VARAPALOTA, Hungary: Omani champion Hamed al Wahaibi has achieved a remarkable victory in his debut at the Hungarian Baja, a round of the FIA European Cup for Cross-Country Bajas. Driving a BRP Can-Am Maverick R for the RX Sport team, managed by Emirati champion Rashid al Ketbi, Al Wahaibi secured first place in the Side-by-Side 'SSV' category and an impressive fourth place overall.
Al Wahaibi chose to compete in this event to gain more experience and prepare for future challenges, despite it being part of the European Cup and not the World Cup. In the early stages, Al Wahaibi took a cautious approach, not pushing too hard during the qualifying stage and the first special stage. As a result, he finished the first two legs in second place within his class.
However, Al Wahaibi then unleashed the car’s full potential, showing his true speed. He overcame a 20-second deficit to win the second special stage and narrow the gap to just 19 seconds. He then took the lead in the third special stage and advanced to fifth place in the overall standings.
Al Wahaibi maintained his strong pace, winning the final stage and extending his lead over home favourite Balazs Molnar to 17 minutes and 30.2 seconds. This victory secured his win in the Side-by-Side class and a fourth-place finish in the overall standings.
Following the race, Al Wahaibi stated, "I am very happy with this result. We didn't face any problems, and I must thank the team, champion Rashid al Ketbi, and everyone involved for their exceptional and tireless efforts."
He added, "The next rally will be in Portugal. Our goal is to continue gaining experience in this type of rallying and keep achieving strong results."
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