Saudi Arabia - 1st Round of 2008 FIA International Cup for Bajas

[Desert Dog]

Following on the 'Son of Osama' post, we have now submitted our entry for this event...

SAUDI ARABIA SET TO HOST FIRST WORLD
CHAMPIONSHIP MOTORSPORT EVENT IN 2008

• Saudi rally star Abdullah Bakhashab becomes new Race Director
• Saudi Motor Sports Committee set to organise key off-road event

RIYADH (Saudi Arabia): The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia will host its first ever world championship motorsport event in February 2008, when the Hail Baja joins the FIA international calendar as the opening round of the six-round FIA International Cup for Cross-Country Bajas.

The event will take place on February 11th-14th and joins other rounds of the increasingly-popular FIA series in Italy, Spain, Hungary, Wales and Portugal. The event will be based at the city of Hail in the north-central region of Saudi Arabia and is open to cars that comply with both FIA T1 and T2 regulations.

Regular WRC competitor and former FIA Middle East rally champion Abdullah Bakhashab was a member of the organising committee for the 2007 Hail Baja, which ran as an FIA candidate event last February. Bakhashab has been keen to see the Kingdom on the rally map for several years and he moves up to the role of Race Director in 2008, taking overall responsibility for the route and format of the Hail Baja.

Bakhashab took part in many regional rallies during his illustrious career, including the UAE Desert Challenge, which runs through the Rub Al-Khali every year as the traditional final round of the FIA Cross-Country Rallies World Cup. He has also been the key individual behind introducing young and up and coming Saudi rally drivers to the sport in recent years.

The 2008 event will be organised by the Saudi Motor Sports Committee (SMSC) under the patronage of HRH Prince Saud Bin Abdul Mohsen Bin Abdul Aziz, Governor of Hail, President of the Supreme Commission for Hail Development and the Head of the Supreme Commission of the Hail Rally. Mishaal Al-Sudairy will act at chairman of the organising committee for a second successive year.

“We are delighted to have been accepted into the FIA calendar for 2008,” said Mishaal Al-Sudairy, chairman of the organising committee. “This is a major boost to motorsport, not only in Saudi Arabia but also in the entire Middle East region. We received favourable reports about the nature of the terrain we used last year for our candidate event and we look forward to welcoming overseas competitors in greater numbers in February 2008.”

Driver entries for the 2008 event will open on Monday, November 26th (tomorrow) and close on Tuesday, January 29th. The event will again be centred at the first class Maghwat facility on the outskirts of Hail and competitors will face two days of daunting off-road action in the Nufud desert to the north of the city.

Scrutineering and documentation will take place on February 11th and this will be followed by the ceremonial start at the Prince Sultan Center in Hail on February 12th at 2pm. Competitors will then head straight into a timed super special stage at 15.30hrs.

The first desert leg will take place between 07.00hrs and 15.00hrs on February 13th, while the second and final leg of the 2008 Hail Baja will start at 09.00hrs on February 14th and reach a conclusion at 15.30hrs. The ceremonial finish will take place at Maghwat from 6pm. There will be a final ceremony and gala dinner at the Veniesa Hall in Hail from 10pm on Sunday evening.

Entry details and more information about the event are available from the Saudi Motor Sport Committee, PO Box 87881, Riyadh 11652, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Tel: + 9661 477 1034, Fax: + 9661 477 1050 and from Mishaal Al-Sudairy, E-mail: msudairy@msudairy.com, www.saudimotorsport.com

2008 FIA International Cup for Bajas – calendar of events
Saudi Arabian Hail Baja February 15-17
Italian Baja March 15-17
Baja Spain July 17-20
Hungarian Baja August 21-24
Baja GB (Wales) September 25-28
Baja Portalegre (Portugal) October 18-21

We will be trucking the buggy and the service truck to Hail on 1st February and flying from Dubai to Hail via Jeddah. I've been into Saudi many times on business and this is going to be the first time that I'm going 'for fun'!

I'll use this thread to let all know how the preps are going and more specifically, the event itself.

[Desert Dog]

Latest press release:

Wednesday, January 23rd, 2008

SAUDI HAIL BAJA RECEIVES FINANCIAL
BOOST FROM HRH SULTAN BIN FAHD

Czech, Hungarian, Russian and Dutch teams enter Saudi Arabian event
Defending Hail Baja champion Rajeh Al-Shammeri set to return in 2008

RIYADH (Saudi Arabia): Officials organising the Saudi Arabia Hail Baja, round one of this year’s FIA International Cup for Cross-Country Bajas, have received a welcome financial bonus from His Royal Highness Sultan Bin Fahd, President of Youth Welfare, who has agreed to boost the event’s budget to cover increased costs now that the event has become a round of the prestigious FIA series for the first time.

The all-desert Baja takes place on February 11th-14th in the north-central region of the Kingdom under the patronage of HRH Prince Saud Bin Abdul Mohsen Bin Abdul Aziz, Governor of Hail, President of the Supreme Commission for Hail Development and the Head of the Supreme Commission of the Hail Rally.

Four of the most competitive Baja drivers in the world have entered the event and Saudi officials are waiting for confirmation that two factory teams will also be taking part in next month’s Baja. Dutchman Toni van Deijne looks set to enter for the first time at the wheel of his Mitsubishi L200 with co-driver Wouter Rosegaar and Boris Gadasin is confirmed on the list in an Overdrive Racing Nissan Pick-Up with co-driver Alexander Mironenko.

Hungarian Laszlo Palik wheels out his Palik Racing Team Nissan Pick-Up with co-driver Gabor Darazsi and the Czech driver Miroslav Zaplatel – winner of last year’s Baja GB – will make the journey to Saudi Arabia with co-driver Miloslav Janacek in a Mitsubishi to join a plethora of crews from the host country and other parts of the GCC.

Saudi Arabian driver Rajeh Al-Shammeri will defend the Hail Baja title he won in February 2007, after joining the Middle East Racing Team that was founded by His Royal Highness Mohammed bin Bander bin Abdul Aziz.

Al-Shammeri is looking forward to competing against the international field in Hail next month and also to tackling all six rounds of this year’s FIA Baja Championship. The other five Bajas will take place in Italy, Spain, Hungary, Wales and Portugal later this year and Al-Shammeri will be the first Saudi driver to tackle a full programme of FIA off-road events.

Officials at the Saudi Motor Sports Committee are working against the clock to ensure that nothing is left to chance for the start of the biggest motorsport event ever to take place in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Prince Abdullah bin Khalid, the Chairman of the Executive Committee responsible for supervising and coordinating government agencies supporting the rally, visited the event’s headquarters in Hail last week and met with representatives from various government agencies.

“This was an ideal opportunity for Prince Abdullah to oversee the progress that has been made so far and to ensure the smooth running of the rally and the full support for the organising committee,” said Mishaal Al-Sudairy, chairman of the organising committee.

[Desert Dog]

Latest:

Tuesday, January 29th, 2008

QATAR’S SHEIKH HAMED BIN EID AL-THANI
ENTERS 2008 SAUDI ARABIAN HAIL BAJA

• UAE’s Al-Helai, Al-Herais and Al-Ketbi set for Hail desert rally showdown
• Team Saluki enters UAE-based Mark Powell in Saudi Arabian event

RIYADH (Saudi Arabia): Qatar’s Sheikh Hamed Bin Eid Al-Thani, the 1993 FIA Middle East rally champion, is set to take part in the Saudi Arabian Hail Baja, which takes place under the patronage of HRH Prince Saud Bin Abdul Mohsen Bin Abdul Aziz, Governor of Hail, President of the Supreme Commission for Hail Development and the Head of the Supreme Commission of the Hail Rally, on February 11th-14th.

Doha-based Al-Thani and co-driver George Sarayan will take part in the three-day event in a powerful Nissan Patrol, as the Qatari prepares for an attempt at this season’s FIA World Cup for Cross-Country Rallies. Sheikh Hamed is also tackling the UAE national rally series again this season and is looking at taking part in other select events. In 2006 he took part in several rounds of the FIA Baja Cup, including a superb third overall in the Baja GB through the Welsh forests.

“I really enjoy taking part in long-distance desert rallies,” said Al-Thani, who was a spectator at the Qatar International Rally last weekend. “I would like to take part in the World Cup this time and the Saudi event should be a great start to the season for my team. The Nissan is strong and powerful and should be an ideal car for the conditions we will face in Saudi Arabia.”

Temperatures have dropped below zero at night in the Hail region in recent days, but that has not deterred several UAE-based teams from entering Saudi Arabia’s biggest ever motorsport event, which looks set to attract 50 teams when entries close later today (Tuesday).

Leading the way is Yayha Al-Helai - the UAE star of recent UAE Desert Challenges in his Liberty Chevrolet Pick-Up. Al-Helai has competed against the leading factory teams on several occasions and teams up with co-driver Khaled Al-Kendi in Saudi Arabia.

Abdullah Al-Herais took part in the event last year and returns in 2008 with co-driver Abdulrahman Bin Zayed. Al-Herais is a regular on the UAE rallying scene and is confident that he can reach the top five in Hail. Abdullah Al-Ketbi and Saeed Al-Ketbi and their respective co-drivers Ahmed Malik and Suhail Al-Ali will also represent the UAE.

Dubai’s Team Saluki has entered the UAE-based Briton Mark Powell in a Castrol EDGE-supported Buggy in which he won his class in the UAE Desert Challenge last year. Powell has taken part in the final round of the FIA World Cup on a number of occasions and taken several top 10 results in a powerful V8-engined Land Rover Defender.

The switch to a two-wheel drive Buggy has given the Briton the opportunity to benefit from a lighter and more agile chassis for the Saudi Arabian dunes, where he teams up with Lebanese co-driver Mario Mitri for the first time. The team has attracted further support from Serck, GAC and Trading Enterprises.

"Saudi Arabia has tremendous potential for cross country rallying with its wide open spaces and tremendous landscape,” enthused Powell. It is a country that is just waiting to put on a rally which equals any other
international event. The support from the organisers for our entry has been second to none and we're looking forward to two fantastic days in the sands of the Kingdom. The only drawback we may experience is the unseasonal cold snap that they are experiencing - we can't find thermal underwear in Dubai!"

A fifth UAE entry has been placed for Matar Al-Mansouri and Arif Bin Mohammed, while Lebanese drivers Fady Melki and Emil Khneisser and co-drivers Richard Houne and Mohab Mahrous are also heading for the Prince Sultan Center in Hail next month. Top Lebanese co-driver Joseph Mattar will co-drive for Majed Ghamdi, while the non-GCC entry is boosted by the German pairing of Wolfgang Wels and Carsten Sodemann.

The ceremonial takes place at the Prince Sultan Center in Hail on Tuesday, February 12th at 2pm, before teams tackle a timed super special stage at 15.30hrs. The first desert leg will take place on Wednesday, February 13th, while the second and final leg of the 2008 Hail Baja will start at 09.00hrs on Thursday, February 14th and reach a conclusion at 15.30hrs.

[Desert Dog]

SAUDI ARABIA HAIL BAJA (Hail Rally 2008The Great Nufud Challenge),
February 11th-14th, 2008
2008 FIA International Cup for Cross-Country Bajas, round 1 of 6

For immediate release
Wednesday, February 6th, 2008

QATAR'S NASSER AL-ATTIYAH ENTERS
SAUDI HAIL BAJA IN OFFICIAL BMW X3CC

QMMF President Nasser Khalifa Al-Attiyah set for Saudi challenge
Lebanon's Michel Saleh and Kuwait's Saleh Bin Eidan boost entry

RIYADH (Saudi Arabia): Qatar's former FIA P-WRC winner and defending FIA
Middle East rally champion Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah has entered the Saudi
Arabia Hail Baja in an official X-raid BMW X3CC, run by the Trebur-based
AlgoDyne Green Racing Team.

The three-day event is being held under the patronage of HRH Prince Saud
Bin Abdul Mohsen Bin Abdul Aziz, Governor of Hail, President of the Supreme
Commission for Hail Development and the Head of the Supreme Commission of
the Hail Rally, on February 11th-14th in the north-central region of the
Kingdom.

The Qatari will team up with French X-raid co-driver Matthieu Baumel for
both crew members' first motorsport event in Saudi Arabia. The car is the
one that Al-Attiyah had hoped to use in January's cancelled Dakar Rally,
where Baumel had been on the entry list with the rising French star
Guerlain Chicherit.

"Missing out on the chance to compete in the Dakar was disappointing for
the entire X-raid team," said Al-Attiyah. "But I managed to win my home
rally in Qatar recently for the sixth time in six years - a new record -
and that has given me great confidence for the Saudi event.

"I know that our X3 is strong, powerful and reliable and it should be
perfectly suited for the desert terrain we will experience. The
temperatures will be much, much lower than we faced in the UAE last year,
but I am confident that we can win the event outright."

The recent Qatar special stage event was also useful experience for his
co-driver: Baumel teamed up with Qatari rally driver Khalifa Saleh
Al-Attiyah to claim third place in the overall standings on his first ever
outing in the regional rally series.

"The rally in Qatar was good experience for me in the Middle East in a
different rallying discipline," said Baumel. "It was very enjoyable and it
was a chance to get to know Nasser better and prepare myself for the
desert. Nasser is a world class driver and I am looking forward to my
opportunity to compete with him in Saudi Arabia."

Adding extra spice to the event is the late entry from Nasser Khalifa
Al-Attiyah, the President of the Qatar Motor & Motorcycle Federation
(QMMF), who teams up with his cousin's usual Ulster co-driver Chris
Patterson to experience the challenging dunes of the Nufud desert for the
first time. Nasser Khalifa and Patterson discussed the possibility of the
entry in a light-hearted conversation during the recent Qatar International
Rally and, according to Patterson, "the entry developed from there."

While Nasser Saleh and Baumel are two of the favourites in the 48-strong
field to take victory in the Kingdom's inaugural FIA Baja event, Nasser
Khalifa has been a regular competitor in special stage events across the
Middle East for many years and will wheel out a powerful Land Rover. "It
should be a good craic," enthused Patterson. "I have been following the
Dakar for a few years and am very interested by this form of motorsport.
Nasser is looking forward to it, so we will see what we can do."

Meanwhile, two regular special stage competitors from the Middle East have
boosted the entry. Lebanon's Michel Saleh has been a stalwart of regional
rallying for over 30 years and will tackle the Saudi event with Lebanese
co-driver Joseph Mattar in a Land Rover. Saleh received an award in Doha
last month for his services to FIA motorsport in the Middle East and is
looking forward to the new Saudi challenge.

Kuwait's Saleh Bin Eidan was only deprived of a podium finish in the recent
Qatar International Rally on the final two special stages and the Kuwaiti
will be aiming for a top five result in Hail.

The event will again be based at the Maghwat facility on the outskirts of
Hail where temperatures have been around 11 degrees Centigrade during the
day recently, but dropping to as low as minus eight degrees at night.
Scrutineering and documentation will take place on Monday, February 11th
and this will be followed by the ceremonial start at Maghwat at 2pm on
Tuesday, February 12th.