Rally Saudi Arabia– May 1st-3rd, 2025     

FIA Middle East Rally Championship, round 3

For immediate release
Thursday, May 1st, 2025

First gravel special stages of new-look Rally Saudi Arabia set for Friday morning to the east of Jeddah

  • Twenty-two cars start first ever MERC event in Jeddah

JEDDAH (SAUDI ARABIA): Rally Saudi Arabia powered by Jameel Motorsports, the new third round of the FIA Middle East Rally Championship (MERC), officially got underway on the ROSHN Waterfront in Jeddah on Thursday evening.

The final starting list sees 22 crews preparing to tackle a dozen challenging gravel special stages to the north and east of Jeddah on Friday and Saturday.

Five Can-Ams entered in the SSV section withdrew before the start but the first rally of its kind to run in Saudi Arabia since 2010 will see nine Rally2 crews being joined by five running in the NR4 group (MERC2), four in Rally4, three National status entrants and a solitary SSV at the rear of the field for local driver Hamza Bakhashab.

Slovenian co-driver Vili Oslaj was a late replacement for Emad Juma running alongside Jordan’s Sheikh Bader Al-Fayez in a Škoda Fabia Rally 2, but the Jordanian duo of Issa Abu Jamous and Saqer Abu Jamous were non-starters.

Crews completed their two days of reconnaissance of the six arduous special stages on Wednesday before taking advantage of a short Shakedown stage of 2.77km on Thursday morning to try and come up with the optimum set-up for their cars ahead of the first competitive stage.

Speaking after the recce, Oman Rally Team’s Abdullah Al-Rawahi said: “First of all, it’s a new rally for everyone. All the stages are new and quite tough. The first day is in mountain terrain, quite tricky and not very fast with slow corners. The second day is quite open and it’s going to be very difficult because every stage has its own characteristic. We are hoping that our notes are accurate. We will see how it goes. You always need to find a balance.

“The plan is always to go as fast as possible with no risks. This is a mix of so many rallies, Kuwait, Qatar and Oman and Jordan. The set-up of the car has to be suitable for every stage. It’s not easy.”

Qatari veteran Nasser Khalifa Al-Atya added: “We are very glad to have Saudi Arabia back in the MERC. The stages will not be easy. We need to think about it. There is some sand in parts of stages and that will not be easy at all. To see the stages is difficult. We are here to support the Saudi club before the WRC in the near future. My Motortune team is ready go. We will see what will happen. I am fighting for the Master Cup. That is my main goal this season.”

The event is being hosted by the Saudi Automobile and Motorcycle Federation (SAMF) in collaboration with the Saudi Motorsport Company. It is being run under the supervision of the FIA as an official candidate rally for the WRC under the chairmanship of H.R.H. Prince Khalid bin Sultan Abdulla Al-Faisal.

Tomorrow (Friday), teams will tackle repeat runs through three special stages to the east of Jeddah. The new Buraiman (14.02km) stage gets the competitive action underway at 07.45hrs and is followed by the first passes through Wadi Al-Matwi (12.94km) and Um Al-Jerem (21.07km) from 08.23hrs and 09.36hrs, respectively.

After a return to the service park at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit for a midday service and regroup, the stages will be repeated at 13.51hrs, 1429hrs and 15.42hrs.

2025 Rally Saudi Arabia – official start list:

  1. Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah (QAT)/Candido Carrera (ESP)                                                                                                                    Škoda Fabia RS Rally 2
  2. Abdullah Al-Rawahi (OMA)/Ross Whittock (GBR)                                                                                                                    Škoda Fabia RS Rally 2
  3. Abdulaziz Al-Kuwari (QAT)/Lorcan Moore (IRL)                                                                                                                    Citroën C3 Rally 2
  4. Juho Hänninen (FIN)/Janni Hussi (FIN)                                                                                                                    Toyota GR Yaris Rally 2*
  5. Rakan Al-Rashed (KSA)/Hugo Magalhães (POR)                                                                                                                    Toyota GR Yaris Rally 2
  6. Nasser Khalifa Al-Attiyah (QAT)/Ziad Chehab (LBN)                                                                                                                    Ford Fiesta Mk II Rally 2
  7. Sheikh Bader Al-Fayez (JOR)/Vili Oslaj (SLO)                                                                                                                    Škoda Fabia Rally 2
  8. Ihab Al-Shurafa (JOR)/Ahmad Jankhout (JOR)                                                                                                                    Škoda Fabia RS Rally 2
  9. Bassel Abu Hamdan (KSA)/Firas Elias (LBN)                                                                                                                    Škoda Fabia Rally 2
  10. Shaker Jweihan (JOR)/Aisvydas Paliukenas (LTU)                                                                                                              Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X
  11. Abdullah Al-Zubair (OMA)/Taha Al-Zadjali (OMA)                                                                                                                    Subaru Impreza WRX STi
  12. Zakariya Al-Aamri (OMA)/Mohammed Al-Mazroui (OMA) Subaru Impreza WRX STi
  13. Shadi El Fakih (LBN)/Joseph Kmeid (LBN)                                                                                                              Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X
  14. Jassim Al-Muqahwi (KUW)/Suleiman Al-Helal (KUW)                                                                                                              Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X
  15. Rashid Al-Muhannadi (QAT)/Szymon Gospodarczyk (POL)                                                                                                                Peugeot 208 Rally 4
  16. Saad Al-Harqan (QAT)/Pierre Delorme (FRA)                                                                                                                  Peugeot 208 Rally 4
  17. Mohammed Al-Marri (QAT)/Giovanni Bernacchini (ITA) Peugeot 208 Rally 4
  18. Payyaakkal ‘Saneem’ Panikkaveettil (IND)/Musa Sherif (IND) Ford Fiesta Rally 4
  19. Shadi Shaban (JOR)/Samer Issa (JOR)                                                                                                              Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX (NAT)
  20. Mohammed Al-Shorafa (JOR)/Yazan Juma (JOR)                                                                                                              Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX (NAT)*
  21. Joanna Hassoun (LBN)/Dolyne Schlink (LBN)                                                                                                              Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX (NAT)*
  22. Hamza Bakhashab (KSA)/Marcin Pasek (POL)                                                                                                                    Can-Am Maverick R (SSV)

*denotes not registered for the MERC

Ends

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                            

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Published On: 1 May 2025