HOUSTON : Omani motorsport star Hamed Al Wahaibi has added another milestone to his racing career by taking the overall lead in the FIA World Cup for Cross-Country Bajas following an impressive performance at Baja Italia.

Al Wahaibi now leads the overall World Cup standings after collecting 44 championship points in the Italian round. He also continues to dominate the Challenger category with 205 points, despite competing in a less powerful Challenger car against the faster T1+ machines that typically battle for overall honours.

The Omani driver made a strong start to the event by finishing fifth overall in the prologue before taking on the opening 156.29-kilometre Madresio special stage.

His challenge, however, was not without setbacks. During the first day’s stage, Al Wahaibi and his navigator lost valuable time after encountering a technical issue with the navigation system. Despite the delay, he recovered strongly to finish the day second in the Challenger category, earning crucial points to strengthen his championship lead.

Misfortune struck on the second day when his car hit a tree root near the edge of the track, causing the front-right suspension to break and forcing him to retire before reaching the finish.

Despite the retirement, Al Wahaibi emerged from the Italian round with significant championship gains. Under the FIA points system, drivers earn points for individual stage performances as well as the final classification, allowing the Omani racer to collect 44 points and move to the top of the overall World Cup standings while extending his lead in the Challenger category.

Reflecting on the event, Al Wahaibi expressed satisfaction with his performance, saying the car performed strongly throughout the rally and that the accident was simply the result of not spotting the tree root positioned close to the racing line.

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