QASSIM RALLY TOYOTA 2024

Saudi Toyota Championship, round 3 – October 23rd-26th, 2024

For immediate release

Thursday, October 24th, 2024

AL-RAJHI, AL-BALOOSHI AND AL-TUWAIJRI FASTEST ON PROLOGUE STAGE AT QASSIM RALLY TOYOTA

BURAYDAH (SAUDI ARABIA): Yazeed Al-Rajhi, Mohammed Al-Balooshi and Haitham Al-Tuwaijri claimed the quickest times in the car, motorcycle and quad categories on the opening seven-kilometre Prologue stage at Qassim Rally Toyota in Buraydah on Thursday afternoon.

Thirty cars, 13 motorcycles and five quads were permitted to start the third round of the 2024 Saudi Toyota Championship being organised by the Saudi Automobile and Motorcycle Federation (SAMF) in conjunction with the Ministry of Sport and in partnership with Jameel Motorsports as an official partner and the Saudi Investment Bank as a strategic partner.

There were 14 cars in the Ultimate category, five in Challenger, five in SSV and six in the Stock section for series production cross-country vehicles at the start ramp.

Defending champion Yazeed Al-Rajhi and his German navigator Timo Gottschalk opened their account with a punishing sprint through the Prologue stage to set a time of 4min 18sec and win by 17 seconds in their Overdrive Racing Toyota Hilux.

“We are also using this rally to test several new components on the Hilux in terms of the suspension that has been costly for the team this season, particularly at the Dakar and in Argentina,” admitted Al-Rajhi.

Team-mates Dania Akeel and Stéphane Duplé were third in the Ultimate T1+ section behind second-placed Miroslav Zapletal and Marek Sykora in their Offroad Sport Ford F-150.

Ahmed Al-Shammeri (Nissan), Hamad Al-Harbi (Can-Am), Moaaz Hariri (Can-Am) and Fahad Al-Maioweed (Nissan) topped the Prologue times in the Ultimate, Challenger, SSV and Stock categories. Challenger contenders Hamza Bakhashab (broken drive belt), Waleed Al-Dhakeel (broken differential) and Annett Quandt lost a lot of time on the stage, with the German towed out of the stage with engine issues by event officials.

Mohammed Al-Balooshi romped to the fastest time of 4min 53sec in the motorcycle section on his KTM to beat South Africa’s Hanno Geyser by 16 seconds. Saudi rival Abdulhalim Al-Mogheera finished third.

Championship leader Haitham Al-Tuwaijri got the better of Abdulaziz Al-Shayban and Abdulaziz Al-Atawi to set the quickest time in the quad section.

Tomorrow (Friday) competitors will tackle a 238km stage through the deserts surrounding Buraydah with the first motorcycle called into action at 08.00hrs and the first car taking to the stage at 09.15hrs.

Qassim Rally Toyota 2024 – Prologue result:

Ultimate T1+

  1. Yazeed Al-Rajhi (SAU)/Timo Gottschalk (DEU) Toyota Hilux Overdrive 4min 18sec
  2. Miroslav Zapletal (CZE)/Marek Sykora (SVK) Ford F-150 4min 35sec
  3. Dania Akeel (SAU)/Stéphane Duplé (FRA) Toyota Hilux Overdrive 4min 44sec

Ultimate

  1. Ahmed Al-Shammeri (SAU)/Khalid Al-Shammeri (SAU) Nissan Patrol 5min 11sec
  2. Abdulaziz Al-Yaeesh (SAU)/Omar Al-Lahim (SAU) Nissan 5min 13sec
  3. Mohammed Al-Harqan (SAU)/Mohammed Al-Dawish (SAU) Nissan Patrol 5min 16sec
  4. Al-Mashna Al-Ramali (SAU)/Abdullah Al-Ramali (SAU) Nissan Patrol 5min 16sec
  5. Faris Al-Moshna (SAU)/Saud Al-Tamimi (SAU) Nissan 5min 24sec
  6. Mutair Al-Shammeri (SAU)/Eisa Al-Shammeri (SAU) Nissan Pick-Up 5min 24sec
  7. Khaled Al-Shammeri (SAU)/Majid Al-Shammeri (SAU) Nissan Patrol 5min 27sec
  8. Fahad Al-Marnass (SAU)/Yazeed Al-Shammeri (SAU) Nissan Patrol                    5min 33sec
  9. Owaid Al-Shammeri (SAU)/Ayidh Al-Harbi (SAU) Toyota Pick-Up 5min 37sec
  10. Mubarak Al-Zubaidy (SAU)/Ali Hassan Obaid (ARE) Nissan Patrol 5min 44sec
  11. Hussain Al-Albaid (SAU)/Fahad Al-Omar (SAU) Nissan Patrol 6min 00sec

Challenger

  1. Hamad Al-Harbi (SAU)/Aleksei Kuzmich (ARE) Can-Am Maverick X3 5min 01sec
  2. Maha Al-Hameli (SAU)/Oriol Mena (ESP) Can-Am Maverick X3 5min 28sec
  3. Hamza Bakhashab (SAU)/Martin Pasek (POL) Can-Am Maverick X3 13min 31sec
  4. Waleed Al-Dhakeel (SAU)/Egor Okhotnikov (ANA) G Rally Team OT3 15min 25sec
  5. Annett Quandt (DEU)/Annie Seel (SWE) Yamaha YXZ 1000R 28min 57sec

SSV

  1. Moaaz Hariri (SAU)/Kirill Shubin (KGZ) Can-Am Maverick XRS Turbo RR 4min 58sec
  2. Abdullah Al-Shegawi (SAU)/Raid Al-Asaf (SAU) Can-Am Maverick XRS Turbo RR 5min 03sec
  3. Orjwan Ammar (SAU)/Khalid Al-Kendi (ARE) Can-Am Maverick XRS Turbo RR 5min 36sec
  4. Mona Kurdi (SAU)/Albert Veliamovič (LTU) Can-Am Maverick XRS Turbo RR 5min 49sec
  5. Abdullah Al-Haydan (SAU)/Bader Al-Ajmi (ARE) Can-Am Maverick XRS Turbo RR 5min 56sec

Stock

  1. Fahad Al-Maioweed (SAU)/Khalaf Al-Odayli (SAU) Nissan Patrol 5min 31sec
  2. Sufian Al-Omar (SAU)/Yasir Al-Khuraif (SAU) Nissan Patrol 5min 33sec
  3. Majed Al-Thunayyan (SAU)/Fahad Al-Sufyani (SAU) Nissan Patrol 5min 38sec
  4. Faisal Al-Sharari (SAU)/Mazen Al-Saeedi (SAU) Nissan Patrol 5min 54sec
  5. Jafar Al-Qahtani (SAU)/Hussam Al-Zahrani (SAU) Nissan Patrol 5min 58sec
  6. Mohammed Asiri (SAU)/Sulaiman Al-Oraini (SAU) Nissan Patrol 6min 01sec

Bikes

  1. Mohammed Al-Balooshi (ARE) KTM Rally Bike                                       4min 53sec
  2. Hanno Geyser (ZAF) KTM Rally Replica                                       5min 09sec
  3. Abdulhalim Al-Mogheera (SAU) KTM Rally Bike                                       5min 11sec
  4. Mishal Al-Ghuneim (SAU) Husqvarna 450 Rally Replica                    5min 19sec
  5. Ahmed Al-Jaber (SAU) KTM EXC 450                    5min 25sec
  6. Hamdan Al-Ali (ARE) Honda CRF 450RX                    5min 33sec
  7. Philip Horlemann (ARE) Husqvarna FE501                    5min 46sec
  8. Badr Al-Hamdan (SAU) Kove                    6min 06sec
  9. Rafic Eid (LBN) Gas Gas 450 Rally Replica                    6min 18sec
  10. Ehab Al-Hakeem (SAU) Fantic Rally Factory                    6min 26sec
  11. Abdullah Al-Shatti (KWT) Kawasaki KX450                    6min 35sec
  12. Jatin Ganesh Jain (LBN) Kove Rally Pro 450                    7min 50sec
  13. Abdulrahman Al-Medaihesh (SAU) Yamaha WR450F                    9min 13sec

Quads

  1. Haitham Al-Tuwaijri (SAU) Yamaha Raptor 700                    5min 09sec
  2. Abdulaziz Al-Shayban (SAU) Yamaha Raptor 700                                       5min 15sec
  3. Abdulaziz Al-Atawi (SAU) Yamaha Raptor 700                    5min 21sec
  4. Hani Al-Noumesi (SAU) Yamaha Raptor 700                    5min 39sec
  5. Abdulrahman Alabdullatif (SAU) CF Moto C Force 1000                                       7min 35sec

Ends

SPORTITY APP – Code QASSIM24AUTO and QASSIM24MOTO

For further information: Saudi Toyota Championship (saudi-championship.com)

Follow the results live: CIS – RALLY

 

 

Published On: 24 October 2024