BURAYDAH: Rally Qassim Toyota 2023 is set to get underway at Al-Qassim National Park, Osseilan, in Buraydah on Thursday afternoon.
The third round of the Saudi Toyota Championship has been organized by the Saudi Automobile and Motorcycle Federation in conjunction with the Ministry of Sport, with Abdul Latif Jameel Motors Toyota as official partner, and The Saudi Investment Bank as strategic sponsor.
The organizing committee is headed by SAMF Chairman Prince Khalid bin Sultan Al-Abdullah Al-Faisal.
Forty-three cars, 27 motorcycles, and six quads will take part in the three-day event with the main contenders chasing points in the various categories of the 2023 Saudi Toyota Championship.
Abdulaziz Al-Yaeesh currently holds a seven-point cushion over Saleh Al-Saif in the overall Drivers’ Championship, with Yazeed Al-Rajhi – the outright winner of the Tabuk-NEOM Rally – in third, and Al-Mashna Al-Ramali and Dania Akeel rounding off the top five.
Omar Al-Lahim heads Radi Al-Shammeri by 21 points in the Co-drivers’ Championship.
Al-Yaeesh has also guided his Nissan to the top of the T1 title standings and reaches the start of Rally Qassim Toyota 2023 with a 20-point cushion over Al-Ramali, with Metab Al-Qnoun in third, and newly crowned FIA Middle East Baja Cup winner Khaled Al-Feraihi and Owaid Al-Rameli rounding off the top five.
Khaled Al-Hamzani has built up a lead of eight points in the T2 section for series production cross-country vehicles. Jafar Al-Qahtani and Haylan Al-Subaie currently occupy the other two podium positions.
Al-Saif’s strong start to the season has seen the dark horse Can-Am Maverick X3 driver move into a 17-point lead over Akeel in the T3 category for lightweight prototype machines. Hamad Al-Harbi was crowned as the FIA Middle East Baja Cup’s T3 champion in Dubai recently and the Saudi holds third place in T3, with Yasir Seaidan and Abdullah Al-Shegawi rounding off the top five.
Maha Al-Hameli finished as runner-up to Salem Al-Dhafeeri in the FIA Middle East Baja Cup’s T4 section, but she tops the T4 standings in the Saudi Toyota Championship with 79 points. That puts her 45 points clear of Saeed Al-Mouri, with Orjwan Ammar and Moaaz Hariri in third and fourth. Ibrahim Al-Muhanna is the only entrant in the T5 truck class.
Useful performances at both the Saudi Baja-Hail and the Tabuk-NEOM Rally have given Mishal Al-Ghuneim a lead of nine points over Ehab Al-Hakeem in the motorcycle category. Frenchman Philip Wilson holds third and the Saudi trio of Abdulhalim Al-Mogheera, Badr Al-Hamdan, and Abdulrahman Al-Abdulattif complete the top six.
Haitham Al-Tuwaijri and Hani Al-Noumesi have claimed a win apiece so far this season in the quad section on their Yamahas and are tied on 45 points, with Abdulaziz Al-Atawi a distant third heading into round three.
Thursday’s ceremonial start takes center stage in the national park from 1:30 p.m.
The first entrants will then tackle the opening 3.6 km prologue stage from 2:30 p.m. This will determine the starting order for the first desert stage on Friday morning.