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HAIL: Saudi rally driver Abdullah Bakhashab and French co-driver Sebastien Delaunay stormed to a commanding victory in the second and final stage of the Legends Rally in Hail on Saturday.

Bakhashab set the pace in the Toyota Hilux from the start with an impressive time of 04:40:10. The duo set the fastest time in each stage in a dominant performance.

Despite the dramatic victory, it was Prince Khalid bin Sultan Al-Faisal who captured the headlines after an accident shortly before the end of the second stage in which his vehicle rolled over.

He was able to continue, with he and co-driver Pablo Morena of Spain finishing in fourth with a time of 05:48:24.

Second overall position went to Essa Al-Dosari with a time of 05:30:53, while veteran Saudi driver Ahmed Al-Sabban secured third with 05:45:05.

Speaking after the race, Bakhashab said he was delighted to win the Legends category, part of this year’s Hail Toyota International Rally, but that the victory was unexpected given his 15-year absence from rallying.

“I was following a strategy of taking my time so that I could pass Prince Khaled and the rest of my colleagues, and thank God I succeeded and was able to arrive first and win the title,” he said.

Prince Khalid bin Sultan congratulated Bakhashab, saying: “Abdullah was able to win the challenge with his experience, and this is not strange for him as a champion with titles and achievements.”

On his accident, he added: “Thank God we came out of this race safely, and I promise you that we will be crowned in the next rally. The challenge is still on with Bakhashab and the other competitors.”

HAIL: Qatari rally driver Nasser Al-Attiyah told Arab News on Friday that he is happy to be present at the 20th edition of the Hail Rally, a race he has won twice in the past.
This time, however, Al-Attiyah is here not as a driver, but to run and support his team, Nasser Racing.
“I have eight cars here to be driven by four drivers from Qatar, one from Portugal, two from the United Arab Emirates and one from Saudi Arabia,” he said. “I am so happy to have a group of such good drivers with Nasser Racing here in Hail and I hope they win this special rally.”
He continued: “The Hail Rally is one of the most beautiful rallies and the organization is amazing. There is great interest from the emir of the region and the Saudi Automobile and Motorcycle Federation, and there is a great turnout from the people of Hail, who are (true) rally lovers. They have a great rally culture. I congratulate them on the 20th anniversary.”
The Qatari sports icon praised the support of the Saudi government and SAMF for high-level motorsport, noting that Saudi Arabia has become a fixture on the calendar.
“During the last five years, we can see major changes in the Kingdom related to motorsport. For us, as competitive drivers, we feel lucky to take part in major races here in our second home. Motorsport is really gaining popularity and we can see many young people joining the sport,” he said.
Discussing the latest edition of the Dakar Rally, which took place earlier this month, and in which Al-Attiyah came fourth, he said: “It was an amazing and tough rally. Unfortunately, we could not fight for the podium because we had a new car, However, we were happy. We had a good performance, but a new car always needs time”.
The five-time Dakar champion promised he would be back to fight for top spot in next year’s rally, adding that he is determined to keep competing in order to win more titles and break new records.