– Alex McInnes storms into comfortable motorcycle lead
The French father and daughter duo of Lionel and Lucie Baud delivered the best performance of their careers to hold a slender lead after a punishing 225.71km special stage at the Jordan Baja on Friday.
Young British rider Alex McInnes was the class of the motorcycle field from the start on his KTM and took an advantage of 13min 28.3sec over Saudi rider Abdulhalim Al-Mogheera into the night halt in Aqaba.
Demanding navigation and rocky mountainous terrain gave way to faster open sections of desert as the day’s stage meandered its way through stunning Wadi Rum. Baud gradually climbed through the field over the closing kilometres in the solitary diesel-engined X-Raid Mini JCW Rally Plus to lead the Baja by just 1.8 seconds.
The delighted Frenchman said: « We make a very good result. My daughter made beautiful navigation. I feel comfortable with the car and I tried to go as fast as possible. It was nice. »
His daughter Lucie added: « It’s our first win in the World Championship and in the World Baja Cup. It was amazing, the navigation and the stage was very tough. You have to be very focused, more than the Dakar, for example. Tomorrow, we will open the stage. I like to open because you don’t have many tracks and you have to find the good direction. »
Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah and his French navigator Max Delfino narrowly missed out on the stage win and hold second place. They enjoyed their first ever taste of the southern Jordan region, although the Qatari trailed the likes of Dania Akeel and Saood Variawa through the opening kilometres in the mountains.
He took full advantage of the lightweight nature of his two-wheel drive MD Optimus Buggy in the faster open desert later in the stage and led the special before being pegged back by an impressive Baud near the finish.
Al-Attiyah said: « It was not easy. It was good to manage. With the rear-wheel drive, it was difficult in the climb but we are happy. »
Defending FIA Middle East Baja Cup champion Dania Akeel and her navigator Sébastien Delaunay led through the opening checkpoints and eventually finished in third position in an Overdrive Racing Toyota Hilux Evo.
Akeel said: « It was very challenging and technical. The terrain was tricky. I kept my mind more on the conservative side with a lot of caution. I didn’t rely too much on the dangers in the road book. It’s really tricky terrain here. It was very challenging in a good way. »
Toyota Gazoo Racing’s Saood Variawa and François Cazalet were fourth in another Hilux. Variawa said: « To be honest, it is my first time in this country and my first time racing here with the terrain. Some places were really tricky and dangerous for me, especially opening the road. We passed all the bikes and there was literally no bike line. I had to get the nerves of opening the road out of the way. We lost some time in the dust and then Nasser caught and passed us and then we passed him 13km from the finish. Good points for the championship but we have to push tomorrow. »
Yasir Seaidan was given road-opening duties but the Saudi maintained control of the Challenger category after Hamed Al-Wahaibi’s 10-minute time penalty on Thursday. Seaidan is fifth in his Taurus Evo Max.
Seaidan said: « It was very difficult. We opened and the first part was crazy hard navigation in mountains and rocks. It was like Dakar. I thought Jordan Baja would be easy. After 70km, Saood overtook us and the terrain was better and open. After 150km, Nasser also overtook us and the navigation became much easier. We pushed more and we finished without any problems. »
Czech privateer Miroslav Zapletal was sixth in a Ford F-150 Evo and Abdulaziz Al-Kuwari teamed up with Stéphane Duplé to hold seventh and second in the Challenger class in his Taurus T3 Max.
Norway’s young sensation Hedda Hosås (Can-Am) teamed up with Pol Tibau to earn her first ever stage win and top the SSV standings in eighth. Al-Kuwari’s young QMMF-backed team-mate Mohammed Al-Marri was ninth and second in SSV. Oman’s Hamed Al-Wahaibi rounded of the top 10 and was third in Challenger in an R-X Sport Can-Am, despite winning the day’s stage.
MX Ride Dubai’s Mohammed Al-Balooshi started second on the road behind Marcin Talaga with motorcycle Prologue winner McInnes opting to start from 10th. It was a good decision by the Briton and he was the comfortable leader at the first checkpoint after Talaga and Al-Balooshi both lost a lot of time early on. Sultan Al-Balooshi and Al-Mogheera were his closest challengers.
Philip Horlemann became the road opener as the stage progressed but McInnes and Sultan Al-Balooshi passed him on the run southeast and opened the road into the second part of the stage with Mohammed Al-Balooshi taking the reins with McInnes for the last 100km.
McInnes dominated the stage to extend his overall lead and Kuwait’s Abdullah Al-Shatti secured third behind Al-Mogheera. Mohammed Al-Balooshi found a strong pace as the stage progressed and climbed to fourth, ahead of Rafic Eid, Horlemann and a struggling Sultan Al-Balooshi, who finished the stage after crashing and then retired.
Leader McInnes said: « It was interesting. It was the most unique rally I have ever done in my career so far. At the beginning, there was some super technical enduro-type stuff and I had a small tip-over in the rocks, but was okay. It was good. I caught (Mohammed) Al-Balooshi and we rode together from 100km to the end taking turns opening. »
Mohammed Al-Balooshi added: « For me, it was really tough. I had a problem with my Stella. The cap didn’t work and then I got lost at kilometre 11. I struggled and then I got back and found a lot more riders. Then, I had a fun ride with Alex. I put a sponge that you use to wash the plates in my glove and I had no problems with the hand. »
The Jordanian duo of Zaid Jaber and Abdullah Abu Aisheh held eighth and 10th with Talaga sandwiched between the two local riders in ninth. Hani Al-Noumesi continued to dominate the quad category on his Yamaha YFM 700R.
Tomorrow (Saturday), the second stage through Wadi Rum runs for 195.38km before the ceremonial finish formalities take place on the marina at the Ayla resort in Aqaba in the afternoon.
2026 Jordan Baja – Positions after SS1 (unofficial @ 14.45hrs):
Cars
1. Lionel Baud (FRA)/Lucie Baud (FRA) X-Raid Mini JCW Rally Plus 3.0d, 2hr 33min 19.7sec*
2. Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah (QAT)/Max Delfino (FRA) MD Optimus Rallye, 2hr 33min 21.5sec+
3. Dania Akeel (KSA)/Sébastian Delaunay (FRA) Toyota Hilux Evo, 2hr 35min 39.2sec*
4. Saood Variawa (RSA)/François Cazalet (FRA) Toyota Hilux IMT Evo, 2hr 36min 14.1sec*
5. Yasir Seaidan (KSA)/Xavier Flick (FRA) Taurus Evo Max, 2hr 46min 43.7sec+
6. Miroslav Zapletal (CZE)/Michal Goleniewski (POL) Ford F-150, 2hr 46min 52.1sec+
7. Abdulaziz Al-Kuwari (QAT)/Stéphane Duplé (FRA) Taurus T3 Max, 2hr 48min 06.0sec*
8. Hedda Hosås (NOR)/Pol Tibau (ESP) Can-Am Maverick R, 2hr 49min 30.0sec*
9. Mohammed Al-Marri (QAT)/Szymon Gospodarczyk (POL) Can-Am Maverick R, 2hr 50min 08.7sec+
10. Hamed Al-Wahaibi (OMA)/Maciej Giemza (POL) Can-Am Maverick R, 2hr 51min 43.2sec*
11. Nouef Al-Sowaidi (QAT)/Aisvydas Paliukenas (LTU) Taurus T3 Max, 2hr 51min 47.5sec+
12. Fernando Alvarez (ARG)/Xavier Panseri (FRA) Can-Am Maverick R, 2hr 55min 11.1sec*
13. David Mabbs (UAE)/David McBride (UAE) Can-Am Maverick X3, 2hr 58min 36.3sec+
14. Ahmed Al-Kuwari (QAT)/Augusto Sanz (ARG) Yamaha YXZ 100R Sport Shift, 2hr 58min 37.2sec+
15. Ahmed Al-Shamy (KSA)/Ali Hassan Obaid (UAE) Century CR6, 3hr 00min 38.1sec+
16. Maha Al-Hamali (KSA)/Nuno Morais (POR) Can-Am Maverick XRS Turbo RR, 3hr 14min 02.5sec+
17. Tomasz Bialkowski (POL)/Dariusz Baśkiewicz (POL) Polaris RZR Pro R Sport, 3hr 02min 43.9sec*
18. Abdullah Al-Fahad (KSA)/Leander Pienaar (RSA) Taurus T3 Max, 3hr 03min 00.4sec+
19. Hamad Al-Harbi (KSA)/Faisal Al-Suwayh (KSA) Can-Am Maverick R, 3hr 07min 03.6sec+
20. Dhari Al-Dhafeeri (KUW)/Fahad Al-Amr (KSA) Can-Am Maverick XRS Turbo RR, 3hr 13min 34.1sec+
21. Mohammed Al-Atteya (QAT)/Aleksei Kuzmich (UAE) Can-Am Maverick R, 3hr 13min 49.2sec+
22. Camelia Liparoti (SMR)/Erika Mingozzi (ITA) Yamaha YXZ 100R Sport Shift, 3hr 26min 06.5sec+
23. Moaz Hariri (KSA)/Kirill Shubin (KGZ) Can-Am Maverick R, 3hr 26min 25.5sec*
24. Al-Mashna Al-Shammeri (KSA)/Abdullah Al-Shammeri (KSA) Nissan Patrol, 3hr 28min 12.8sec*
25. Mansour Al-Helai (UAE)/Khalid Al-Kendi (UAE) Can-Am Maverick R, 3hr 51min 16.7sec*
26. Majed Al-Thunayyan (KSA)/Omar Al-Lahim (KSA) Nissan Patrol, 4hr 03min 35.4sec*
27. Abdullah Al-Rabban (QAT)/Ali Al-Ajmi (UAE) Nissan Patrol, 4hr 04min 30.2sec*
28. Ahmad Al-Muhannadi (QAT)/Alexey Mun (KAZ) Nissan Patrol, 4hr 06min 13.5sec*
29. Farah Zakaria (JOR)/Jennifer Lerch (GER) Can-Am Maverick XRS Turbo RR, 4hr 07min 09.1sec
30. Abdullah Al-Shegawi (KSA)/Ali Mirza (UAE) Toyota Prado, 4hr 39min 27.0sec*
*denotes registered for FIA World Cup
+ denotes registered for FIA Middle East Cup
Bikes
1. Alex McInnes (GBR) KTM 450 SXF, 3hr 55min 43.9sec
2. Abdulhalim Al-Mogheera (KSA) KTM 450, 4hr 09min 12.2sec
3. Abdullah Al-Shatti (KUW) Kawasaki KX 450, 4hr 13min 00.1sec
4. Mohammed Al-Balooshi (UAE) KTM 450, 4hr 15min 04.9sec
5. Rafic Eid (LEB) KTM 450 Rally Replica, 4hr 15min 26.2sec
6. Philip Horlemann (GER) KTM 450 Rally Replica, 4hr 15min 58.6sec
7. Sultan Al-Balooshi (UAE) Kove 450 EX Rally, 4hr 18min 20.9sec
8. Zaid Jaber (JOR) GasGas RX 450 Rally Replica, 4hr 19min 11.0sec
9. Marcin Talaga (POL) GasGas RX 450, 4hr 26min 56.5sec
10. Abdullah Abu Aisheh (JOR) Yamaha WR 450F, 4hr 27min 55.9sec
11. Joanna Modrzewska (POL) Triumph TF 450 E, 4hr 28min 38.7sec
12. Mohammed Al-Kubaisi (QAT) KTM 350 EXC-F, 4hr 30min 18.1sec
13. Thomas Childs (GBR) KTM 450 Rally, 4hr 31min 28.2sec
14. Brett Hunt (GBR) Husky FE 450, 4hr 31min 30.1sec
15. Darko Marasovic (CRO) KTM 450 Rally Replica, 4hr 34min 20.1sec
16. Patrick Emmert (USA) KTM 500 EXC-F, 4hr 35min 21.1sec
17. Tomasz Niedzwiedzki (POL) GasGas RX 450 Rally Replica, 4hr 37min 13.6sec
18. Tony Schattat (GER) KTM 450 Rally Replica, 4hr 37min 17.7sec
19. Tla’at Al-Shishane (JOR) Yamaha WR 450F, 4hr 48min 09.7sec
20. Sultan Al-Shanqiti (UAE) KTM 450 Rally Replica, 5hr 29min 03.8sec
21. Eyad Salmirza (JOR) Yamaha YZ 450F, 5hr 29min 39.0sec
Quads
1. Hani Al-Noumesi (KSA) Yamaha YFM 700R, 4hr 31min 36.2sec
2. Ahmad Al-Jaber (KSA) Yamaha Raptor 700 R, 4hr 44min 48.1sec
3. Abdulaziz Al-Atawi (KSA) Yamaha Raptor 700 R, 5hr 01min 24.1sec
Neil Perkins,