Amman, Feb 10 (Petra) - International, Arab, and local teams have arrived in the city of Aqaba in preparation for the Jordan Baja Rally, the second round of the Cross-Country World Cup "FIA Baja," and the second round of the Middle East Cross-Country Cup "FIA Baja," alongside the Jordan Baja third round of the World Cup for motorcycles and quad bikes "FIM Baja," and the second round of the Asia Cup for the same categories, in addition to the Jordan National Baja and Wadi Al-Qamar Navigation Rally.

Administrative and technical inspections will be held on Wednesday at the rally headquarters and at the newly established Jordan Baja Center near the Hyatt Regency Aqaba – Ayla Resort, set in a scenic area of Aqaba. The rally will officially kick off on Thursday, running from Aqaba to Wadi Rum.

The area witnessed intense activity on Tuesday, with engineers and technicians preparing vehicles and motorcycles after the recent Baja events in Saudi Arabia, while teams finalized their setups for the three-day event organized by the Jordan Motorsport.

Qatari driver Nasser Al-Attiyah will participate in the Jordan Baja for the first time, having previously won the Jordan Rally, one of the Middle East Championship rounds, several times. He was also present at the 2025 Jordan Baja as team director of "Nasser Racing."

Following his remarkable victory in the Dakar Rally, Al-Attiyah continued his success by winning the first round of the Middle East Baja Cup two weeks ago, delivering an outstanding performance and leading the Middle East Cross-Country Cup "FIA Baja."

Al-Attiyah has chosen to participate in four regional Baja rounds this year, driving an "Optimus Buggy."
Belgian co-driver Fabian Lurkin will join Al-Attiyah for this Jordan Baja, after Max Del Vino accompanied him in his recent success in Hail.

Al-Attiyah confirmed that he will return next month to participate in the Portugal Raid Rally Ultimate with the "Dacia SandRaiders" team as part of the W2RC rounds.

The Qatari driver said, "I am happy to be here in Jordan. I liked the terrain; it closely resembles stages of the Dakar Rally. I was here in Jordan with my team last year to support them, and I decided to participate in the Jordan Baja this year after our win in Hail. It will be great to continue our journey in the Middle East Baja Cup. In fact, I participated in a Baja race in Jordan back in 1989 at the start of my career."

He added, "The Jordan Baja race is extremely challenging. We have good experience, and this is our first experience with the buggy car. We will do our best to win this race. The Jordan Baja scenery is stunning and similar to the terrain in Al-Ula and NEOM in Saudi Arabia."

The German "X-Raid" team is participating with a single "Mini Cooper JCW Rally Plus" for the French father-daughter duo Lionel and Lucie Baud, who registered for the Baja World Cup after missing the opening round in Saudi Arabia.

The German team, led by Tobias Quandt, aims for its third victory in the Jordan Baja since the round joined the Baja World Cup in 2019.

Polish driver Jakub Przygonski, with German co-driver Timo Gottschalk, previously won the Jordan Baja driving a "Mini 4x4 racing car."

After the cancellation of the 2020 Jordan Baja due to the COVID-19 pandemic and global travel restrictions, the "X-Raid" team returned in 2021 to win the title with Saudi Yasser Saeedan and Russian Alexey Kuzmich driving a "Mini JCW Rally."

Two defending champions are seeking victories in other categories: Qatari Abdulaziz Al-Kuwari, who won the Qatar International round last week and is participating in the Jordan Baja to retain the "Challenger" category title, accompanied by French co-driver Stephan Doubly in a "Taurus T3 Max" car.

His compatriot Abdullah Al-Rabban leads the general standings in Jordan and also won the "Stock" category for cars in the 2025 Middle East Cup, participating this time in the Baja World Cup in a Nissan Patrol with Emirati co-driver Ali Al-Ajmi.

He faces strong competition from Saudi Majed Al-Thunayan, the 2024 Jordan "Stock" category winner, as well as Saudis Abdullah Al-Shqawi, Qatari Ahmed Al-Muhanna, and Portuguese Fernando Barreiros.

In the motorcycle category, Emirati Mohammed Al-Balushi dominates with five consecutive victories in the Jordan Baja, and no rider has previously won twice in the Jordan Baja round.

The 2026 Jordan Baja is held under the sponsorship of Zain Jordan, Markazia Toyota (Gazoo Racing), Kumho Tires, Ayla, Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority (ASEZA), Radio Hala, and Plus.

//Petra// AF

10/02/2026 22:49:08