KTM champion and Jordanian Red Bull athlete Abdullah Youssef, nicknamed Al Sabaa, prepares to face the sand dunes in the Wadi Rum desert to fight his way towards first place at the 2021 Baja Rally stop in Jordan, according to a statement from his team.

The 28-year-old motocross champion has won numerous local and regional awards, including the Jordan Cup, the KTM championship for enduro and motocross races, and is considered the number one rider in Jordan for the last four consecutive years. His friends called him "Al Sabaa” due to his fierceness and talent in motorbiking, which began at the age of 11.

Being part of this rally is of great importance to Youssef, as it is being held on his home soil, having already achieved a good result in the previous round in Dubai, occupying fourth place in the interim overall standings for the motorcycle category, and the first place in the MX2 category, with his regular participation in the season rounds this will make him a great candidate to win the motorcycle category at the end of the season, and to garner a great global achievement for him and for Jordan. HRH Prince Faisal has previously awarded two cups to Al Sabaa for his first participation in the Baja Jordan Rally in 2019 on his "KTM 500”, in which champions from Jordan and the world participated.

Youssef participated for the first time in the Jordan Enduro Championship in 2014 and won first place. He then went on to participate in KTM endurance races from 2016 to 2018, winning 11 races out of 12 and participating in local and international championships in the Emirates.

Youssef said of his participation: "In my early days, I worked as an employee in motorbike maintenance, and praise be to God, I am currently participating in international and regional championships under the banner of Jordan, and this year, God willing, I hope to achieve good results in the ‘BAJA World Cup’, which consists of six single races, among them one stop will be held in Jordan next week in Wadi Rum, yet the main goal and dream remains Dakar Rally 2022 in Saudi Arabia.”

The BAJA Rally will start next Friday, the 19th with the first special stage (Wadi Rum), which is 210.72 kilometres long in the morning, and the second special stage (Disi) with a length of 112.90 kilometres in the afternoon. On Saturday, March 20, the participants will go through a special difficult stage (Al Salhiya), which is 236.06 km in length, and will be held north of Aqaba, after which they will return to the city of Aqaba for the ceremony of coronation of the winners and the conclusion of the rally in the afternoon.