The World Rally Championship’s return to the Middle East moves a step closer this week, with Rally Saudi Arabia running as a candidate event ahead of its proposed date as the WRC season-closer in November.
Based out of the Jeddah Corniche Circuit, the Friday-Saturday event, which counts as a round of the Middle East Rally Championship, offers close to 120 miles of competition to the east of the Red Sea port city.
Nasser Al-Attiyah, the most successful driver in the history of Middle East rallying, leads a 29-strong field into a route which will replicate the roads proposed for the WRC finale later this year.
What’s coming this week
Nasser Al-Attiyah is the number one seed for this week's rally
The recce for the route was completed on Tuesday and Wednesday, with sources confirming the roads are rougher than previously expected.
One team member told DirtFish: “It’s fair to say you think Safari, but rougher. That’s OK. We just have to be mindful of that in the approach and car set-up. This is a bit of a voyage of discovery for everybody.
“From what we can understand, the roads are likely to be worked on before the WRC arrives in November, so this should be rougher than it will be [in November].
“The stages are a real mixed bag, with the opener a beautiful mountain road. The second one is like Finland-fast, a real quick profile. Then we’re into the hills and over volcanic rock for the third one.
“Day two is more volcanic rock and some stages in the dunes and wadis mixed with traditional gravel roads. In some sections, flags will be used to define the route more clearly. It’s exciting, it’s something new.”
The stages are said to be even rougher than Safari
Seeded fourth, Toyota’s Juho Hänninen and Janni Hussi are the only WRC crew present, driving a Toyota GR Yaris Rally2.
Ahead of them is MERC regular Abdullah Al-Rawahi with British co-driver Ross Whittock.
Autotek Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 driver Al-Rawahi said: “Saudi Arabia is a new rally for everyone. It’s going to be very challenging, but I don’t really know what to expect so far. I haven’t seen the stages [before] and we will try to adapt really fast.
“Our plan is to push and try and secure the win. It won’t be easy with the challenge from Nasser [Al-Attiyah] and other good drivers in the line-up. We will do our best and hopefully come out with a good result.”
The future for WRC x Middle East
Growing rallying in the Middle East is also an objective for WRC Promoter
WRC Promoter event director Simon Larkin is confident this week will mark a new chapter in the history of rallying in the Middle East.
“Our step into the Middle East is more than just Saudi Arabia,” said Larkin. “It’s to reinvigorate the Middle East Rally Championship as well. Here is now a new country, a great country, I think the entry list is proof of that – this is the strongest Middle East Rally Championship event there has been in a long time.
“The interest is there and we want to use it as a springboard to rejuvenate rallying in the Middle East. It was such a strong provider of competitors, of teams, of some sponsors and we’ve fallen away from that and we think that, with Saudi as a springboard, with Prince Khalid [bin Sultan Al-Abdullah Al-Faisal] and with Saudi Motorsport, we can launch the WRC back into the region.”
Back for the first time since Rally Jordan in 2011, Larkin is hoping for even more WRC competition in the region in the future.
He added: “We’ve made no secret of the fact that we can see there could be the opportunity for two events in the Middle East in the medium-term. We see a young, reasonably affluent market there. We want to get more kids into rallying.
“There is willingness from Saudi Motorsport, from the Saudi Automobile Federation, to start academy style, to have a big catchment and a pyramid [of rallying progression] that works there.”
