14 Tuesday, December 15, 2020 Sports Demanding Baqqa loop stage to kick-start Hail Baja II TRIBUNE NEWS NETWORK pointed out: “We needed to do to drive the Yamaha. This is a to resume their duel in the HAIL (SAUDI ARABIA) something. The car just wasn’t chance here in Hail for me to quad category. feeling right. We watched prepare for the big challenge, ‘Hail Rally Toyota 2020’ ACTION resumes at ‘Hail some video footage of the first the Dakar. This is the first time is taking place under the su- Rally Toyota 2020’ with the Baja and we could see it didn’t the prototype Yamaha will do pervision of the Hail Regional first selective section of Hail seem to be handling properly. a race, so it will be a first for Development Authority in co- Baja 2 in the deserts around So the team made some big both of us in the desert.” operation with the General Baqqa on Tuesday morning. changes to the suspension.” X-raid team director Sven Authority for Tourism and Na- The event is the fifth and final The plan was to carry out a Quandt added: “This is a new tional Heritage and the Gen- round of the 2020 FIA World short test today (Monday). project for us. It is aimed at eral Authority for Sport. Cup for Cross-Country Bajas. Meanwhile, the Red Bull beginners and gentleman The opening selective sec- The two days between the crews of Al Attiyah and Mat- drivers who love to go to the tion of 311.57 km takes place Bajas marked a perfect oppor- thieu Baumel and Carlos Sainz Dakar as well in the future. We to the north-east of Hail and tunity for some teams to carry , Lucas Cruz, Stephane Pe- are running the cars here for starts and finishes near the out testing and for others to terhansel and Edouard Bou- the first time. No testing, noth- town of Baqqa (one of the change settings and make re- langer spent an enjoyable few ing. This, for us, is a pure test smallest governorates by visions to the cars before the hours on Sunday afternoon and we see what we have to population in the Hail region) resumption of competitive ac- working on a Red Bull promo- cure until Dakar. We hope not after looping through the An tion. tion with esteemed motion too much. This is an afford- Nafud desert. With Bernhard Ten Brinke picture helicopter pilot Fred able side-by-side. Hopefully The first FIA vehicle is due and Vladimir Vasilyev both North. if everything works out then, on stage from 09.07hrs, but needing to be as competi- The California-based leg- maybe, next summer, you can the motorcycles and quads will tive as possible to fend off a end of the skies was respon- Stephane Peterhansel and Edouard Boulanger during the Hail Baja 1 in Saudi Arabia. (Red Bull Content Pool) buy a machine like this.” leave Hail for the stage start late Nasser Saleh Al Attiyah sible for some spectacular Local driver Al Mashna Al around daybreak with French- challenge for the FIA Baja ti- television coverage and pho- ment in numerous blockbust- Twice former DTM cham- 1000R Rally prototypes en- Shammeri triumphed in the man Adrien van Beveren look- tle, strategies were assessed tography on Hail Baja 1, with er movies, North set the world pion and triple Race of Cham- tered in the T3 class. first of the National rallies and ing for a second successive win for the coming days and Ten his low-flying antics enabling record for the highest altitude pions winner Mattias Ekstrom The Swede said: “This is the Nissan Pick-Up driver will on two wheels with his factory Brinke’s engineers have made the on-event television crew to ever achieved in a helicopter will get his first taste of cross- my first time in Saudi Arabia be aiming to fend off a large Yamaha WRF 450. There will some radical changes to his get up close and very personal – a staggering 12,954 metres country competition at Hail and my first time to do a race Saudi challenge, while Riyadh be a liaison of 99.10km to the Toyota’s suspension. with the action. above sea level set in South Af- Baja 2 in one of two new X- in a side-by-side (T3). I’m re- Al Shammeri and Abdulma- stage start and a return trip of As co-driver Tom Colsoul Away from his involve- rica in March 2002. raid-developed Yamaha YXZ ally excited to be with X-raid jeed Al Khulaifi are expected 97.08km to the service park. News in brief Kiwis sweep West Indies to Australia call up Henriques for India Test SYDNEY: All-rounder Moises Henriques was on Monday called up to Australia’s injury-hit Test squad to face India after pace- man Sean Abbott was ruled out with a calf strain. top Test cricket rankings WITH the first Test in Adelaide beginning Thursday, the Portugal-born all-rounder’s call-up is the latest of a number of enforced changes to the squad to play the day-night match AFP against Virat Kohli’s men. Australia will have to cope without WELLINGTON talismanic opening batsman David Warner, who suffered a groin tear. NEW Zealand shot to the top HIS likely replacement, rookie Will Pucovski, was ruled out with of the world Test rankings concussion after being struck on the helmet by a bouncer in a Monday when they thrashed warm-up match last week. the West Indies by an innings THERE had been speculation that Australia could call up red- and 12 runs to wrap up an em- hot young all-rounder Cameron Green, but he too looks to have phatic series win. missed out after also suffering a concussion when hit on the It lifted the Black Caps to head by a powerful straight drive while bowling last week. 116 points, equal with Aus- ABBOTT, who has a “mild calf strain”, was expected to be fit for tralia at the head of the rank- the second Test said Cricket Australia. (AFP) ings table, and also extended their unbeaten home run to 15 Tests. New Zealand also stayed WI skipper Holder wants end to having in the hunt for the inaugural only home umpires World Test Championship final as they overtook Eng- WELLINGTON: West Indies captain Jason Holder pressed on land to move into third in the Monday for an end to cricket’s insistence on home umpires standings behind Australia because of the coronavirus pandemic, although he had no seri- and India, who start a four- ous complaints about the officiating in New Zealand. Test series this week. Speaking after the West Indies suffered back-to-back heavy “It does sound pretty cool,” losses to the Black Caps when only New Zealand officials were said Tom Latham, New Zea- in charge, Holder said a fairer system would be to have an land’s stand-in captain while umpire from both countries on duty. The International Cricket Kane Williamson is on pater- Council (ICC) introduced neutral umpires 26 years ago to end nity leave. accusations of home-team bias. “I didn’t realise that until But with the Covid-19 disruption to international sport and this morning,” he said of the the “logistical challenges with international travel” the ICC rankings boost. rescinded the rule this year to again allow for home umpires “We have been playing and match referees. Holder said in any Test series there would some good cricket as of late in New Zealand team poses for a photo as they celebrate their series win on the fourth day of the second Test against West Indies at the Basin be questionable decisions and he thought the New Zealand our conditions, and away for Reserve in Wellington on Tuesday. (AFP) umpires “did a reasonable job” as the Black Caps coasted that matter, and it’s a pretty to a first Test victory by an innings and 134 runs and won the cool thing.” ‘Not good enough’ son Holder on 60 and Joshua just 16 more than New Zealand West Indies 2nd innings (Over- second by an innings and 12 runs. “But, I don’t understand After Williamson pulled Captain Jason Holder said da Silva on 25. maestro Williamson scored on night 244-6) a situation where we’re having home umpires,” he said. “If out on the eve of the sec- they only had themselves to Holder added one to his his own in the first Test. K. Brathwaite c Young b Boult we can travel and do a quarantine, I don’t see why an opposing ond Test, Latham said the blame. overnight 60 before he was Even with Williamson out 24, J. Campbell b Jamieson 68 (team) umpire can’t do the travel and quarantine. If players are team stepped up with Hen- “It’s just tough when we bowled by Tim Southee, who for the second Test, New Zea- D. Bravo c Nicholls b Boult 4, S. making the sacrifice and go on the road and continue cricket ry Nicholls overcoming a didn’t take our opportunities also had Alzarri Joseph caught land were still able to post 460 Brooks c Watling b Wagner 36, then I feel as though the umpires should do the same. (AFP) form slump to score 174 and when they came. We were behind after an entertaining as Nicholls shrugged off a bat- R. Chase c Latham b Jamieson lay the foundations of the good in patches but still not 24 – all from boundaries.