In his first appearance at the Hungarian Baja, a round of the FIA European Cup for CrossCountry Bajas, Omani champion Hamed Al Wahaibi has pulled off a stunning triumph in Váraplata, Hungary. Al Wahaibi, who drives a BRP CanAm Maverick R for the RX Sport team, which is led by Emirati champion Rashid Al Ketbi, won first place in the SidebySide "SSV" class and a respectable fourth overall.
Even though this competition is a component of the European Cup rather than the World Cup, Al Wahaibi chose to take part in it in order to improve his skills and get ready for potential future obstacles.
During the early phases, Al Wahaibi adopted a cautious attitude, refraining from pushing too hard throughout the qualifying round and the first special stage. As a result, he came in second in his class after the first two legs.
Nevertheless, Al Wahaibi then displayed his true speed by unleashing the car's full potential. He closed the gap to only 19 seconds by winning the second special stage after overcoming a 20-second deficit. Then, in the third unique stage, he took the lead and moved up to fifth position in the overall rankings.
Al Wahaibi kept up his quick speed, taking first place in the last stage and increasing his advantage over hometown hero Balazs Molnar to 17 minutes and 30.2 seconds. His fourth-place finish in the overall standings was cemented by this triumph in the SidebySide category.
"I am very happy with this outcome," Al Wahaibi said after the race. We experienced no difficulties, and I want to express my gratitude to the team, champion Rashid Al Ketbi, and all those who contributed their outstanding and relentless labor.
The upcoming demonstration will be in Portugal, he said. In this kind of rally, our objective is to keep learning and producing excellent outcomes.
