Toyota Hilux driver Yazeed Al-Rajhi and German co-driver Dirk von Zitzewitz lead a 42-car field into this weekend’s Rally Aseer 2022, the opening round of the 2022 Saudi Toyota Rally Championship. The event is based out of the city of Abha in the Aseer Province in the south-west of Saudi Arabia.
Von Zitzewitz replaces Al-Rajhi’s usual co-driver Michael Orr, who is still recovering from a fractured fibula that he sustained at Baja Poland earlier this month.
The event is being organised by the Saudi Automobile and Motorcycle Federation (SAMF) in conjunction with the Ministry of Sport, Saudi Motorsport Marshals Club and the Saudi Motorsport Company, in partnership with Abdul Latif Jameel (ALJ) Motors Toyota.
The series ran for the first time in 2019 and Yazeed Al-Rajhi sealed the inaugural title at the Sharqiya Baja that year.
This event marks the return of the Saudi Toyota Rally Championship to the Saudi Arabian motor sporting calendar after a two-year absence and is the first of four rounds being organised by the SAMF. Subsequent rounds of the series will be Rally Qassim (October 12-14), the Ha’il Baja (November 10-12) and the Jeddah Rally (December 15-17).
Al-Rajhi is a multiple winner of cross-country events in his home country and starts as the favourite to win this weekend. His closest rival is likely to be Czech veteran Miroslav Zapletal and his Slovakian co-driver Marek Sykora in the former’s self-built Ford F-150 Evo.
Twenty-three cars have been entered in the T1 category, with further competition likely from a host of Saudi drivers, including Muneef Al-Salmani, Khalid Al-Feraihi, Mutair, Sami and Al-Mashna Al-Shammeri and Mohammed Al-Tuwaijri, the latter taking part with Peruvian co-driver Hector Garcia.
Thirteen Saudi drivers line up in the FIA T2 section for series-production cross-country vehicles and the likely front-runners include Ahmed Al-Shegawi, Jafar Al-Qahtani and Khalid Al-Hamazani.
The experienced Saleh Al-Saif makes a switch from international competition to top the FIA T3 section in his Black Horse Can-Am Maverick X3. He teams up with Spain’s Oriol Vidal and faces competition from Dania Akeel (Can-Am) and her Uruguayan navigator Sergio Lafuente and a pair of Al-Shegawi Racing machines in the hands of Hamad Al-Harbi and Abdullah Al-Shegawi.
Drifting specialist and regular cross-country rally driver Saeed Al-Mouri teams up with Jordanian co-driver Ata Al-Hmoud to head the FIA T4 section in his Can-Am. Al-Mouri faces a duel with Saudi Arabia’s Maha Al-Hamali for T4 honours. The female Can-Am driver has recruited the services of Spain’s Maria de Los Angeles as her co-driver.
Rally Aseer 2022 is based out of the Abha Palace Hotel and is being run under the chairmanship of H.R.H. Prince Khalid bin Sultan Al-Abdullah Al-Faisal and supervision of former FIA Middle East rally champion Abdullah Bakhashab.
Competitive action will take place over two selective sections at altitude on Friday and Saturday with 372.19 competitive kilometres in a total route of 769.10km. The opening 183.83km stage is split into two sections and runs between Al-Ghadah and Al-Qaah on Friday and the longer second stage of 188.36km passes between Tareeb and Al-Qaah.
Tomorrow (Thursday), select drivers will attend the official pre-event press conference at 17.20hrs at the Abha Palace Hotel before the ceremonial start takes centre stage at Sama Abha Parks from 19.00hrs.
Aseer Rally 2022 – leading entries
200. Yazeed Al-Rajhi (SAU)/Dirk von Zitzewitz (DEU) Toyota Hilux 201. Miroslav Zapletal (CZE)/Marek Sykora (SVK) Ford F-150 Evo 202. Muneef Al-Salmani (SAU)/Fahad Al-Omar (SAU) Nissan 203. Al-Mashna Al-Shammeri (SAU)/Hani Al-Shammeri (SAU) Nissan 204. Owaid Al-Shammeri (SAU)/Metlaq Al-Shammeri (SAU) Toyota 205. Abdullah Al-Haydan (SAU)/Sultan Al-Masoud (SAU) Nissan 206. Muteb Al-Shammeri (SAU)/Bader Al-Ajmi (KWT) Nissan 207. Reda Al-Shammeri (SAU)/Saud Al-Tamime (SAU) Nissan 208. Mubarak Al-Zubaidi (SAU)/Saad bin Juraybah (SAU) Toyota 209. Saadi Al-Shammeri (SAU)/Khalid Al-Shammeri (SAU) Nissan 210. Khalid Al-Feraihi (SAU)/Sébastien Delaunay (FRA) Nissan
