London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Oct 02, 2025

Al-Tuwaijri, Al-Balooshi and Al-Kuwari seal victories in Qatar International Baja

Al-Tuwaijri, Al-Balooshi and Al-Kuwari seal victories in Qatar International Baja

The UAE’s Mohammed Al-Balooshi, Saudi Arabia’s Haitham Al-Tuwaijri and Qatar’s Ahmed Al-Kuwari sealed outright victories in the motorcycle, quad and SSV sections of the Qatar International Baja after the third desert selective section that was held in punishing heat on Saturday.
MX Ride Dubai’s Mohammed Al-Balooshi delivered a polished performance over the closing 249.68km selective section that started at Al-Kharsaah and included a tricky final passage through the sand dunes near the Inland Sea, south of Doha, where temperatures rose into the low forties Centigrade.

He completed the grueling stage in just under nine minutes shy of five hours to seal a 10min 57sec victory over British youngster Robert Wallace in the motorcycle section. The latter’s consolation was sealing top spot in the FIM Juniors category.

Al-Balooshi said: “It was a very tough two stages but I am happy that we managed to bring the bike home and win this round of the FIM Bajas World Cup and extend our championship lead.

“I am a little bit disappointed that Abdullah Abuaisheh could not start because it is good to have your main rival competing. I thank him for letting me use his front wheel. I damaged mine.

“Now I will go to Portugal for the last round, which is double points. I started off with third in Dubai, a win in Jordan and a win here. But I have a torn ligament in my shoulder. I was nursing it home and managed to win. I probably only rode at 60 or 70%.”

The UK’s Andrew Newland rounded off the podium places and Kuwait’s Abdullah Al-Shatti overcame a fall to finish fourth. Richard Dors and Makis Rees-Stavros rode strongly on the final day to snatch fifth and sixth.

Unfortunately, x-rays confirmed Martin Chalmers’s worst fears and the Qatar-based Australian was forced to withdraw from the motorcycle event with two broken ankle bones and ligament damage.

It was testament to his determination that he had completed the second stage in first position and managed to put his bike into Parc Ferme to restart, albeit with eight minutes of penalties later added to his time.

Saudi Arabia’s Haitham Al-Tuwaijri was the class of the quad field from the start and the Yamaha rider extended his lead in the FIM Bajas World Cup with an emphatic win. Hani Al-Noumesi’s mechnical issues paved the way for Sultan Al-Masoud to finish second in the category.

Ahmed and Nasser Al-Kuwari showed their talent by completely dominating the SSV category in a Yamaha YXZ 1000R. The Qatari duo were the class of the entire Baja and faster than all the motorcycles to boot.Al-Kuwari reached the finish nearly three hours ahead of nearest SSV rival Abdullah Al-Khelaifi and was a staggering 2hr 03min 24sec in front of the leading motorcycle. Khalid Al-Mohannadi brought his Polaris home in third.

“It was a nice rally and my brother Nasser and I enjoyed every moment,” said Al-Kuwari. “He did a great job with the navigation. We never got lost, just a few turns when we may have been over speeding.

“It was a very good job. I was concentrating on bringing the car home and getting no punctures. We had a nice rhythm. Now I have unfinished business in Dakar. Hopefully we can go there now.”

There were several strong performances in the over-450cc motorcycle section, although these riders were not able to score FIM Baja World Cup points.

Saudi Arabia’s Ahmed Al-Jaber started the final stage with a 16-second cushion over Brett Hunt but it was the British enduro rider who managed to top the class rankings by 7min 51sec after an excellent final passage through the dunes.

Several riders became stuck in the sand in the heat and the recovery crews were busy during the afternoon. Britons, Harry Michael, Hugh Mackay and Joseph Dann, all took a rest in the shade before continuing towards the stage finish.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Trump Administration Launches “TrumpRx” Plan to Enable Direct Drug Sales at Deep Discounts
Trump Announces Intention to Impose 100 Percent Tariff on Foreign-Made Films
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Singapore and Hong Kong Vie to Dominate Asia’s Rising Gold Trade
Trump Organization Teams with Saudi Developer on $1 Billion Trump Plaza in Jeddah
Manhattan Sees Surge in Office-to-Housing Conversions, Highest Since 2008
Switzerland and U.S. Issue Joint Assurance Against Currency Manipulation
Electronic Arts to Be Taken Private in Historic $55 Billion Buyout
Thomas Jacob Sanford Named as Suspect in Deadly Michigan Church Shooting and Arson
Russian Research Vessel 'Yantar' Tracked Mapping Europe’s Subsea Cables, Raising Security Alarms
New York Man Arrested After On-Air Confession to 2017 Parents’ Murders
U.S. Defense Chief Orders Sudden Summit of Hundreds of Generals and Admirals
Global Cruise Industry Posts Dramatic Comeback with 34.6 Million Passengers in 2024
Trump Claims FBI Planted 274 Agents at Capitol Riot, Citing Unverified Reports
India: Internet Suspended in Bareilly Amid Communal Clashes Between Muslims and Hindus
Supreme Court Extends Freeze on Nearly $5 Billion in U.S. Foreign Aid at Trump’s Request
Archaeologists Recover Statues and Temples from 2,000-Year-Old Sunken City off Alexandria
China Deploys 2,000 Workers to Spain to Build Major EV Battery Factory, Raising European Dependence
Speed Takes Over: How Drive-Through Coffee Chains Are Rewriting U.S. Coffee Culture
U.S. Demands Brussels Scrutinize Digital Rules to Prevent Bias Against American Tech
Ringo Starr Champions Enduring Beatles Legacy While Debuting Las Vegas Art Show
Private Equity’s Fundraising Surge Triggers Concern of European Market Shake-Out
Colombian President Petro Vows to Mobilize Volunteers for Gaza and Joins List of Fighters
FBI Removes Agents Who Kneeled at 2020 Protest, Citing Breach of Professional Conduct
Trump Alleges ‘Triple Sabotage’ at United Nations After Escalator and Teleprompter Failures
Shock in France: 5 Years in Prison for Former President Nicolas Sarkozy
Tokyo’s Jimbōchō Named World’s Coolest Neighbourhood for 2025
European Officials Fear Trump May Shift Blame for Ukraine War onto EU
BNP Paribas Abandons Ban on 'Controversial Weapons' Financing Amid Europe’s Defence Push
Typhoon Ragasa Leaves Trail of Destruction Across East Asia Before Making Landfall in China
The Personality Rights Challenge in India’s AI Era
Big Banks Rebuild in Hong Kong as Deal Volume Surges
Italy Considers Freezing Retirement Age at 67 to Avert Scheduled Hike
Italian City to Impose Tax on Visiting Dogs Starting in 2026
Arnault Denounces Proposed Wealth Tax as Threat to French Economy
Study Finds No Safe Level of Alcohol for Dementia Risk
Denmark Investigates Drone Incursion, Does Not Rule Out Russian Involvement
Lilly CEO Warns UK Is ‘Worst Country in Europe’ for Drug Prices, Pulls Back Investment
Nigel Farage Emerges as Central Force in British Politics with Reform UK Surge
Disney Reinstates ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’ after Six-Day Suspension over Charlie Kirk Comments
U.S. Prosecutors Move to Break Up Google’s Advertising Monopoly
Nvidia Pledges Up to $100 Billion Investment in OpenAI to Power Massive AI Data Center Build-Out
U.S. Signals ‘Large and Forceful’ Support for Argentina Amid Market Turmoil
Nvidia and Abu Dhabi’s TII Launch First AI-&-Robotics Lab in the Middle East
Vietnam Faces Up to $25 Billion Export Loss as U.S. Tariffs Bite
Europe Signals Stronger Support for Taiwan at Major Taipei Defence Show
Indonesia Court Upholds Military Law Amid Concerns Over Expanded Civilian Role
Larry Ellison, Michael Dell and Rupert Murdoch Join Trump-Backed Bid to Take Over TikTok
Trump and Musk Reunite Publicly for First Time Since Fallout at Kirk Memorial
Vietnam Closes 86 Million Untouched Bank Accounts Over Biometric ID Rules
×