Emirati driver Mansour Al-Helei has won the FIA World Baja Cup SSV title after the final round of the Dubai International Baja, becoming world champion on home soil with fellow Emirati Khalid Al Kendi as his co-driver in a Can-Am Maverick R.

Al-Helei entered the Dubai round third in the standings. A cautious drive to fifth place in Dubai was enough to lift him to the top of the championship table.

He said the final stage was full of drama, as his engine overheated for around 180 kilometres and he had to drive slowly to reach the finish. "Since I was a child, I have always dreamed of being a world champion, and today I am," he said, adding that he was proud to win with an Emirati navigator and dedicated the title to his sponsor, Team Liwa.

In the car category, Nasser Al-Attiyah of Qatar won the Dubai International Baja for the fourth time since 2016, while Dutch driver Mitchel van den Brink finished second in Dubai and took the overall FIA World Baja Cup title. Britain's Alex McInnes won both the Dubai International Baja and the FIM World Baja Cup in the motorcycle category, and the UAE's Khalifa Al-Bastaki took first place in the quad class.

Mahir Badri, CEO of the Emirates Motorsport Organization, described the event, which ran across Mushrif Park, the dunes of Al Qudra and Dubai Festival City, as a tremendous success.

(Source: Khaleej Times)