FIA World Cup for Cross-Country Bajas points leader Yazeer Al-Rajhi‘s Baja Poland came to an abrupt and terrifying end during the later portions of the opening stage on Saturday when his Toyota Hilux T1 caught fire. The blaze was so substantial that upon being extinguished, virtually the entire bodywork had been burned off, leaving just the frame and chassis.
Al-Rajhi and co-driver Michael Orr were able to escape the flames, though Orr fractured his ankle while jumping out and was taken to a local military hospital for treatment.
“Praise be to God, God forbid, and what he did not do because of a technical malfunction, my car was burnt today on a tour of Poland from the World Cup for Desert Rallies,” Al-Rajhi posted on social media.
The incident occurred shortly after the 200-kilometre mark in the stage, resulting in a stoppage for all competitors. It proved to be such a disruption to the race that the third and final stage was shortened from 210.84 to 138.62 km.
Competing for Overdrive Racing, Al-Rajhi had finished the qualifying stage third overall behind Krzysztof Hołowcyzc and fellow Hilux driver Benediktas Vanagas. Hołowcyzc would win the rally after leading the final day on Sunday.
“It was difficult to win this time, but to be honest when Yazeed burnt the car our gap was too big to other competitors,” said Hołowczyz’s co-driver Lukasz Kurzeja. “It was a big fight with Yazeed, unfortunately he did not finish the rally. The new track was tricky, the navigation was not bad. There were some tricky places and I know that some people lost the road.”