Neil Perkins OBHUR — Saudi Arabian driver Yazeed Al-Rajhi and his German navigator Timo Gottschalk cruised into a comfortable lead of 16min 09sec after the opening selective section of Rally Jeddah between Obhur and Bahra Friday afternoon. The Hummer Dbug crew began the day with a two-second lead after winning Thursday evening's opening Prologue and they were never troubled, as Al-Rajhi steered his powerful Hummer Dbug into a clear advantage over 34 rivals. He finished the day's desert stage in punishing heat in 1hr 32min 35sec. Saleh Al-Abdulali and Mohammed Al-Naeem were Al-Rajhi's closest challengers through the early kilometers in their Nissan Patrol. The Saudi duo had been third on the Prologue stage before stopping with technical problems. Saudi's Ahmed Al-Shegawi and French navigator Laurent Lichtleuchter slotted into second overall, Motair Al-Shammeri moved up to third with the second quickest time and the Total-backed Nissan Pick-Up of Issa Al-Dossari and Ali Obaid was fourth. The Nissan Patrol crew of the Emirati duo of Yayha Al-Helai and Khaled Al-Kendi began the day just two seconds behind Al-Rajhi, but stopped shortly after the stage start with technical issues with their all-important GPS system. Saudi drivers Saeed Al-Mouri and Ibrahim Al-Salman also failed to complete the stage. Seven competitors were registered for the motorcycle and quad categories and Saudi's Abdul-Majeed Al-Khulaifi (Kawasaki) was a clear winner of the opening stage. The inaugural Rally Jeddah winner finished six minutes in front of Sultan Al-Masood. Prologue winner Ahmed Al-Nasir was fourth, but only six of the seven riders completed the stage. The rally is being supported by Mohamed Yousuf Naghi Motors (MYN Motors) – Land Rover – and has the backing of the higher committee of Rally Jeddah, which incorporates the General Presidency of Youth Welfare, Jeddah Municipality, the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Saudi Commission for Tourism and Antiques in the Mecca region and a branch of the Saudi Red Crescent in Mecca. Support has also been received from Jeddah police and traffic departments and civil defense administration. The second selection section runs for 222km from Al-Buraikah to Khulais, starts at 10.15hrs Saturday and precedes the ceremonial finish in Obhur. In a total route of 649.80km, competitors will tackle 345km against the clock.
