JEDDAH, SAUDI ARABIA – Yazeed Al-Rajhi and Ehab Al-Hakeem head the car and motorcycle categories on another impressive entry announced by the Saudi Automobile and Motorcycle Federation (SAMF) for Jeddah Rally Toyota 2023, the final round of the Saudi Toyota Rally Championship on December 14–16.
The entry comprises 29 cars, 13 motorcycles, six quads and three trucks. The cars include nine T1s, two T1P, eight production T2s, four lightweight prototype T3s and six T4 lightweight production vehicles, with three T5 trucks running at the rear.
As Al-Rajhi bids to retain his title, Overdrive Racing team-mate Lionel Baud makes his first appearance to carry out crucial testing with the latest-specification Toyota Hilux before next month’s Dakar Rally. They head a field full of Saudi drivers chasing local glory, including Al-Ramali, Owaid Al-Shammeri and Abdullah Al-Haydan.
Khaled Al-Hamzani and Jafar Al-Qahtani lead eight T2 entries. The T3 outcome involves contenders including Nicolás Cavigliasso, with Saleh Al-Saif switching from a Can-Am Maverick X3 to a G-Rally Team OT3 under his Dark Horse banner. Five Saudis and a Dubai-based driver contest T4, including Orwan Ammar, Moaz Hariri, Abdullah Al-Shegawi, Yasir Seaidan and Mathilda Lauwens.
In T5, Ibrahim Al-Muhanna (Mercedes Unimog) faces Hino Team Sugawara, using the event as a pre-Dakar shakedown with Teruhito Sugawara and Hirokazu Someiya in a Hino 600, and Tariq Al-Rammah and Muhanad Al-Khashigi in a Volvo.
Bikes and quads
Saudi quartet Ehab Al-Hakeem, Mishal Al-Ghuneim, Abdulhalim Al-Mogheera and Badr Al-Hamdan face UAE-based brothers Mohammed and Sultan Al-Balooshi on KTMs, plus Kuwait’s Abdullah Al-Shatti, Dubai’s Marwan Al-Rahmani and Qatar’s Osama Saleh Al-Rajhi.
FIM Bajas World Cup regulars Haitham Al-Tuwaijri and Hani Al-Noumesi top six Yamaha quads, against Abdulaziz Al-Atawi, Abdulrahman Alabdullatif, Mansoor Justaniah and Qatar-based Belgian Emiel Stuckens.
The ceremonial start is at King Abdullah Economic City on Thursday, followed by a Prologue at the coastal village of Thuwal, 30km south of KAEC. The event is organised by the SAMF with the Ministry of Sport and official partner Abdul Latif Jameel Motors under the supervision of SAMF President HRH Prince Khalid bin Sultan Al-Abdullah Al-Faisal.