Francisco Barreto, Konrad Dąbrowski, and Abdulaziz Al Ahli claimed fastest times in their respective car, motorcycle, and quad categories during the Prologue stage of the Qatar International Baja held Thursday in Lusail. The 11.12-kilometer opening test marked the official start of competition for the penultimate rounds of the FIA World and Middle East Baja Cups and the fifth round of the FIM Bajas World Cup.
A total of 37 cars, 45 motorcycles, and eight quads participated in the Prologue, which took place under the oversight of Qatar Motor and Motorcycle Federation (QMMF) officials including President Abdulrahman Al Mannai and Executive Director Amro Al Hamad, alongside Dutch Ambassador Ferdinand Lahnstein.
Barreto, the Italian Baja and recent Baja Portalegre 500 winner, set the fastest car category time of 7 minutes, 6.9 seconds despite incurring a five-second penalty for gate contact. He and navigator Paulo Fiúza, driving an SVR Toyota Hilux, edged out title rival Saood Variawa by 12.1 seconds. Barreto also finished 12.1 seconds ahead of local favorite Nasser Saleh Al Attiyah, a multiple event winner driving an Optimus MD Rallye, who similarly received a five-second penalty and was hampered by a late puncture. Barreto expressed satisfaction with the result, emphasizing the need for focus moving forward. Al Attiyah noted the difficulty posed by the puncture but remained confident about the longer stage ahead.
In the Challenger class, Mitchel van den Brink and Bart van Heun performed strongly in their Can-Am Maverick R, placing sixth overall behind QMMF-backed local drivers Abdulaziz Al Kuwari and Nouef Al Sowaidi. Al Kuwari held the top spot in the category and mentioned brief rain near the finish, while van den Brink acknowledged a minor navigational error that cost some time but regarded the outcome as positive.
Other notable competitors included Oman’s Hamed Al Wahaibi in seventh, and father-daughter duo Martin and Aliyyah Koloc in eighth and tenth. Fernando Alvarez and navigator Xavier Panseri led the SSV category in 11th place, with Qatar’s Abdulla Al Rabban topping the Stock car classification.
In the motorcycle competition, defending champion Konrad Dąbrowski set the fastest Prologue time of 7 minutes, 15.1 seconds on his Duust Rally Team KTM 450, narrowly ahead of FIM series leader Alex McInnes by 1.3 seconds. Former enduro champion Romain Dumontier finished third after starting late, with Robert Wallace and Slovenian veteran Simon Marcic rounding out the top five. All 45 riders completed the stage despite some challenging conditions, including a late rain shower.
Among quads, defending champion Abdulaziz Al Ahli posted the quickest time on a Yamaha Raptor, besting compatriot Khalifa Al Bastaki, who received penalties including one for losing his time card. Saudi rider Hani Al Noumesi followed in second, with the current FIM series leader Ahmed Al Jaber and others completing the top ranks. Italy’s Matteo Lardori experienced mechanical issues after the rain affected his bike on the return to Lusail.
Friday’s itinerary features an extended selective section of approximately 336.45 kilometers, considered one of the longest and most demanding stages in FIA and FIM Baja Cup history. The route will traverse the northern, western, and central deserts of Qatar, with the first motorcycle entrant starting at 06:55 am and leading cars beginning their runs at 09:00 am.