Dubai International Baja 2017 to give UAE rally boost

Sport360 staff 13:43 07/02/2017
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  • Sulayem with FIA Technical Delegate.

    The Automobile and Touring Club of the UAE aim to inject new life into rallying in the country after establishing a more affordable and desert-friendly format, the 2017 Dubai International Baja.

    Having started this process four years ago with the launch of the Emirates Desert Championship, ATCUAE has created a new Baja World Cup event that, alongside closer ties to the FIA, motor sport’s world governing body, hopes to promote and develop the baja rally brand.

    The inaugural event will take place in the Al Qudra desert from March 9-11.

    Lionel Carre, FIA Technical Delegate for Cross Country Rallies, visited the UAE last week to work alongside the national motor sport authority in helping competitors prepare for the country’s two World Cup events, with a key emphasis on safety.

    Taking place under the patronage of H.H.Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Crown Prince of Dubai, the Dubai International Baja is the second round of this year’s FIA World Cup for Cross Country Rallies for cars and buggies and the opening round of the FIM Baja World Cup for bikes and quads.

    It will be followed on April 1-7 by the 27th edition of the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge, part of the FIA World Cup series and the FIM Cross Country Rallies World Championship.

    “Our prime concern, as always, is safety,” said Sulayem. “We must ensure that all vehicles going into World Cup events have roll cages, fuel tanks, new specification fire extinguishers and seat belts meeting the highest FIA safety standards.

    “We’re looking to attract a new wave of competitors. A good number have already been attracted to competitive motor sport by the Desert Championship because it’s more competitor friendly and affordable.

    “The Dubai International Baja takes this to another level with two days of desert rallying and the chance to share a World Cup stage with competitors from overseas, and safety is top priority.

    “This is a great opportunity for young Emirati and expatriate drivers to build on their experience, and we want many more to follow them into cross country rallying. For the sport to be sustainable we need to have strong local competitor support, and we need local champions to help attract more young talent.”

    The Emirates Desert Championship was designed to capitalise on the country’s spectacular natural assets for the staging of cross country events. Making the sport open to buggies, bikes and quads as well as cars, the short course championship events run on Friday mornings have been highly successful, with entries often swelling to more than 100.

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