MX Ride Dubai’s Mohammed Al-Balooshi (Husqvarna) and Hani Al-Noumesi (Yamaha) took another step towards FIM Bajas World Cup success with victories in the three-day Jordan Baja, round three of the 2025 FIM Bajas World Cup.
Al-Balooshi’s fifth victory in the Hashemite Kingdom strengthens his position in the points’ standings as he attempts to defend his title. Closest rival Rafic Eid (GasGas) pushed the Emirati all the way on day one but was no match for the champion on the shorter final stage of 189.92km through the spectacular Wadi Rum region of southern Jordan.
Al-Balooshi, who also beat Eid and Barry Howe to success in the Veteran category, said: “Amazing. This task was difficult. I am really happy to win this event for the fifth time. I worked hard for this and I am still blessed. I am still delivering. There is a lot more in me and there is more to come. I am still improving and learning. It was an amazing weekend, a job well done.”
Germany’s Philip Horlemann (KTM) came home in third place and Jordanian rider Abdullah Abu Aisheh (GasGas) and UAE-based Thomas Childs (KTM) rounded off the top five. Barry Howe (KTM) and Sultan Al-Shanqiti (KTM) were sixth and seventh and finished third and fourth in the Veteran class.
Young Jordanian rider Abdallah Al-Bataynah (Honda) finished 10th and won the Junior category. Al-Noumesi (Yamaha) was untroubled in the quad category, was the quickest of all the riders on the Prologue stage and extended his championship lead. He had stopped during the last stage, along with Eid and Horlemann, to assist at the scene of an accident involving the leading car, but the time lost was later handed back by FIM officials.
Twelve motorbikes and just one quad made the final start list after MX Ride Dubai’s Sultan Al-Balooshi, former quad champion Haitham Al-Tuwaijri and last year’s Jordan Baja quad section winner Abdulaziz Al-Shayban withdrew at the 11th hour.
Eid won the Prologue on two wheels from Childs and Thomas Cross with Al-Balooshi slotting into seventh position ahead of the opening 294.03km stage through Wadi Rum on Friday (April 11th).
After a slight delay because of wind causing dust and safety issues, Jason Joplin was handed road-opening duties but the Briton was quickly caught by the chasing pack and Eid, Al-Balooshi and Horlemann soon began to edge away.
The trio pulled further clear as the route passed close to the frontier with Saudi Arabia and then Eid and Al-Balooshi began to lose Horlemann. Hamdan Al-Ali stopped early in the stage and Cross also suffered time losses.
Al-Balooshi held on to claim the stage win from Eid and moved into a lead of 2min 25.1sec The Emirati said: “I started fifth and within 35 or 40km I was opening the road. I was on my own with the road book, minor mistakes. I kept on going. The problem was the cars. We had a delayed start. But they didn’t have a delayed start. The cars have more top speed. This part was not nice but I won the stage.”
Al-Ali retired (Honda) after a fall on the last stage and was taken to hospital for treatment.
The FIM Bajas World Cup resumes with the Baja TT Dehasa Extremadura in Spain on May 1st-3rd.
Bikes
- Mohammed Al-Balooshi (UAE) Husqvarna RR450 7hr 53min 52.4sec
- Rafic Eid (LEB) GasGas RX Rally Bike 7hr 56min 16.4sec
- Philip Horlemann (GER) KTM 450 Rally Replica 8hr 08min 54.7sec
- Thomas Childs (UAE) KTM 450 Rally 8hr 24min 31.1sec
- Abdullah Abu Aisheh (JOR) GasGas 450 Rally 8hr 27min 00.8sec
- Barry Howe (GBR) Husqvarna Factory Bike 9hr 37min 27.1sec
- Sultan Al-Shanqiti (UAE) KTM 450 Rally Replica 9hr 55min 28.6sec
- Jason Joslin (GBR) Husqvarna RX 450F 10hr 08min 10.4sec
- Abdullah Al-Bataynah (JOR) Honda CRF 450R 10hr 09min 55.1sec
- Frederic Fontarosa (FRA) Kove 450 Rally 11hr 04min 11.2sec
- Thomas Cross (UAE) Kove 450 EX 11hr 48min 53.6sec
Hamdan Al-Ali (UAE) KTM 450 RX RETIRED – SS2
Quads
- Hani Al-Noumesi (KSA) Yamaha YFM 700R 8hr 25min 01.8sec
