team-mates Erik van Loon and Wouter Rosegaar.
The Polish duo of Tomasz Bialkowski and Dariusz Baśkiewicz wheel out the solitary Polaris RXR Pro R Sport in the field and Norway’s Hedda Hosås and Saudi driver Moaz Hariri complete the FIA World Baja Cup line-up with their respective navigators Pol Tibau and Kirill Shubin.
Qatari youngster Mohammed Al-Marri earned maximum regional SSV points in Saudi Arabia with Szymon Gospodarczyk and could well be the one to beat in Wadi Rum.
Competition in the FIA Middle East Baja Cup will be intense with a pair of Yamaha YXZ 1000Rs running under the Al-Kuwari Racing by Apex banner looking to break the Can-Am stranglehold. Qatar’s Ahmed Al-Kuwari and San Marino-based Camelia Liparoti crew the two machines with navigators Augusto Sanz and Fahad Al-Muaikil.
GCC drivers round off the SSV challenge for regional Baja honours with five Can-Am Mavericks in the hands of Qatar’s Mohammed Al-Atteya, the Saudi duo of Hamad Al-Harbi and Maha Al-Hameli, Emirati Nora Al-Jassasi and Kuwait’s Dhari Al-Dhafeeri.
Defending champion Al-Thunayyan leads his Stock rivals
Majed Al-Thunayyan made the perfect start to the defence of his Stock title with victory at the opening round in his native Saudi Arabia. The Torq Racing Nissan Patrol driver heads a seven-strong field in Jordan.
Abdullah Al-Shegawi was his closest challenger on round one and the Saudi teams up with Ali Mirza in the only Toyota Prado in the field.
Last year’s FIA Middle East Baja Cup Stock winner Abdullah Al-Rabban (Nissan) suffered a setback to the start of his FIA World Baja Cup challenge with a retirement on round one but will be hoping for better fortune in Jordan with navigator Ali Al-Ajmi. Fellow countryman Ahmad Al-Muhannadi is also registered for FIA World Baja Cup points.
The Saudi crew of Abdulaziz Al-Saud and Meshal Al-Shammeri are chasing regional Baja Cup honours but retired from the opening round. Al-Mashna and Abdullah Al-Shammeri (Nissan) complete the Saudi line-up chasing regional points. Portugal’s Fernando Barreiros and José Sá Pires are not registered for either series.
The event is based at the Hyatt Regency Aqaba Ayla Resort. The venue will also host the pre and post-event press conference and start and finish ceremonies. Administration and scrutineering checks take place on Wednesday (February 11th).
An Aseza Prologue of 12.78km precedes Thursday afternoon’s ceremonial start at the Ayla resort. Competitors will then tackle two timed selective sections of 229.34km and 195.38km through the Wadi Rum desert on Friday (February 13th) and Saturday (February 14th).
The shift to a February date could well see chilly temperatures in the mornings and late afternoons in exposed and remote Wadi Rum.
In a route of 782.63km, 437.50km will be timed against the clock (subject to final route checks).
2026 Jordan Baja – entry list:
Ultimate
200. Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah (QAT)/Fabian Lurquin (BEL) MD Optimus Rallye+
201. Saood Variawa (RSA)/François Cazalet (FRA) Toyota Hilux IMT Evo*
202. Dania Akeel (KSA)/Sébastian Delaunay (FRA) Toyota Hilux Evo*
203. Lionel Baud (FRA)/Lucie Baud (FRA) X-Raid Mini JCW Rally Plus 3.0d*
204. Miroslav Zapletal (CZE)/Michal Goleniewski (POL) Ford F-150+
205. Ahmed Al-Shamy (KSA)/Ali Hassan Obaid (UAE) Century CR6+
Challenger
300. Yasir Seaidan (KSA)/Xavier Flick (FRA) Taurus Evo Max+
301. Hamed Al-Wahaibi (OMA)/Maciej Giemza (POL) Can-Am Maverick R*
302. Abdulaziz Al-Kuwari (QAT)/Stéphane Duplé (FRA) Taurus T3 Max*
303. David Mabbs (UAE)/David McBride (UAE) Can-Am Maverick X3+
304. Nouef Al-Sowaidi (QAT)/Aisvydas Paliukenas (LTU) Taurus T3 Max+
305. Abdullah Al-Fahad (KSA)/Leander Pienaar (RSA) Taurus T3 Max+
306. Andrey Novikov (KGZ)/Aleksei Goriunov (KGZ) G-Force T-3 GF
SSV
400. Fernando Alvarez (ARG)/Xavier Panseri (FRA) Can-Am Maverick R*
401. Mansour Al-Helai (UAE)/Khalid Al-Kendi (UAE) Can-Am Maverick R*
402. Erik van Loon (NED)/Wouter Rosegaar (NED) Can-Am Maverick R*
403. Mohammed Al-Marri (QAT)/Szymon Gospodarczyk (POL) Can-Am Maverick R+
404. Tomasz Bialkowski (POL)/Dariusz Baśkiewicz (POL) Polaris RZR Pro R Sport*
405. Hedda Hosås (NOR)/Pol Tibau (ESP) Can-Am Maverick R*
406. Mohammed Al-Atteya (QAT)/Aleksei Kuzmich (UAE) Can-Am Maverick R+
407. Hamad Al-Harbi (KSA)/Faisal Al-Suwayh (KSA) Can-Am Maverick R+
408. Maha Al-Hamali (KSA)/Nuno Morais (POR) Can-Am Maverick XRS Turbo RR+
409. Ahmed Al-Kuwari (QAT)/Augusto Sanz (ARG) Yamaha YXZ 100R Sport Shift+
410. Camelia Liparoti (SMR)/Fahad Al-Muaikil (KSA) Yamaha YXZ 100R Sport Shift+
411. Dhari Al-Dhafeeri (KUW)/Fahad Al-Amr (KSA) Can-Am Maverick XRS Turbo RR+
412. Nora Al-Jassasi (UAE)/Balakrishna Udaya Kumar (UAE) Can-Am Maverick XRS Turbo RR+
413. Moaz Hariri (KSA)/Kirill Shubin (KGZ) Can-Am Maverick R*
414. Farah Zakaria (JOR)/Bayan Zakaria (JOR) Can-Am Maverick XRS Turbo RR
Stock
500. Majed Al-Thunayyan (KSA)/Omar Al-Lahim (KSA) Nissan Patrol*
501. Abdullah Al-Shegawi (KSA)/Ali Mirza (UAE) Toyota Prado*
502. Al-Mashna Al-Shammeri (KSA)/Abdullah Al-Shammeri (KSA) Nissan Patrol+
503. Abdullah Al-Rabban (QAT)/Ali Al-Ajmi (UAE) Nissan Patrol*
504. Abdulaziz Al-Saud (KSA)/Meshal Al-Shammeri (KSA) Nissan Patrol+
505. Ahmad Al-Muhannadi (QAT)/Egor Okhotnikov (KGZ) Nissan Patrol*
506. Fernando Barreiros (POR)/José Sá Pires (POR) Nissan Patrol
*denotes registered for FIA World Cup
+ denotes registered for FIA Middle East Cup
Timetable of events
Team photo sessions, Baja HQ 16.00hrs-19.00hrs
Administration checks, Baja HQ 16.00-22.00hrs
Scrutineering checks, Aqaba service park 17.00-23.00hrs
Thursday, February 12
Aseza Prologue (12.78km) 13.35hrs
Pre-event press conference, Ayla Resort 17.30hrs
Ceremonial start, Ayla Resort 18.15hrs
Friday, February 13
Stage 1 – Humaymeh (229.34km) 08.30hrs onwards
Saturday, February 14
Stage 2 – Aqaba (195.38km) 09.10hrs onwards
Post-event press conference, Ayla Resort 18.00hrs
Prize giving ceremony, Ayla Resort 18.45hrs
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