The Saudi Automobile and Motorcycle Federation has announced the preliminary details for the "Tabaq Neom Rally," the second round of the 2023 Saudi "Toyota" Desert Rally Championship. The event will take place from May 18 to 20 and will be the first rally held in Tabuk, located in the northwest of Saudi Arabia.
The rally will be chaired by His Royal Highness Prince Khalid bin Sultan Abdullah Al Faisal, President of the Saudi Automobile and Motorcycle Federation. It will span three days, starting with a showcase stage to determine the starting positions, followed by two challenging special desert stages. Cars and motorcycles complying with the regulations of the International Automobile Federation (FIA) and the International Motorcycling Federation (FIM) are allowed to participate in this rally. A national version of the rally for cars and motorcycles will be held concurrently with the international rally.
The official headquarters for the rally will be the "Grand Millennium Tabuk" hotel, where administrative documentation and technical inspections will take place in the service area on Wednesday, May 17. This will be followed by a press conference on Thursday morning to inaugurate the rally and an important qualifying showcase stage in the afternoon to set the starting positions for the timed first special stage.
The first special stage will occur on Friday, May 19, followed by a second special stage on Saturday, May 20. A press conference will be held to conclude the rally, along with a ceremony to crown the winners.
The registration deadline ended last Saturday, and the federation will announce the official participants' list later this week. The "Tabaq Neom Rally" is organized in cooperation with the Ministry of Sports, the official partner Abdul Latif Jameel Toyota, and the strategic partner Saudi Investment Bank.
The Saudi Toyota Desert Rally Championship is scheduled to include four rounds in the 2023 season, with "Hail Baja" serving as the first round, held last February. This event was also the first round of the World Cup series for Baja rallies for cars (FIA - Baja) and motorcycles (FIM - Baja), as well as the Middle East Baja Rally Cup. The Al-Qassim Rally will be the third round, taking place in September, followed by the Jeddah Rally in December. These events provide an excellent opportunity for local, Arab, and international teams to test their capabilities and finalize their preparations for Dakar 2024.
In the previous season, Saudi driver Yazeed Al Rajhi won the Asir, Qassim, Saudi Baja, and Jeddah rallies in 2022, claiming the title in the car category with his Toyota "Hilux Overdrive." Ahmed Al Shaqawi won the "T2" title for series production vehicles, while driver Saleh Al Saif from the "Black Horse Team" captured the "T3" title for lightweight prototype desert vehicles. Khalid Al Farahi, a driver for the "Saudi Border Guard Team," along with his French navigator Sebastien Delahaye, won the national category title.
