Dubai International Baja – November 28th-December 1st, 2024   

FIA World Baja Cup, round 8

For immediate release

Sunday, December 1st, 2024

SOUTH RACING CAN-AM TEAM’S ALVAREZ AND PANSERI FINISH SECOND OVERALL IN THE FIA WORLD BAJA CUP

  • Dania Akeel wins FIA Middle East Baja Cup with SSV victory with South Racing
  • South Racing Can-Am Team wins Teams’ and SSV Championships
  • Diego Martinez finishes second in FIA World Baja Cup’s Challenger category
  • Ekström, Van Loon and Price give new Can-Am Maverick Rs pre-Dakar shakedown

DUBAI (UAE): The South Racing Can-Am Team’s Fernando Alvarez and Xavier Panseri rounded off a successful campaign in the FIA World Baja Cup at the Dubai International Baja by finishing second in the overall championship to add to the SSV and Teams’ titles they had secured in Jordan two weeks ago.

Dania Akeel rejoined the South Racing Can-Am Team with her French co-driver Stéphane Duplé in a quest to pick up points towards the FIA Middle East Baja Cup in her Jameel Motorsport-backed Can-Am Maverick XRS Turbo entered in the SSV section. The Saudi won the SSV section outright and, as a result, she also won the 2024 FIA Middle East Baja Cup.

Akeel said: “With this result we have won the Middle East Baja Championship. Thanks to South Racing for coming through and helping me out on this last race. The event was challenging with nice dunes and plateaux where he had to change the cap quite a lot. It was a good navigation exercise. The Middle East Cup was very competitive and very interesting.”

Team-mates Diego Martinez and Sergio Lafuente came home in second of the registered Challenger crews in their Can-Am Maverick X3 and the Argentine claimed a similar finish in the championship behind Eduardo Pons. Lafuente also earned the overall Co-drivers’ title in the Challenger category.

Argentina-based Alvarez finished third in the SSV section in Dubai in his Conarpesa-backed Can-Am Maverick XRS Turbo but that was sufficient to claim maximum points in the category. He said: “We got the points and had already won the SSV category. I am really proud of my co-driver and my team of mechanics. We never stopped and we finished all the races. Finally, we were second in the overall championship. I am very happy and proud of our job.”

Dutchman Michael van der Brink teamed up with Bart van der Brink in a South Racing Can-Am Maverick X3 to finish eighth in the overall standings. He set a terrific pace from the outset and was third overall in the Challenger category behind five-time Dakar Rally winner Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah and the title-winning Pons.

The South Racing Can-Am Team also ran a trio of the latest 2025 Can-Am Maverick Rs in an Experimental category. Swede Mattias Ekström teamed up with Dutchman Wouter Rosegaar in one of the Rs and was joined by Erik van Loon and Hein Verschuuren and the American duo of Sara Price and Sean Berriman.

South Racing Can-Am Team’s managing director Scott Abraham said: “It was a great way to finish off a long season. The South Racing team took part in more than 20 events, winning multiple championships, including winning the FIA Baja Cup in T4 (SSV), the W2RC Championship, the Teams’ Championship in the World Baja Cup, the Middle East Baja Cup in SSV and successes in the Challenger category.

“Can-Am showed, once again, that it is the most reliable and effective race vehicle in the field for the seventh consecutive year. We are looking forward to what the new Maverick R brings in the future. This offers a new chapter for the Canadian manufacturer that is targeting success in the SSV category at the Dakar rally in 2025.

“Also, a big thanks to the entire South Racing team for their hard work throughout the whole season, especially with the development of the Maverick R. We can all look forward to 2025 and, hopefully, more successes in the coming months.”

Minor route modifications saw the two original 195km stages reduced to 191.57km and 193.15km, respectively.

Alvarez made a strong start to top the SSV times on the Prologue stage that was held at picturesque Hatta, south of Dubai, for the first time. He beat Akeel by two-tenths of a second but the time did not count towards the general classification. Martinez was the quickest of the Challenger drivers registered for the FIA World Baja Cup.

Michael van der Brink set an impressive pace and was handed road-opening duties, ahead of Akeel, Alvarez, João Ferreira and Martinez, for the opening 191.57km stage. The special featured numerous small dunes, rolling sandy terrain and treacherous camel grass to catch out the unwary.

It was an extremely positive day for South Racing crews with Van der Brink again impressing in the Challenger category and Akeel, Alvarez and Martinez all running strongly in their Can-Ams to stay firmly in contention for title success. Alvarez said: “It was good for us and we won the stage for the championship. We are second behind Dania. It is really fast. I will push and try and win the race.”

The final stage saw Akeel claim the bragging rights in SSV to seal the FIA Middle East Baja Cup and Alvarez topped the rankings in the FIA World Baja Cup. Martinez picked up points for finishing second of the Challenger runners in the FIA World Baja Cup and Van der Brink continued his impressive form to card a top eight finish in the general classification.

The South Racing Can-Am Team received valuable support for the 2024 race programme from BRP, Rotax, Method Wheels, Tensor Tires, Motul, J.Juan Brake Systems, Oakley and Sparco.

Dubai International Baja (Challenger – final result):

  1. Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah (QAT)/Pablo Moreno (ESP) Taurus T3 Max 6hr 20min 34.6sec
  2. Eduardo Pons (ESP)/Jaume Betriu (ESP) Taurus T3 Max 6hr 36min 38.3sec*
  3. Michael van der Brink (NLD)/Bart van der Brink (NLD) South Racing Can-Am Maverick X3 6hr 44min 121sec
  4. Diego Martinez (ARG)/Sergio Lafuente (URY) South Racing Can-Am Maverick X3 7hr 04min 39.3sec*
  5. Rashid Al-Muhannadi (QAT)/Szymon Gospodarczyk (POL) Taurus T3 Max                    7hr 06min 10.5sec
  6. Hamad Al-Harbi (SAU)/Aleksei Kuzmich (ARE) Can-Am Maverick X3 7hr 32min 08.9sec
  7. Abdulaziz Al-Kuwari (QAT)/Nasser Al-Kuwari (QAT) Taurus T3 Max 7hr 51min 41.2sec
  8. Mark Mustermann (AUT)/Michael Zajc (AUT) Can-Am Maverick X3 8hr 01min 28.4sec, etc

Dubai International Baja (SSV – final result):

  1. Dania Akeel (SAU)/Sébastien Delaunay (FRA) South Racing Can-Am Maverick XRS Turbo RR 6hr 53min 52.4sec
  2. Meshari Al-Thefiri (KWT)/Michael Metge (FRA) Can-Am Maverick XRS Turbo RR 6hr 54min 06.9sec
  3. Fernando Alvarez (ARG)/Xavier Panseri (FRA) South Racing Can-Am Maverick XRS Turbo RR 6hr 57min 30.2sec*
  4. Ahmed Al-Kuwari (QAT)/Augusto Sanz (ARG) Yamaha YXZ 1000R Short Shift 6hr 57min 39.5sec
  5. Abdullah Al-Haydan (SAU)/Bader Al-Ajmi (KWT) Can-Am Maverick XRS Turbo RR 6hr 57min 40.3sec
  6. Heder Hosas (NOR)/Mohammed Al-Hameri (ARE) Can-Am Maverick XRS Turbo RR 7hr 02min 52.2sec
  7. Hamed Salimi Mavi (IRN)/Kiarash Zare Rafie (IRN) Can-Am Maverick XRS Turbo RR 7hr 05min 40.5sec
  8. Moaaz Hariri (SAU)/Kirill Shubin (KGZ) Can-Am Maverick XRS Turbo RR 7hr 28min 48.9sec, etc

*registered for the FIA World Baja Cup

Ends

For further information: contact Scott Abraham, South Racing, Email: Scott.Abraham@southracing.com, Tel: + 49 172 6662880.

www.southracing.com

Facebook group: South Racing Can-Am

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                            

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Published On: 1 December 2024