RIYADH (SAUDI ARABIA): The Saudi Automobile and Motorcycle Federation (SAMF) has issued an impressive entry list for the first Tabuk-Neom Rally, round of the 2023 Saudi Toyota Rally Championship, which takes place next weekend (May 18th-20th).
The event is running under the chairmanship of H.R.H. Prince Khalid bin Sultan Al-Abdullah Al-Faisal, the President of the SAMF, and has attracted 35 cars, 20 motorcycles and three quads with three of the bikes running in the over-450cc category.
There is strength in depth across the various car categories with 11 T1 crews joining the top-seeded Yazeed Al-Rajhi and Timo Gottschalk in their T1+ Toyota Hilux. In addition, the first event to be based in the city of Tabuk has attracted a dozen teams in the T2 section for series production cross-country vehicles, five crews in each of the T3 and T4 categories and one truck running in T5.
The event is being held in conjunction with the Ministry of Sport and in partnership with official sponsor Abdul Latif Jameel (ALJ) Motors and strategic sponsor Saudi Investment Bank (SAIB).
Al-Rajhi starts as the favourite to win the event against a host of rivals in a fleet of Nissan and Toyotas that include Abdulaziz Al-Yaeesh, Al-Mashna Al-Ramali, Majed Al-Shammeri, Khalid Al-Feraihi and Qatar’s Abdullah Al-Rabban.
Saudi drivers dominate the T2 category on this occasion, with Ahmed Al-Shegawi and the Saudi Border Guard Team duo of Haylan Al-Subaie and Jafar Al-Qahtani topping an entry that also features the Emirati Isuzu driver Abdullah Al-Shamsi.
Dania Akeel is a regular competitor in international FIA Bajas and the Saudi teams up with Germany’s Taye Perry in an all-female team entered in the T3 section for modified prototype cross-country machines. She faces competition from fellow Saudi Can-Am drivers Saleh Al-Saif, Hamad Al-Harbi and Moaaz Hariri and Emirati Khalid Al-Jafla.
Maha Al-Hameli leads the T4 field in her Can-Am against the Saudi trio of Abdullah Al-Shegawi, Orjwan Ammar and Mohammed Al-Muhawwis and Kuwait’s Bader Al-Ajmi. Ibrahim Al-Muhanna teams up with Osama Al-Sanad and Raed Abu Theeb in his customary T5 Mercedes truck.
