– Chabot and Domzala reach Dubai Baja finish in fourth and sixth places
– Van Loon hits transmission trouble but recovers to set fourth quickest time
Qatar’s Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah and French navigator Matthieu Baumel began the defence of their FIA World Cup for Cross-Country Rallies title in perfect style with a convincing victory in the inaugural Dubai International Baja.
The potent duo dominated last year’s championship in their Overdrive Racing Toyota Hilux and followed up five successive victories in 2016 with their first win of the new season on the challenging two-day desert event laid on across the Al-Qudra Desert by the Automobile and Touring Club of the United Arab Emirates.
Al-Attiyah won all three selective sections to finish 14min 57sec in front of Abu Dhabi-based runner-up Sheikh Khalid Al-Qassimi. “It’s great to get the season off to a winning start and especially sweet to record a victory in this event,