Aishwarya Pissay successfully completes SS1 in 18th place, in her class
Dubai, 19 Feb 2021: World Cup Baja winner and ace Indian rider Aishwarya Pissay of TVS Racing successfully completed the Leg 1 finishing 18th in her Group 1, Class 1, and overall 23rd in the FIM 2021 Dubai International Baja here in the Deserts of Al Qudra on Friday.
After a complicated year for the motorcycle world, the Dubai International Baja which attracted 43 competitors (37 motorcycles and six quads) returned to with its tough cross-country section of two stages and a total of 427.2 competitive kilometres.
Taking part in Group 1 for bikes and in the Ladies Moto class, Aishwarya clocked a creditable 4 hours, 31 minutes and 17 seconds for the 202.43km Selective Section 1 (SS1), with a competitive distance of 192.23km, that is part of Leg 1 on Friday. She finished 23rd in the timed stage and in overall timings, and second in the Ladies class which saw three out of four registered riders finish the day. In her Group, she finished 18th.
This year, the ladies should take part in at least one of the 10 FIM 2021 Baja World Cup rounds to be eligible for the finals, which will have a coefficient of 2. Along with the final rankings, two other best event rankings will be counted for the World Cup Baja title. The rounds will have a coefficient of 1.
South African Aaron Mare (Honda) sports the #1 ranked rider, finished first in the overall category ahead of compatriot Marck Ackerman (the second ranke on #2 Husqvarna). While Englishman Smith, on his #4 bike was ahead of Emirati Sultan Al-Balooshi (#3), who saw his brother Mohammed (#7) finish ninth on a Husqvarna, after SS1. Mare clocked 3:06:14.0 to top the time charts after Leg 1 (SS1).
Of the four riders in the female category Pol M finished on top clocking 3:49:44.0 while Aishwarya Pissay of India came second in SS1 with a time of 4:28:18.0 as she had to overcome mid-way hiccups navigating the tough dunes and managed to complete the day successfully. Llobera Farre M was a further 11 minutes behind in third place. The second leg SS2 of 204.75km is yet to be completed for the two-day cross-country rally which is a round of the FIM Baja World Cup.
Konrad Dabrowski (KTM) who, at 19-years-old, has just finished 28th at the Dakar Rally, did not find her name in the finishers list for Day 1.
The 25-year Bengaluru rider, Aishwarya Pissay, is the brand ambassador for Scott and Sidvin, the first two sponsors who supported her entry into the big world of Cross-Country rallying from July 2019. Run by former biker and Indian motorsports officionado Mohan, Sidvin Core Tech, is a customer focused Engineering Service provider for Oil & Gas, Petrochemical & Process Industry. She is also supported by Scott Sports India, CutGear, K&N Engineering and Pepsico, who recognised her talent and hardwork and have been sponsoring her as she backed by TVS Racing and Sherco.
Centred around the city of Dubai, the event got underway with administrative and technical checks at the Innovation Center for international riders on Thursday.
To access the bivouac and all the technical and administration checks, riders and their assistance teams had to undergo a Covid-19 test in a tent located in front of the entrance to the bivouac.
