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The Lebanese flag flew very high on the tracks of the world off-road scene. With 122 riders on the start line, dozens of nations represented and eight rounds on the calendar, Rafic Eid achieved one of the greatest feats in Lebanese motorsport: finishing runner-up in the world standings of the Baja 2025 cross-country rally championship.
Rafic Eid has struck again. Over the course of a marathon season, from Ha’il to Dubai, the Lebanese rider built up his 2nd place in the overall world standings, all motorcycle categories combined, day after day, by taming the most hostile terrains on the international circuit.
On his Honda CRF 450 Factory, Eid swallowed dunes, rocks, mud, sandstorms and thousands of kilometers with a consistency that commands respect. Result: 62 points, a boss status among the veterans and a spot firmly secured on the final podium behind Emirati champion Mohammed Al-Balooshi (87 points).
Eight Rounds to Forge a Vice-Champion
The 2025 season started strong, right from the Ha’il Rally in Saudi Arabia. It ended last week in Dubai, where Eid capped his masterpiece with another top-level performance. In the meantime, the Lebanese rider kept gaining momentum, chaining together consistency, speed and strategic lucidity — his trademarks.
Already fifth overall last year, and second among the veterans, he raised his game this season. With his aggressive yet clean riding style, his reading of the terrain and his endurance under all conditions, Eid has established his name in the circle of the very greatest cross-country riders.
The Final Standings of the 2025 World Championship
1. Mohammed Al-Balooshi (United Arab Emirates) – 87 pts
2. Rafic Eid (Lebanon) – 62 pts
3. Javier Puerta (Spain) – 49 pts
4. Jorge Brandão (Portugal) – 40 pts
5. Konrad Dabrowski (Poland) – 38 pts
6. Alex Maclense (Great Britain) – 34 pts
7. Philipp Hurlmann (Germany) – 34 pts
8. Paulo Cardoso (Portugal) – 30 pts
This second place in the world elevates Eid into the Hall of Fame of cross-country rallies, and inscribes Lebanon’s name in a register dominated by the great desert nations.
Heading for the Dakar
The feat comes at just the right moment: 40 days before the start of the Dakar Rally 2026 in Saudi Arabia (3–17 January), where Rafic Eid is about to experience his second consecutive participation.
Objective: nothing less than stepping onto the podium in the most demanding and most mythical rally in the world.
To that end, Eid has already launched his preparation program. From 1 to 15 December, he will string together an intensive training camp in Dubai, in the heart of the dunes, then a training camp in the Rub’ al-Khali, in Saudi Arabia, from the 15th to the 20th, before a lightning return to Lebanon, then a flight to the Dakar on 29 December.
On his Honda CRF 450 Factory, he is preparing to face 15 days of extreme stages, never-ending specials and terrains designed to break bodies.
But a rider who has just finished runner-up in the world never sets off blindly. Eid moves forward with a clear objective: to bring back a historic podium for Lebanon.
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