A Brief History of the Dubai International Baja

For fans who haven’t heard of it yet, the Dubai Baja race is quite an important event for cross-country motorsports. Before it was updated in 2016, the event was known as the “Dubai International Rally” and was the oldest motorsport event in the UAE, having been held annually since the 1970s. After being reformatted, the race acquired great prestige worldwide and started attracting athletes from all over the world. The current edition was held between December 1st and 3rd, in order to determine the 2022 World Champion.

The beginning of a new challenge

After a year with a very full sporting calendar, with assiduous presences in the National Endurance Championship, Cross-Country, and the National Navigation Championship, 2022 couldn’t end any better for the pilot Daniel Jordão, supported by MatraX and AB Lubs, Alves Bandeira Group, who attended this race. Before the start of the race, Daniel was very excited and left some thanks to André Bandeira, an important figure in his sporting success. “My friend André Bandeira challenged me to race here. Obviously, I couldn’t help but accept! It will certainly be a fantastic experience to navigate in the desert and get a sense of what the great marathons are all about. I am immensely grateful to him, as well as to all those who throughout the year helped me make my sports projects possible.”

A season closed with a golden key

In the first of the three days of racing, Daniel Jordão placed 9th in the 450cc class but improved in the second, finishing 6th. As Daniel said on social media, “The desert is unforgiving! I’ve always heard that, but today I felt it in my skin with a baptism of fire.” After a busy and stressful year, he closed the season with a final 8th place in the final round of the Baja World Cup. It is important to remember that this was the driver’s first time racing in the desert. If we add the lack of experience on this floor with all the inherent technical difficulties and physical demands, a finish in the top 10 is, without a doubt, a great performance, for which Daniel is to be congratulated.

As for the equipment used, our pilot always raced accompanied by an assistance van equipped with Matrax Veragua A/T tires.  This tire was chosen specifically due to its excellent adherence to different surfaces. This way, a good performance was achieved on the asphalt at the start of the selective sectors, as well as in the passing and neutralization areas in the middle of the desert.