Neil Perkins RIYADH — The Toyota Saudi Rally Team is determined to achieve success in the Ha'il International Rally, the Kingdom's flagship FIA-sanctioned off-road rally, which will run for nearly 1,000 kilometers through the north-central region of the Kingdom from March 21-28. Ever present in the event since its inception in 2006, the Saudi Toyota Team has strength in depth and will field a prototype Toyota FJ Cruiser for Mutair Al-Shammeri and a second Toyota FJ Cruiser Racer for Saleh Al-Saleh. Al-Saleh drove the prototype version last season. Farhan Al-Shammeri won the very first Ha'il Rally in 2006 and Rajih Al-Shammeri continued the superb run of consistent form by taking victory in the first of the international status events in 2007 with support from the Abdul Latif Jameel Co. Toyota has since gone on to take second and third spots in the event, with 1995 FIA Middle East rally champion Abdullah Bakhashab returning to competitive action in 2010 to claim the runner-up spot. Mutair Al-Shammeri confirmed a similar finish in 2011 behind Qatar's Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah. “We have chosen Mutair Al-Shammeri to allow Ha'il youth to lead the team rather than hiring foreign drivers for this task,” said Adil Izzat, executive manager of the marketing division of Abdul Latif Jameel Co. “This step consolidates the success of the Toyota program for Ha'il people sponsorship and gives us the chance to stimulate the participants of the Toyota program and encourage people to utilize Toyota vehicles.” The Saudi Isuzu Rally Team will also compete in the T2 category of the Ha'il International Rally, following a recent announcement at Bakhashab Brothers Holdings in Jeddah. Sami Al-Shammeri and Abdulaziz Elieich will drive the two cars under the team management of Abdulrahman Aharaki. Isuzu managed to achieve a second-place finish in the T2 category of the Pharoahs Rally in Egypt and is planning on tackling the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge. The event is being staged under the patronage of Prince Saud Bin Abdul Mohsen Bin Abdul Aziz, Governor of Ha'il, President of the Supreme Commission for Ha'il Development and the Head of the Supreme Commission of the Ha'il Rally. The Saudi Arabian Motor Federation (SAMF) runs under the chairmanship of Prince Sultan Bin Bandar Al-Faisal and the event is being organized in conjunction with the High Authority for the Development of Ha'il. Scrutineering and documentation will take place at the Maghwat Conference Centre on March 22 and 23. This will be followed by the pre-event press conference and a permitted period to carry out the reconnaissance of the super special stage. The ceremonial start and super special stage take place on Sunday, March 24. The first of four desert selective sections gets underway March 25 and the competitive action finishes on March 28. The ceremony will round off proceedings at 1900. Entries are open for vehicles complying with FIA T1, T2, T3 and T4 regulations. There will also be a two-wheel drive category within the T1 section and another category for diesel cars. The closing date for entries will be Monday, March 19. There will also be three categories in the motorcycle section — below 450cc, above 450cc and quads. More information is available from the Saudi Arabian Motor Federation, PO Box 87881, Riyadh 11652, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Tel: +9661-288-5855 and www.samf.gov.sa.
