Konrad Dabrowski Dominates Dubai International Baja as 2024 Champions Are Crowned: The 2024 season of the Dubai International Baja ended with a strong performance by Konrad Dabrowski (KTM Duust).
The young Polish rider, who won the Prologue, dominated the race. He won the first special stage and then secured victory on the second stage, racing through the Al-Qudra desert in the UAE.
Dabrowski, who hadn’t raced in the FIM Bajas World Cup this year, has been focusing on rally events. This Baja race was great training for the 23-year-old, who ended up winning the overall race and also took the top spot in the Junior category.
David Megre, Dabrowski’s main competitor in the World Cup, was not racing, which allowed Mohammed Al-Balooshi (Yamaha) to win his third FIM Bajas World Cup title. Al-Balooshi, racing on his home turf, wanted to end the season with a victory but finished in second place, followed by his brother Sultan in third.
Al-Balooshi expressed his happiness about winning the World Cup title, saying, “It’s an incredible feeling to win my third World Cup title. Racing on home soil during the UAE’s National Day celebrations makes this even more special. I’m grateful to everyone who supported me.”
Junior rider Alex McInnes (Husqvarna) won the second special stage but ended up in fourth place overall. McInnes missed a waypoint the day before, which resulted in a 15-minute penalty. Despite this, he still finished second in the Junior category.
Polish rider Filip Grot finished sixth overall in the Baja and won the Junior category in the FIM Bajas World Cup with 81 points.
In the Veterans’ class, Rafic Eid (GasGas) finished eighth overall in the 450cc category. However, Portuguese rider Pedro Bianchi Prata (Honda) finished 10th but had enough points to keep his World Cup title.
Joanna Modrzewska (Husqvarna) was the uncontested winner in the Women’s category, becoming the FIM Bajas World Cup Queen of the Bajas. She finished 18th in the 450cc category, and her only rival, Aishwarysa Pissay, did not finish the Baja after a fall.
In the quad category, Abdulaziz Ahli (Emirati) won both the Prologue and the two special stages, securing the victory. Hani Al-Noumesi (Saudi Arabia) won the FIM Bajas World Cup in the quad category despite facing problems during the Dubai Baja. He couldn’t finish stage one due to a fuel pump issue and received a two-hour penalty. Al-Noumesi finished fourth in the final stage, behind Abdulaziz Al-Shayban and Abdulaziz Al-Atawi.
The Dubai International Baja covered a tough 867 km route over three days. After all the stages, the riders gathered for the awards ceremony, where the 2024 champions were crowned.
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Source : https://www.fim-moto.com/en/news/news-detail/article/victory-for-dabrowski-in-dubai-al-balooshi-and-al-noumesi-win-the-fim-bajas-world-cups-for-motorcycles-and-quads
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