Al-Attiyah leads Al-Rajhi after opening desert stage at the Jeddah Baja Rally

JEDDAH: Qatar’s Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah and his French navigator Max Delfino snatched the lead at the Jeddah Baja Toyota Rally after the race’s first desert stage on Friday morning.

The rear-wheel drive Optimus MD crew finished the demanding morning’s action one minute and 7.8 seconds in front of Saudi’s Yazeed Al-Rajhi and his German navigator Dennis Zenz in their Overdrive Toyota Hilux.

Emirati rider Mohammed Al-Balooshi and quad entrant Haitham Al-Tuwaijri extended their advantages in the motorcycle and quad categories on a day where Ahmed Olfat retired his KTM from the two-wheel category in this second round of the 2026 Saudi Toyota Rally Championship.