Anticipation builds ahead of Saudi Baja 2022 at Hail

HAIL; Saudi Arabia: Anticipation is building ahead of Saudi Baja 2022 at Hail as the three-day event gets underway with a ceremonial start and a 18km desert qualifying stage on Thursday afternoon.

The seventh round of both the FIA World Cup for Cross-Country Bajas and the FIM Bajas World Cup, round three of the FIA Middle East Cup for Cross-Country Bajas and the third event in the Saudi Toyota Rally Championship is being organized by the Saudi Automobile and Motorcycle Federation (SAMF), in conjunction with the Ministry of Sport and in partnership with Abdul Latif Jameel (ALJ) Motors.

Riyadh driver Yazeed Al-Rajhi heads the FIA car field and faces a desert duel with Czech rival Miroslav Zapletal for the FIA World Cup Drivers’ Championship. The Toyota Hilux and Ford F-150 Evo drivers are separated by just one point in the standings heading into the Hail showdown. Al-Rajhi also holds the advantage at the halfway point of the Saudi Toyota Rally Championship.

The Czech’s Slovakian co-driver Marek Sykora is a firm favorite to win the FIA Co-drivers’ title in the absence of Michael Orr. The Ulsterman is still recuperating from an injury sustained in Poland and has been replaced in recent weeks alongside Al-Rajhi by German co-driver Dirk von Zitzewitz.

Brazilian Cristiano de Sousa Batista, Dutchman Kees Koolen and Spaniard Fernando Alvarez are locked in a three-way tie for third place in the Drivers’ Championship. They trail Al-Rajhi by 30 points and are also fighting for the FIA T4 and T3 titles in their respective South Racing Can-Ams.

Alvarez holds a 45-point lead over Saudi team-mate Dania Akeel in the T3 drivers’ rankings, while De Sousa Batista trails Kuwait’s Meshari Al-Thefiri by 18 points in the T4 tussle. Saudi