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TABUK: Saudi Arabia’s Yazeed Al-Rajhi and German navigator Timo Gottschalk comfortably took the lead of 19 minutes and 28 seconds after the opening 205km stage of Friday’s Tabuk-Neom Rally.
The Toyota Hilux crew completed the scenic drive through desert terrain in 1 hour, 58 minutes, and 57 seconds without any issues during the morning.
Al-Rajhi said: “It was a great day and everything went well. Timo did a great job as always. We opened up the stage and enjoyed ourselves. We worked hard because after I missed Hail’s game due to injury , we wanted to win every stage. It was fast and slippery in some places.”
Emirati rider Mohammed Al-Balooshi won the moto stage by 3 minutes and 4 seconds over his brother Sultan and extended his lead by 1 minute and 52 seconds. Mishal Al-Ghuneim opened the way and finished third in his Beta race. The trio are top of the field and well ahead of fourth-placed Badr Al-Hamdan.
Al-Balooshi said: “It was a great day. It was much cooler than yesterday, but it took me 30km to 40km to get into a rhythm. I knew the task was to catch up with the boys in front and I caught up with time. I The goal is to come here, get seat time and experience, and take advantage of the event. First and second is the icing on the cake for me.”
Al-Ghuneim said: “Today was a beautiful stage, very balanced and a lot to navigate. It was one of the most beautiful stages since the start of the Saudi Championships.
“I started first and opened the stage and held the lead until the last 20km and when Mohammad and Sultan Al-Balooshi caught me we rode the last 20km to the finish together. I hope to start from third tomorrow and the result is very Well, I have them in front of me. I have a chance to catch them.”
Can-Am Maverick X3 rider Dania Akeel was Al-Rajhi’s closest challenger and led a stunning second overall in the Light Prototype Off-Road Bike T3 category. Saleh Al-Saif was third in his T3 Can-Am race, with Khalid Al-Feraihi fourth.
“It’s so lovely. A really nice stage with great views. Tricky to navigate, but that’s okay,” said Akeel. “We were second, wow. That’s not bad.
Khalid Al-Jafla is fifth, with current Saudi Toyota Championship leader Abdulaziz Al-Yaeesh rounding out the top six. Tenth-placed Maha Al-Hameli leads the T4 class in her Can-Am race. Abdullah Al-Shegawi retired his Can-Am with a gearbox problem on the way to the stage and will not continue.
Overnight, quad leader Haitham Al-Tuwaijri experienced technical problems on his Yamaha Raptor, opening the door for Hani Al-Noumesi to take the class title from Abdulaziz Al-Atawi.
“Beautiful stage and great scenery. We ran perfectly, but it was a challenging line,” said Al-Noumesi. “We’re delighted to be the frontrunners.”
The event is organized by the Saudi Automobile and Motorcycle Federation in conjunction with the Ministry of Sports, in partnership with official sponsor Abdul Latif Jameel Motors and strategic sponsor Saudi Investment Bank.
Saturday will see a second, shorter 136km optional stretch before returning to Tabuk for a 5.30pm post-race press conference and an 8pm awards presentation at King Khalid Sports City ceremony
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