Based at the Lusail International Circuit, the event has attracted a 43-car field with 10 vehicles entered in the flagship Ultimate category, 10 in Challenger, 19 in SSV and four in the Stock class for series-production cross-country machines.

Of those, 15 will score points towards the FIA World Baja Cup and 11 will be focusing on the FIA Middle East Baja Cup.

Yacopini and Oliveras lead the FIA World Baja Cup field

Juan Cruz Yacopini and his Spanish co-driver Dani Oliveras are the top seeds and also lead the FIA World Baja Cup standings.

The Argentine drives an SVR-run Toyota Hilux and heads to Doha with a 22-point advantage over Czech veteran Miroslav Zapletal (Ford) in the Drivers’ Championship and the Ultimate class. Oliveras leads the Navigators’ standings by 29 points from Dutchman Bart van Heun, while Zapletal has a massive 89-point lead in the Master Driver category.

Mitchel van den Brink is one of the leading SSV drivers in the field and, like Portugal’s Francisco Barreto and UAE-based Sergei Remennik, he is also in contention for the overall championship title. Van den Brink has already secured the Junior Driver title.

Remennik is entered in a Nasser Racing Team Taurus T3 Max and is locked in a duel with Emirati Khalid Al-Jafla for the Challenger title. Maximum points in Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Spain and Portugal have given Remennik a 35-point lead to defend in Qatar and Dubai. His team-mate Aleksei Shmotov looks set to finish the season in third place.

Aleksei Ignatov leads Al-Jafla’s co-driver Andrei Rudnitski by a similar margin in the Challenger Navigators’ Championship. Yaroslav Federov and Paulo Fiuza will likely decide the outcome of third place.

Van den Brink has an 83-point lead over Italian Yamaha racer Amerigo Ventura in the SSV standings and is the firm favourite to confirm the title with one round to spare. Both Oman’s Al-Wahaibi (Can-Am) and Great Britain’s Paul Severn (Polaris) will decide who finishes second and third with Ventura.

Navigators Erika Mingozzi and Max Delfino look set to battle for second in the Navigators’ standings behind Van Heun.

Portugal’s Fernando Barreiros and Saudi Arabia’s Majed Al-Thunayyan will decide the outcome of the Stock section in their Nissans. Fourteen points separate them and their respective navigators José Sá Pires and Fahad Al-Sufyani.

The list of non-registered drivers is also impressive. The X-Raid team has entered a pair of Mini JCW Rally machines for the defending Qatar Baja champions, Denis Krotov and Konstantin Zhiltsov, and their team-mates Lionel and Lucie Baud. There is also an Overdrive Racing entry for Ronan Chabot and Gilles Pillot and Czech veteran Martin Prokop makes an appearance in his Ford Raptor with navigator Viktor Chytka.

Fierce Challenger competition to the registered drivers comes in the name of multiple event winner and three-time W2RC champion Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah. He drives one of his own Nasser Racing Team Taurus T3s with Belgian navigator Fabian Luquin.

Likewise, in SSV, professional Swedish motor sport all-rounder Mattias Ekström drives a South Racing Can-Am in a category that has also attracted Dutch veteran Erik van Loon, his wife Anja and Italian Eugenio Amos in three Can-Am Maverick Rs.

Qatari Khalifa Saleh Al-Attiyah looks to defend FIA Middle East Baja Cup advantage

The FIA Middle East Baja Cup will also be decided in Qatar and Dubai and the series is set for a grandstand finish. QMMF Team driver Khalifa Saleh Al-Attiyah leads the Drivers’ Championship by just 11 points from Saudi rival Dania Akeel.

Akeel wheel out one of two Overdrive Racing Toyotas in the field and is also aiming to defend a 70-point cushion over Kuwait’s Nasser Al-Ajmi in the Ultimate class.

Leading Saudi Arabian Junior driver Hamza Bakhashab and the Qatari duo of Abdulaziz Al-Kuwari and Abdullah Al-Rabban are also in contention for the Drivers’ Championship. Al-Rabban is firmly on course for the Master Driver title.

Stéphane Duplé leads Marcin Pasek by just six points in the Navigators’ Championship.

While Al-Attiyah will be aiming to win the overall title, the Qatari is also mindful that he is in pole position with his Taurus T3 Max to secure the regional Challenger title. The brother of five-time Dakar winner Nasser has a 32-point lead over QMMF team-mate Abdulaziz Al-Kuwari.

The South Racing Can-Am Team’s Bakhashab has a commanding cushion of 58 points over Mohammed Al-Attiyah in the SSV class. His co-pilot Pasek is virtually assured of the navigators’ award.

Barring disaster, Al-Rabban is assured of the regional Stock title unless he fails to finish the last two rounds and Qatari rival Mohammed Al-Meer wins the two events outright in the Stock class. 

Competitors will tackle a Prologue of 10.66km on Thursday, November 6th to determine the starting order. They will then transfer to Doha for the ceremonial start by the ‘Way to the World Cup’ landmark for the first time.

The opening stage on Friday, November 7th will be split into three timed parts of 67.38km, 32.32km and 118.55km.

Second stage action on Saturday, November 8th will be split into five timed sections of 35.14km, 12.05km, 33.35km, 39.95km and 108.31km. The action will finish in the spectacular dunes of the Sealine area of southern Qatar for the first time since the event replaced the Qatar Cross-Country Rally in 2022.

Competitors will then return to the Doha Corniche and the ‘Way to the World Cup’ landmark for the post-event press conference, podium ceremony and prize giving.

2025 Qatar International Baja – entry list:

Ultimate

200. Juan Cruz Yacopini (ARG)/Dani Oliveras (ESP)                                   Toyota Hilux IMT Evo *

201. Miroslav Zapletal (CZE)/Marek Sykora (SVK)                                      Ford F-150 Evo*

202. Dania Akeel (SAU)/Carlos Sachs (BRA)                                                 Toyota Hilux+

203. Nasser Al-Ajmi (KUW)/Nuno Sousa (POR)                                          Nissan Safari+

204. Ahmed Al-Shami (UAE)/Ali Hassan Obaid (UAE)                                Century CR6+

205. Martin Prokop (CZE)/Viktor Chytka (CZE)                                           Ford Raptor

206. Denis Krotov (KGZ)/Konstantin Zhiltsov (ANA)                                  Mini John Cooper Works Rally 3.0i

207. Khalid Al-Feraihi (KSA)/Ola Floene (NOR)                                           Toyota Hilux IMT Evo

208. Lionel Baud (FRA)/Lucie Baud (FRA)                                                     Mini John Cooper Works Rally 3.0D

209. Ronan Chabot (FRA)/Gilles Pillot (FRA)                                                Toyota Hilux

Challenger

300. Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah (QAT)/Fabian Lurquin (BEL)                        Taurus T3 Max

301. Khalid Al-Jafla (UAE)/Andrei Rudnitski (LTU)                                      Taurus T3 Max*      

302. Sergei Remennik (UAE)/Aleksei Ignatov (KGZ)                                   Taurus T3 Max*      

303. Aleksei Shmotev (UAE)/Yaroslav Fedorov (KGZ)                               Taurus T3 Max*      

304. Francisco Barreto (POR)/Paulo Fiuza (POR)                                        Taurus T3 Max*      

305. Khalifa Saleh Al-Attiyah (QAT)/Bruno Jacomy (ARG)                        Taurus T3 Max+

306. Abdulaziz Al-Kuwari (QAT)/Stéphane Duplé (FRA)                            Taurus T3 Max+

308. Nouef Al-Suwaidi (QAT)/Aisvydas Paliukenas (LTU)                         Taurus T3 Max+

309. Ibraham Al-Muhanna (KSA)/Faisal Al-Suwayh (KSA)                        Can-Am Maverick X3+

311. David Mabbs (UAE)/David McBride (UAE)                                          Can-Am Maverick X3

SSV

400. Mattias Ekström (SWE)/Emil Bergkvist (SWE)                                    Can-Am Maverick R

401. Mitchel van den Brink (NED)/Bart van Heun (NED)                          Can-Am Maverick R*

402. Amerigo Ventura (ITA)/Erika Mingozzi (ITA)                                      Yamaha YXZ 1000R Short Shift*

403. Hamed Al-Wahaibi (OMA)/Ilka Minor (AUT)                                      Can-Am Maverick R*

404. Paul Severn (GBR)/Delphine Denfino (FRA)                                        Polaris RZR Pro R Sport*

405. Hamza Bakhashab (KSA)/Marcin Pasek (POL)                                    Can-Am Maverick R+

406. Mohammed Al-Attiyah (QAT)/Aleksei Kuzmich (UAE)                     Can-Am Maverick R+

407. Erik van Loon (NED)/Wouter Rosegaar (NED)                                    Can-Am Maverick R*

408. Eugenio Amos (ITA)/Paolo Ceci (ITA)                                                   Can-Am Maverick R*

409. Maha Al-Hamali (KSA)/Xavier Flick (FRA)                                            Can-Am Maverick R*

410. Dhari Al-Dhafeeri (KUW)/Ali Mirza (UAE)                                           Can-Am Maverick XRS Turbo RR

411. Nora Al-Jassasi (UAE)/Mohamed Al-Mazrui (OMA)                          Can-Am Maverick XRS Turbo RR

412. Abdullah Al-Khelaifi (QAT)/Abdulaziz Al-Jabri (QAT)                        Yamaha YXZ 1000R Short Shift

413. Mohammed Al-Marri (QAT)/Hugo Magalhães (POR)                       Can-Am Maverick R

414. Christiano Gabbarrini (ITA)/Alessandro Forni (ITA)                          Yamaha YXZ 1000R Short Shift

415. Camelia Liparoti (ITA)/Syndiely Wade (SEN)                                      Yamaha YXZ 1000R

416. Erminio Nati (ITA)/Jacopo Casini (ITA)                                                 Can-Am Maverick R

417. Luigi Ricci (ITA)/Stefano Tiraboschi (ITA)                                            Yamaha YXZ 1000R Short Shift

418. Anya van Loon (NED)/Hein Verschuuren (NED)                                 Can-Am Maverick R

Stock

500. Fernando Barreiros (POR)/Jose Sá Pies (POR)                                    Nissan Patrol*

501. Majed Al-Thunayyan (KSA)/Fahad Al-Sufyani (KSA)                          Nissan Patrol Y81*

502. Abdullah Al-Rabban (QAT)/Ali Ajami (ARE)                                         Nissan Patrol+

503. Mohammed Al-Meer (QAT)/Alexey Mun (KAZ)                                 Nissan Patrol+

*denotes registered for the FIA World Baja Cup

+ denotes registered for the FIA Middle East Baja Cup

Timetable of events

Wednesday, November 5

Administration checks, Lusail International Circuit                                            08.00hrs onwards

Scrutineering checks, Lusail International Circuit                                               13.30hrs onwards

Press conference,                  Lusail International Circuit                                                      18.00hrs

Thursday, November 6

Ceremonial start, ‘Way to the World Cup’, Corniche                                        14.30hrs

Prologue – 10.66km                                                                                                        15.20hrs

Friday, November 7

SS1 – 219.28km                                                                                                                09.40hrs (first car)

Saturday, November 8

SS2 – 233.93km                                                                                                                09.10hrs (first car)

Post-event press conference, ‘Way to the World Cup’, Corniche                19.30hrs

Podium ceremony and prize giving, ‘Way to the World Cup’, Corniche    20.00hrs