Overdrive Racing’s Lucio Alvarez finishes fifth overall
Valuable test session for Chabot and Yacopini in T1+ cars

Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah confirmed a career fifth FIA World Cup for Cross-Country Rallies Drivers’ Championship with a start-to-finish victory at the Hail Cross-Country Rally in Saudi Arabia on Saturday.

The Toyota Gazoo Hilux driver and his French co-driver Matthieu Baumel won three of the event’s four selective sections to seal a third Hail International Rally win for the Qatari and a fourth for Baumel by the margin of 21min 51sec. Al-Attiyah and Baumel duly confirmed their fourth FIA World Cup title together to add to the three successive wins between 2015 and 2017.

It was always going to be a tall order for Lucio Alvarez to win the FIA World Cup Drivers’ title. The Argentine and Spanish navigator Armand Monleón reached the finish in fifth place and the Overdrive Racing Toyota driver confirmed the runner-up spot in the Drivers’ Championship.

Al-Attiyah said: “It was a good last stage and completely different to the first three. It was all gravel through the mountains. It was fantastic and we are obviously very happy with the result. I am so happy to win this race and to win the World Cup title. It was a great win. This was the last time for me in this car. The next step will be the T1+ in Dakar!”

Saudi Arabia’s Yazeed Al-Rajhi and Ulster co-driver Michael Orr had been on the pace of Al-Attiyah through the opening stage until gearbox issues intervened. The decision was taken to withdraw the Overdrive Toyota from the race and Al-Rajhi missed out on the chance to push Alvarez for second in the title race.

The French duo of Ronan Chabot and Gilles Pillot and the Argentine pairing of Juan Cruz and Alejandro Yacopini took the opportunity to test drive the latest Toyota Hilux T1+ at the Hail event. Both crews revelled in the experience with the 2022 specification car and set competitive stage times over the four days.

“This is a fantastic result for the whole team, a useful test session for everyone before the Dakar Rally, a perfect send off for the older specification Toyota Hilux and a chance for Ronan and Juan Cruz to drive the latest specification T1+ before the Dakar,” said a delighted Overdrive Racing’s CEO Jean-Marc Fortin. “Congratulations to the whole team. It is always a pleasure to work with everyone and we showed again with this result that we have the best team in the world.”

Al-Attiyah started behind the three 2022 specification machines on the opening selective section of 258.14km and managed to pass all three before the half-way point. The Qatari went on to win the stage by 6min 05sec to claim 1.5 valuable World Cup points but, more importantly, he beat seventh-placed Alvarez by 22min 16sec.

Al-Attiyah’s co-driver Baumel said: “We started first of the T1 cars, but the T1 2022 specification cars started before us. We passed all three of them during the day and we opened the road half the way. It was not an easy stage. The first part was more navigation and off-track and the second part was faster. It was a nice day and we had a good result. We need to win two stages to get the World Cup. That is the goal for this rally.”

Al-Rajhi was running second quickest until the last section when a gearbox issue intervened and cost the Saudi 1hr 48min to the leader. Both Chabot and Yacopini adjusted well to the latest specification Toyota and set competitive times on their debut.

The decision was taken to withdraw Al-Rajhi before the start of the second 314km selective section. Al-Attiyah opened the road, managed to pass the three 2022 specification vehicles and only dropped 69 seconds to the stage-winning Jakub Przygonski. By finishing second, the Qatari added another bonus point to the 1.5 he earned for the quickest time on day one and made it mathematically impossible for team-mate Alvarez to steal the FIA World Cup title.

Alvarez was fourth on the stage and moved up a place to sixth, while Yacopini and Chabot gained more kilometres in the new Toyotas, although Chabot was delayed on the special and incurred time penalties.

Stage three ran for 249km and Al-Attiyah took advantage of running second on the road to claim another fastest time. The Qatari managed to beat Vladimir Vasilyev to the stage win by 3min 57sec and extended his lead over Denis Krotov to 18min 18sec. Alvarez came home in fourth and moved up to fifth in the rankings when Przygonski was delayed. Both Chabot and Yacopini enjoyed clean runs through the desert in the 2022 specification Toyotas.

There were no dramas for Al-Attiyah through the short final stage of 148km and the Qatari duly confirmed the rally win and a fifth FIA World Cup title. Alvarez’s consolation was the runner-up spot in the title race.

Overdrive Racing and Toyota Gazoo Racing now switch their attention to the Dakar Rally at the start of January.

2021 Hail Cross-Country Rally – result:
1. Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah (QAT)/Matthieu Baumel (FRA) Toyota Gazoo Hilux 10hr 50min 23sec
2. Denis Krotov (RUS)/Konstantin Zhiltsov (RUS) MINI John Cooper Works Buggy 11hr 12min 14sec
3. Sebastien Halpern (ARG)/Bernardo Graue (ARG) MINI John Cooper Works Buggy 11hr 19min 07sec
4. Vladimir Vasilyev (RUS)/Oleg Uperenko (LVA) BMW X5 11hr 19min 50sec
5. Lucio Alvarez (ARG)/Armand Monleón (ESP) Toyota Hilux Overdrive 11hr 25min 31sec
6. Jakub Przygonski (POL)/Timo Gottschalk (DEU) MINI John Cooper Works Buggy 11hr 38min 38sec, etc

Select others:[n1]
Juan Cruz Yacopini (ARG)/Alejandro Yacopini (ARG) Toyota Hilux Overdrive T1+ 12hr 55min 04sec
Ronan Chabot (FRA)/Gilles Pillot (FRA) Toyota Hilux Overdrive T1+ 29hr 21min 22sec

Source Overdrive Racing

Marek Goczal and Saleh Al-Saif steer their Can-Ams to T4 and T3 success
Mishal Al-Ghuneim and Abdulmajeed Al-Khulaifi top motorcycles and quads

Qatar’s Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah set the fastest time on the short final stage of the Hail Cross-Country Rally to secure a fifth FIA World Cup Drivers’ Championship title in emphatic style on Saturday.

Mathematically, the Qatari had won the title after recording two stage wins earlier in the event, but he and French co-driver Matthieu Baumel pressed on regardless in their Toyota Hilux to record three stage wins and a winning margin of 21min 51sec over the Russian duo of Denis Krotov and Konstantin Zhiltsov. The success also marked their fourth FIA World Cup title together after three successive wins between 2015 and 2017.

Al-Attiyah said: “It was a good last stage and completely different to the first three. It was all gravel through the mountains. It was fantastic and we are obviously very happy with the result. I am so happy to win this race and to win the World Cup title. It was a great win. This was the last time for me in this car. The next step will be the T1+ in Dakar!”

Argentina’s Sebastien Halpern managed to overhaul Vladimir Vasilyev on the final stage to snatch the last place on the podium in the second of the X-raid Mini Buggies. Fellow countryman Lucio Alvarez may have missed out on the Drivers’ title to Al-Attiyah, but his consolation was the third fastest time on the last stage, fifth overall and the runner-up spot in the championship in his Overdrive Racing Toyota.

Poland’s Jakub Przygonski was second quickest on the 148km final section, but a drive shaft issue had cost the Mini Buggy driver a potential podium on Friday and he finished in sixth place. Spaniard Laia Sanz brought her Mini home in a fine eighth overall, as she prepares for the forthcoming Dakar Rally with the X-raid team.

Martin Prokop used the event to shakedown his new Ford Raptor Cross-Country, alongside Frenchman Ronan Chabot and Argentina’s Juan Cruz Yacopini in a pair of Toyota Hilux T1+ machines run by Overdrive Racing. None of the three crews were eligible for FIA points, but Prokop set stage times worthy of seventh in the overall standings.

Michal Goczal bounced back from gearbox issues that cost him a potential win in the T4 section to set the fastest time on the final stage in his Can-Am. He beat his brother Marek by 2min 56sec, but it was his fellow Pole who claimed the win and a fine seventh in the overall classification.

Australia’s Molly Taylor finished second in T4, 31min 55sec adrift, and Dubai-based Briton Thomas Bell, Ukraine’s Ievgen Kovalevych and Michal Goczal were third, fourth and fifth.

Pavel Lebedev missed two days of the rally after a first day crash that damaged his Can-Am’s suspension but, as per the regulations, he was able to tackle the final day and managed to win the T3 stage by 4min 54sec from overall category winner Saleh Al-Saif.

The Saudi recorded a winning margin of 47min 24sec over Mashael Al-Obaidan. Annett Fischer rounded off the podium places in her X-Raid/South Racing Can-Am and the Saudi female duo of Dania Akeel and Esraa Aldkheil were fourth and fifth.

“I am so happy to finish the Hail Rally,” said Akeel. “The whole stage today was flat and fast. I love going fast. I enjoy the dunes but today was so much fun. It was hard to pass cars in the dust but I took no risks. The whole week has been incredible and great experience for me.”

Ahmed Al-Jaber claimed the final motorcycle stage win by beating Abdullah Lanjawi by 1min 56sec, but the outright victory went to Mishal Al-Ghuneim. Problems for Othman Al-Ghfeli cost the Saudi around 15 minutes on the last test and that dropped him behind his rival, with the pair separated by just 13 seconds at the finish.

Al-Jaber filled the last step of the podium, with Abdulhalim Al-Mogheera and Lanjawi rounding off the top five.

Abdulmajeed Al-Khulaifi sealed the quad win with another stage success on his Yamaha, the multiple Hail winner adding another success to his tally. His winning margin over Haitham Al-Tuwaijri was 1hr 56min 32sec, with Hani Al-Noumesi coming home in third.

Two-time Hail Rally winner Essa Al-Dossary comfortably won the last stage of the National/Open category in his Nissan Navara, but outright victory in the event went to Aliyyah Koloc, with Al-Mashna Al-Shammeri incurring time penalties and dropping to second place. Saeed Al-Mouri finished third in his Can-Am Maverick.

Japan’s Teruhito Sugawara (Hino) sealed the win in the Truck category with the fastest time on the final stage. Teo Calvet lost the outright lead on day three and Saudi Arabia’s Ibrahim Al-Muhanna was able to snatch second place in his Mercedes Unimog

2021 Hail Cross-Country Rally – positions after SS4 (unofficial @15.00hrs):

FIA
1. Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah (QAT)/Matthieu Baumel (FRA) Toyota Gazoo Hilux 10hr 50min 23sec
2. Denis Krotov (RUS)/Konstantin Zhiltsov (RUS) MINI John Cooper Works Buggy 11hr 12min 14sec
3. Sebastien Halpern (ARG)/Bernardo Graue (ARG) MINI John Cooper Works Buggy 11hr 19min 07sec
4. Vladimir Vasilyev (RUS)/Oleg Uperenko (LVA) BMW X5 11hr 19min 50sec
5. Lucio Alvarez (ARG)/Armand Monleón (ESP) Toyota Hilux Overdrive 11hr 25min 31sec

2021 FIA World Cup for Cross-Country Rallies – Drivers’ Championship (unofficial):
1. Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah (QAT) 123pts
2. Lucio Alvarez (ARG) 75.5pts
3. Denis Krotov (RUS) 72pts
4. Yazeed Al-Rajhi (SAU) 57pts, etc

2022 spec T1+
1. Martin Prokop (CZE)/Viktor Chytka (CZE) Ford Raptor Cross-Country 11hr 54min 51sec
2. Juan Cruz Yacopini (ARG)/Alejandro Yacopini (ARG) Toyota Hilux Overdrive T1+ 12hr 55min 04sec
3. Ronan Chabot (FRA)/Gilles Pillot (FRA) Toyota Hilux Overdrive T1+ 29hr 21min 22sec

Motorcycles
1. Mishal Al-Ghuneim (SAU) Husqvarna FR450 Rally 10hr 18min 07sec
2. Othman Al-Ghfeli (UAE) Honda CRF450 10hr 18min 20sec
3. Ahmed Al-Jaber (SAU) KTM 500 EXC-F 10hr 21min 59sec
4. Abdulhalim Al-Mogheera (SAU) KTM EXC 450 10hr 37min 54sec
5. Abdullah Lanjawi (SAU) Husqvarna FC 450 10hr 46min 45sec

Quads
1. Abdulmajeed Al-Khulaifi (SAU) Yamaha Raptor 700 10hr 30min 28sec
2. Haitham Al-Tuwaijri (SAU) Yamaha YFZ 450 12hr 27min 00sec
3. Hani Al-Noumesi (SAU) Yamaha Raptor 700 14hr 15min 14sec

Trucks
1. Teruhiro Sugawara (JPN)/Hirokazu Somemiya (JPN)/Yuji Mochizuki (JPN) Hino 600 15hr 45min 12sec
2. Ibrahim Al-Muhanna (SAU)/Osama Al-Sanad (SAU)/Tariq Al-Rammah (SAU) Mercedes Unimog 18hr 48min 02sec
3. Teo Calvet (FRA)/Josef Kalina (CZE)/Tomas Sikola (CZE) Tatra Phoenix 68hr 50min 35sec

Gearbox woes for Michal Goczal; Saleh Al-Saif extends T3 advantage
Othman Al-Ghfeli and Abdulmajeed Al-Khulaifi maintain bike and quad leads

Qatar’s Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah started second on the road and managed to pass Poland’s Jakub Przygonski to claim victory on the third 249km selective section of the Hail Cross-Country Rally on Friday.

Assuming that the Qatari’s Toyota Hilux passes all post-event scrutineering checks, he has already done enough to secure a fifth FIA World Cup title. He and co-driver Matthieu Baumel managed to beat stage runner-up Vladimir Vasilyev by 3min 57sec and will take a lead of 18min 18sec over Russia’s Denis Krotov into the final day.

Al-Attiyah said:

“A good day for us and another stage win under our belts. Now we need to bring the car safely to the finish tomorrow.”

Przygonski had been challenging Krotov for second place, but the Pole suffered a broken drive shaft on the day’s stage and finished 39min 26sec behind Al-Attiyah, the time loss dropping the Mini John Cooper Works Buggy driver to sixth overall.

Krotov’s co-driver Konstantin Zhiltsov said:

“It was so fast. The dunes were not so difficult. We tried to cross with more pressure in the tyres. It was good, only we stopped after km20 to help our friends (Przygonski) in a Buggy. We gave them a drive shaft and we lost maybe six or seven minutes. Now we need to finish this race, say goodbye to the World Cup and prepare for Dakar.”

The Argentine duo of Sebastien Halpern and Lucio Alvarez completed the day’s timed section with the third and fourth quickest times and now hold fourth and fifth in the overall classification. Spaniard Laia Sanz bounced back from second day delays and now holds 10th.

Various time penalties were imposed on several T3 and T4 competitors before the restart, but the Polish duo of Michal and Marek Goczal actually benefited from time deductions after rally officials had further examined their paths through the first stage on Wednesday. Meanwhile, Ukraine’s Ievgen Kovalevych had rolled in the dunes on Thursday and plummeted to the foot of the T4 standings when time penalties were imposed.

Gearbox issues cost Michal Goczal his T4 lead, however, and his brother Marek set the fastest time on the day’s stage and moved 25min 37sec in front of Australia’s Molly Taylor. Thomas Bell climbed to third overall and Ievgen Kovalevych bounced back with the third quickest time on the special.

Saleh Al-Saif was again the dominant force in T3 and the Saudi increased his lead over Mashael Al-Obaidan to 44min 37sec with another stage win. Al-Obaidan edged 42 seconds further away from Germany’s Annett Fischer in the battle for second place.

Dania Akeel held fourth after a couple of navigational issues and Esraa Aldkheil recovered from her roll in the dunes on Thursday to finish the stage in fifth. Pavel Lebedev again sat out the stage after his first day problems.

“It was fun today,” said Akeel. “We had a couple of navigation issues and went from second to fourth and back to second and then to fourth again. I kept it steady and safe but I was faster than fourth. I am a little disappointed. In cross-country so many other things matter.”

Abdullah Lanjawi claimed the motorcycle stage win but seventh place on the day for Othman Al-Ghfeli meant the Saudi maintained an advantage of 11min 21sec over Mishal Al-Ghuneim to take into the final day. Ahmed Al-Jaber climbed to third and Yasir Al-Khuraif pushed Abdulhalim Al-Mogheera and Italy’s Mauro Torrini down to fifth and sixth overall.

Abdulmajeed Al-Khulaifi extended his advantage in the quad category to 66min 02sec with a comfortable stage win over Haitham Al-Tuwaijri and Hani Al-Noumesi, although both his Saudi rivals retained second and third places.

Al-Mashna Al-Shammeri clocked the unofficial quickest time in the National category from Aliyyah Koloc and gained the lead when Saeed Al-Mouri ceded 14 minutes to his fellow countryman and slipped to fifth place. Two-time Hail International Rally winner Essa Al-Dossary was third on the day in his Nissan Navara.

Japan’s Teruhito Sugawara (Hino) won his second stage in the Truck category from Saudi Arabia’s Ibrahim Al-Muhanna. Overnight leader Teo Calvet suffered technical issues at the start of the stage.

Tomorrow (Saturday), competitors tackle the final stage of the event and the last competitive cross-country special of 2021. After a run out of 56km, the stage only runs for 148km and features passage controls after 65km, 82km, 87km, 129km and 142km. A road section of 132km takes the survivors back to Parc Fermé in Hail.

Source SAMF

Polish Goczal brothers in T4 tussle; Saudi’s Saleh Al-Saif leads T3 section
Saudi riders Othman Al-Ghfeli and Abdulmajeed Al-Khulaifi lead bikes and quads

Poland’s Jakub Przygonski beat Qatar’s Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah by 69 seconds to claim the fastest time on the second 314km selective section of the Hail Cross-Country Rally on Thursday morning.

But the bonus point that the Qatari collected for setting the second quickest time, coupled with the 1.5 points he earned for being fastest on Wednesday, pushed him ever closer to the FIA World Cup title in the duel with Toyota team-mate Lucio Alvarez. Al-Attiyah now leads the event by 7min 11sec, with his title rival down in sixth place, 24min 28sec behind.

Al-Attiyah said: “I am quite happy. It was a good stage and we take good points yesterday and today. This is good towards the FIA World Cup. We opened all the way and it was not easy. But we lost only one minute. Tomorrow we start behind Kuba (Przygonski).”

Przygonski and German navigator Timo Gottschalk moved to within three seconds of Denis Krotov’s hold on second place, as the two X-raid Mini John Cooper Works Buggy drivers enjoyed another strong day in the An Nafud desert.

Fellow Mini Buggy driver Sebastien Halpern overhauled Vladimir Vasilyev’s BMW X5 to snatch fourth place, but delays in the desert dropped Spaniard Laia Sanz out of the top 10.

The decision was taken on Thursday afternoon to withdraw Yazeed Al-Rajhi’s Toyota from the event. The Saudi had lost too much time with gearbox issues to challenge for the win and early retirement was ultimately the course of action taken.

Martin Prokop continued test and development work on the 2022 specification Ford Raptor Cross-Country, while Juan Cruz Yacopini and Ronan Chabot gained more valuable time with the Overdrive Toyota Hilux T1+.

Three T4 Can-Ams now feature in the overall top 10. Poland’s Michal Goczal holds a fine seventh overall and the lead in the FIA T4 section from his brother Marek and Ukraine’s Ievgen Kovalevych in a third South Racing-built machine. Australia’s Molly Taylor dropped several minutes to her rivals on the day and slipped to fourth in T4 with Dubai-based Briton Thomas Bell in fifth.

Saleh Al-Saif extended his FIA T3 lead to 35min 17sec with another fastest time. Dania Akeel came home in an unofficial second place, but Mashael Al-Obaidan displaced Germany’s Annett Fischer to snatch second in the category. Ukbekistan’s Anvar Ergashev was forced to retire on Wednesday evening: he had endured pain 500 metres after the start of the first stage and, even though he completed the opening test, it was later discovered that he had an arm fracture...

Othman Al-Ghfeli was fastest of the motorcycle entrants on the second stage by 3min 22sec from Mishal Al-Ghuneim and the Saudi moved into a lead of 13min 47sec over his rival. Italy’s Mauro Torrini came home in third and climbed to fifth in the standings behind Abdulhalim Al-Mogheera and Ahmed Al-Jaber.

Abdulmajeed Al-Khulaifi maintained an unofficial advantage in the quad standings with a second stage win. Haitham Al-Tuwaijri and Hani Al-Noumesi came home in second and third places, but the result was unofficial pending any potential penalties imposed later by rally officials.

Saeed Al-Mouri was the unofficial winner of the stage in the National category in his Can-Am. The Saudi beat fellow countryman Al-Mashna Al-Shammeri by nine seconds to hold the outright lead. Aliyyah Koloc is classified in third place.

Japan’s Teruhito Sugawara (Hino) pipped Frenchman Teo Calvet to the stage win in the Truck section, but Calvet and his Czech crew of Josef Kalina and Tomas Sikola continue to lead the category in their Tatra.

Tomorrow (Friday), competitors tackle a third selective section of 249km that starts 229km from the bivouac and features passage controls after 77km, 172km and 232km. A short liaison of 47km returns teams to the bivouac in Hail.

2021 Hail Cross-Country Rally – positions after SS2 (unofficial @16.00hrs):

FIA

1. Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah (QAT)/Matthieu Baumel (FRA) Toyota Gazoo Hilux 7hr 04min 18sec
2. Denis Krotov (RUS)/Konstantin Zhiltsov (RUS) MINI John Cooper Works Buggy 7hr 11min 29sec
3. Jakub Przygonski (POL)/Timo Gottschalk (DEU) Mini John Cooper Works Buggy 7hr 11min 32sec
4. Sebastien Halpern (ARG)/Bernardo Graue (ARG) MINI John Cooper Works Buggy 7hr 23min 35sec
5. Vladimir Vasilyev (RUS)/Oleg Uperenko (LVA) BMW X5 7hr 24min 06sec

2022 spec T1+

1. Martin Prokop (CZE)/Viktor Chytka (CZE) Ford Raptor Cross-Country 7hr 48min 46sec
2. Juan Cruz Yacopini (ARG)/Alejandro Yacopini (ARG) Toyota Hilux Overdrive T1+ 8hr 30min 09sec
3. Ronan Chabot (FRA)/Gilles Pillot (FRA) Toyota Hilux Overdrive T1+ AWAITED

Motorcycles

1. Othman Al-Ghfeli (UAE) Honda CRF450 6hr 05min 49sec
2. Mishal Al-Ghuneim (SAU) Husqvarna FR450 Rally 6hr 19min 36sec
3. Abdulhalim Al-Mogheera (SAU) KTM EXC 450 6hr 26min 59sec
4. Ahmed Al-Jaber (SAU) KTM 500 EXC-F 6hr 28min 09sec
5. Mauro Torrini (ITA) KTM EXC-F 500 6hr 29min 16sec, etc

Quads

1. Abdulmajeed Al-Khulaifi (SAU) Yamaha Raptor 700 6hr 20min 07sec
2. Haitham Al-Tujaiwri (SAU) Yamaha YFZ 450 7hr 16min 01sec
3. Hani Al-Noumesi (SAU) Yamaha Raptor 700 8hr 27min 11sec
4. Abdulaziz Al0-Sjayban (SAU) Yamaha YFZ 450 14hr 00min 00sec
4. Abdulaziz Al-Atawi (SAU) Yamaha YFZ 450 14hr 06min 09sec

Trucks

1. Teo Calvet (FRA)/Josef Kalina (CZE)/Tomas Sikola (CZE) Tatra Phoenix 9hr 50min 35sec
2. Teruhiro Sugawara (JPN)/Hirokazu Somemiya (JPN)/Yuji Mochizuki (JPN) Hino 600 10hr48min 02sec
3. Ibrahim Al-Muhanna (SAU)/Osama Al-Sanad (SAU)/Tariq Al-Rammah (SAU) Mercedes Unimog AWAITED

Source SAMF

Saleh Al-Saif and Michal Goczal fastest in FIA T3 and T4 categories
Early motorcycle advantage for Anass Al-Reheyani; Al-Khulaifi leads quads

Qatar’s Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah and French navigator Matthieu Baumel comfortably won the opening 258.14km selective section of the Hail Cross-Country Rally on Wednesday morning.
The Toyota Gazoo Racing duo steered their Toyota Hilux to a time of 3hr 20min 01sec and duly finished 6min 05sec in front of stage runner-up Denis Krotov. Al-Attiyah’s stage performance boosted his already overwhelming odds of clinching the FIA World Cup title and the Qatar found himself 22min 16sec ahead of Toyota team-mate and title rival Lucio Alvarez heading into the night halt in Hail.

Al-Attiyah’s co-driver Baumel said: “We started first of the T1 cars, but the T1 2022 specification cars started before us. We passed all three of them during the day and we opened the road half the way. It was not an easy stage. The first part was more navigation and off-track and the second part was faster. It was a nice day and we had a good result. We need to win two stages to get the World Cup. That is the goal for this rally.”

The X-raid Mini Buggies of Jakub Przygonski and Sebastien Halpern were third and fifth, sandwiching Vladimir Vasilyev’s BMW X3 in fourth.

“It was quite a nice stage with a lot of camel grass and it was quite soft,” said Przygonski. “We made a navigation mistake and got lost but we enjoyed it. It was nice.”

Laia Sanz adapted well to her challenge for honours in a Mini John Cooper Works Rally and was classified in sixth, with Alvarez in seventh overall and Czech driver Miroslav Zapletal holding ninth in a Ford F-150. Local hero Yazeed Al-Rajhi was on course for the second fastest time until a gearbox issue intervened and cost the Saudi 1hr 48sec to the stage-winning Al-Attiyah.

Three 2022 specification machines were permitted to tackle the event in preparation for the Dakar Rally. Martin Prokop enjoyed a useful test session in the new Ford Raptor Cross-Country and both Ronan Chabot and Juan Cruz Yacopini got to grips with the latest Overdrive Toyota Hilux T1+.

Saleh Al-Saif topped the FIA T3 section in his Can-Am, the Saudi beating Germany’s Annett Fischer to the stage win by 4min 51sec. The Saudi female duo of Mashael Al-Obaidan and Esraa Adkheil came home in third and fifth, with Ukbekistan’s Anvar Ergashev in fourth place and Dania Akeel finishing sixth.

Poland’s Michal Goczal moved into eighth overall, won the stage in the T4 section in his Can-Am and finished 9min 43sec in front of Australia’s Molly Taylor. His brother Marek Goczal was third and Ukraine’s Ievgen Kovalevych and Dubai-based Briton Thomas Bell rounded off the top five.

Anass Al-Reheyani set the unofficial fastest time in the motorcycle category and edged into a lead of 61 seconds over Abdulhalim Al-Mogheera. Othman Al-Ghfeli was an unofficial third.

Multiple Hail Rally winner Abdulmajeed Al-Khulaifi topped the quad standings on his Yamaha from FIM Bajas World Cup champion Haitham Al-Tuwaijri and Hani Al-Noumesi.

Al-Mashna Al-Shammeri was the unofficial leader of the National Rally in his Nissan Patrol with Czech driver Josef Machacek an unofficial second in his Buggyra Can-Am DV21. Saeed Al-Mouri was third in a Can-Am.

Frenchman Teo Calvet teamed up with the Czech duo of Josef Kalina and Tomas Sikola to set the fastest time in the Truck section in their Tatra.

Tomorrow (Thursday), competitors embark upon a second selective section of 314km through the deserts near Hail. The stage starts after a road liaison of 99km and features passage controls at 105km and 194km. A road section of 96km takes teams back to the bivouac.

2021 Hail Cross-Country Rally – positions after SS1 (unofficial @15.30hrs):
FIA

1. Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah (QAT)/Matthieu Baumel (FRA) Toyota Gazoo Hilux 3hr 20min 01sec
2. Denis Krotov (RUS)/Konstantin Zhiltsov (RUS) MINI John Cooper Works Buggy 3hr 26min 06sec
3. Jakub Przygonski (POL)/Timo Gottschalk (DEU) Mini John Cooper Works Buggy 3hr 30min 03sec
4. Vladimir Vasilyev (RUS)/Oleg Uperenko (LVA) BMW X5 3hr 30min 15sec
5. Sebastien Halpern (ARG)/Bernardo Graue (ARG) MINI John Cooper Works Buggy 3hr 31min 35sec

Motorcycles

1. Anass Al-Reheyani (SAU) KTM EXC 450 3hr 11min 17sec
2. Abdulhalim Al-Mogheera (SAU) KTM EXC 450 3hr 12min 18sec
3. Othman Al-Ghfeli (UAE) Honda CRF450 3hr 17min 01sec
4. Ahmed Al-Jaber (SAU) KTM 500 EXC-F 3hr 17min 18sec
5. Mishal Al-Ghuneim (SAU) Husqvarna FR450 Rally 3hr 27min 26sec, etc

Quads

1. Abdulmajeed Al-Khulaifi (SAU) Yamaha Raptor 700 3hr 19min 09sec
2. Haitham Al-Tujaiwri (SAU) Yamaha YFZ 450 3hr 35min 36sec
3. Hani Al-Noumesi (SAU) Yamaha Raptor 700 4hr 22min 49sec, etc

Trucks

1. Teo Calvet (FRA)/Josef Kalina (CZE)/Tomas Sikola (CZE) Tatra 4hr 59min 38sec, etc

Source SAMF

 
Competitive action gets underway at the Hail Cross-Country Rally, the final round of the FIA World Cup for Cross-Country Rallies, on Wednesday morning.
Qatar’s Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah and Argentina’s Lucio Alvarez both drive V8-engined Toyota Hiluxes, built in conjunction with Toyota Gazoo Racing and Overdrive Racing, and they will go head-to-head to decide the outcome of the 2021 FIA World Cup Drivers’ Championship.
To win his first FIA World Cup title, Alvarez needs to overturn a 28-point deficit. The Argentine will need to win the rally outright and score at least three additional bonus points for daily stage performances and, even then, the outcome will depend on whether Al-Attiyah finishes lower than eighth overall and fails to secure a single bonus point.

Al-Attiyah said:

“I won in Hail back in 2008 and 2011 and with Matthieu (Baumel), my current co-driver, we won the first of the Bajas last December. We will do our best to take the win again and seal the championship. We have a good car. The rally is also very useful experience for us before the Dakar Rally in January."

It’s a big ask for Alvarez, but the battle has at least confirmed that Overdrive Toyotas should fill the top two places in the points’ standings unless Russia’s Denis Krotov can seal a top four result and Alvarez fails to finish. Krotov drives an X-Raid Mini and starts the rally four points adrift of local hero Yazeed Al-Rajhi. The Saudi knows that a top finish could also see him overhaul Alvarez and snatch second place in the series.

Hoping to upset the applecart and challenge for honours in their own right are the Orlen Team’s Jakub Przygonski and Argentina’s Sebastien Halpern in their X-raid Minis and Czech driver Miroslav Zapletal in a Ford F-150. Former Spanish enduro rider Laia Sanz also joins the German X-raid team to drive a Mini John Cooper Works Rally in readiness for the Dakar challenge that awaits.

With the FIA T3 and T4 Championships already settled in favour of Spain’s Cristina Gutierrez and America’s Austin Jones, pride and pre-Dakar experience are at stake in both the hotly-contested categories.

Eight teams line up in the T3 section, with Russian Pavel Lebedev leading the way in his Can-Am and facing competition from local favourite Saleh Al-Saif, fellow Saudis, Mashael Al-Obaidan, Dania Akeel, Esra Aldkheil and Hamed Al-Harbi, Germany’s Annett Fischer and Uzbekistan’s Anvar Ergashev.

“This is a great opportunity for me to test for Dakar,” said Al-Obaidan. “This is my third race after Sharqiya and Aragón in Spain. It’s the first time that Jacopo (Cerutti), my co-driver, and I participate together. I’ve been here a couple of times but never in an official race. There are three Saudi females, including myself. The sport is really booming here. I believe there is a really bright future in the Kingdom for everyone.”

Six crews will battle it over the next four days for T4 honours. South Racing Middle East’s Thomas Bell tops the field and faces competition from Poland’s Marek and Michal Goczal, Kuwait’s Meshari Al-Thefiri, Australia’s Molly Taylor and Ukraine’s Levgen Kovalevych.

There is also a National Rally running behind the main FIA rally, a separate event for motorcycles and quads, a truck category and dispensation for several 2022 specification machines to compete with teams carrying out pre-Dakar testing.

Czech WRC star Martin Prokop wheels out the latest Ford Raptor Cross-Country, running under the Benzina Orlen Team banner, both Frenchman Ronan Chabot and Argentina’s Juan Cruz Yacopini try out Overdrive Racing’s latest Toyota Hilux T1+ and Sweden’s Sebastien Eriksson gets his hands on the latest T3-2022 South Racing Can-Am Maveric.
 
The Hail Cross-Country Rally is being organised by the Saudi Automobile and Motorcycle Federation (SAMF) under the supervision of the Hail Regional Development Authority in co-operation with the General Authority for Tourism and National Heritage and the General Authority for Sport.

On Wedneday, competitors tackle the first of four selective sections through the Al-Nafud desert. The competitive stage starts 82.59km from Rally HQ, includes a passage control and refuelling point after 173km and runs for 258.14km. A liaison of 47.31km guides competitors back to the bivouac.

FIA World Cup for Cross-Country Rallies – driver standings:
1. Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah (QAT)    92.5 pts
2. Lucio Alvarez (ARG)                        64.5pts
3. Yazeed Al-Rajhi (SAU)                    57pts
4. Denis Krotov (RUS)                         53pts
5. Mattias Ekström (SWE)                 27pts, etc

FIA World Cup for Cross-Country Rallies – co-driver standings:
1. Matthieu Baumel (FRA)                92.5 pts
2. Armand Monleón (ESP)                64.5 pts
3. Konstantin Zhiltsov (RUS)            53 pts
4. Michael Orr (GBR)                          35.5 pts
5. Emil Bergvist (SWE)                        27 pts, etc                                                     

FIA World Cup for Cross-Country Rallies – T3:
1. Cristina Gutierrez (ESP)                90.5 pts   
2. Fernando Alvarez (ESP)                76.5 pts   
3. Pavel Lebedev (RUS)                      53.5 pts, etc              

FIA World Cup for Cross-Country Rallies – T4:
1. Austin Jones (USA)                         98.5pts
2=. Eugenio Amos (ITA)                     55pts
2=. Kees Koolen (NLD)                       55pts, etc

Source SAMF

The KH-7 rider will finalize her first participation in the Dakar Rally 2022 in the Saudi event, scoring for the FIA Cross Country Rally World Cup.
She will do so at the wheel of the MINI ALL4 Racing of the Primax X-raid Team, alongside Italian motard Maurizio Gerini, who will make his debut as co-driver.

"I'm really looking forward to this last event before the Dakar. It will allow us to get used to the car, prepare details and work on communication and navigation between driver and co-driver".

Laia Sanz will make her debut this Wednesday in the Hail Rally (Saudi Arabia) with the car she will drive for the first time in the Dakar Rally. The KH-7 driver will get behind the wheel of the MINI ALL4Racing of the Primax X-raid Team with the aim of adding kilometers of competition on four wheels in the last round of the FIA Cross Country Rally World Cup, which will end on Saturday, December 11

The Spaniard, 11-time Dakar finisher on a motorcycle, will be co-driven by Italian Maurizio Gerini, with whom she has already completed several days of navigation training in recent weeks to try to get to know each other as well as possible before the big event.

The Hail Rally will be contested around the Saudi city in the northwest of the country, where the first real stage of the 2022 Dakar will also start on January 2, after the Prologue from Jeddah to Hail on January 1. The start ceremony will take place this Tuesday, after yesterday the teams passed the technical and administrative checks, a day in which Laia Sanz also took the opportunity to do a test in the dunes and test some settings before the start of the competition. The four stages that will make up the event will be held on December 8, 9, 10 and 11 over a total of 1,753 kilometers, of which 969 will be timed.

"I'm really looking forward to the Hail Rally, as it is our last event before the Dakar. It was an event that we couldn't skip, because it will allow us to get used to the car, prepare the details and adapt Maurizio and I in terms of navigation and communication between us a few weeks before our Dakar debut. The goal is not to go for any result, but to learn as much as possible, try out different car set-ups, get more comfortable at the wheel of this MINI ALL4Racing and arrive with a bit more experience on January 1st, when our key event will start", says Laia Sanz. 

The Catalan will face nearly 30 rivals in the race, including names of the caliber of Nasser Al Attiyah, the local Yazeed Al Rajhi and Vladimir Vasilyev, among others. Her MINI ALL4Racing, in the T1.1 category, will carry the number 208 on its doors.

The KH-7 rider will thus continue with an intense 2021 in which she has been proclaimed world champion in women's trials for the 14th time and world champion in women's Enduro for the sixth time, bringing to 20 the total number of world titles to her credit. Before the end of the year, she will still have to compete in the last round of the Extreme E. Previously, she has shined in her other forays on four wheels this year: she was 4th in the Baja Dubai with Lucas Cruz as co-driver at the wheel of an SSV T4 and finished 8th overall in the Rally of Andalusia with one of the 4x4s of the X-raid team. This Wednesday she will take another step to consolidate her jump to the cars when she takes the start of the first stage of the Hail Rally, which will have 258 kilometers of special stage.

Automatic translation from the official press release
Source: KH-7 Laia Sanz official press release

Saudi Arabian and GCC riders dominate the motorcycle and quad entry for this week’s Hail Cross-Country Rally, the four-day finale to the world’s 2021 off-road season.
While most attention this week in the north-central region of Saudi Arabia turns to the battle for FIA World Cup glory and the duel between Qatar’s Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah and Argentina’s Lucio Alvarez for the Drivers’ title, the two-wheel protagonists will be looking for their own success in the absence of the world’s top cross-country riders.
Austria’s Matthias Walkner clinched the 2021 FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Championship on a works KTM and, as teams such as Honda, KTM, Sherco, Husqvarna, Yamaha and GasGas make their final preparations for the Dakar Rally, the stage is left open for regional riders to shine.
Twenty-six bikes and 10 quads will tackle the four desert selective sections laid on by the Saudi Arabian Motor and Motorcycle Federation (SAMF).
The 2019 Sharqiya Baja winner Mishal Al-Ghuneim heads the two-wheel section on his Husqvarna FR 450 Rally and faces main competition from the likes of fellow countrymen, Fawaz Al-Toimi, Abdulhalim Al-Mogheera and Mohammed Al-Khater.
The State of Qatar is represented by Sheikh Mohammed Al-Thani (Honda) , Mohammed Al-Kaabi (Beta), Abdulrahman Al-Sheeb (Beta) and Ali Mubarak Al-Badi (Yamaha).
Sarah Khuraibet finished fourth in the Women’s category of the FIM Bajas World Cup and represents Kuwait on her Husqvarna, while Salman Farhan is the sole representative from Bahrain, also on a Husqvarna.
With Mohammed Al-Balooshi missing the Hail event to finalise his Dakar preparations, Othman Al-Ghefeli leads the Emirati challenge on a Honda CRF. He is joined by Hamdan Al-Ali and Abdullah Lanjawi. Lebanon’s Ehab Al-Hakeem and Italy’s Mauro Torrini round off the international two-wheel contingent.
Abdulmajeed Al-Khulaifi won the quad category in Hail on six occasions between 2014 and 2019 and the Yamaha Raptor 700 rider heads nine Saudi rivals that include Sultan Al-Masoud, 2021 Sharqiya Baja winner Hani Al-Noumesi and Haitham Al-Tuwaijri, the 2021 FIM Bajas World Cup quad champion.
Scrutineering and technical checks will take place at the rally headquarters in Hail today (December 6th) and tomorrow, in advance of the ceremonial start at Maghwat, scheduled from 18.00hrs on Tuesday evening. Competitors will then tackle four desert stages from December 8th-11th.

Source SAMF / www.rallyhail.com

The Hail Toyota International Rally enters its second year on the FIA Cross Country World Cup calendar, hosting the season finale on December 6-1

FIA ENTRY LIST

MOTO ENTRY LIST

NATIONAL ENTRY LIST

28 FIA crews +4, 27 National, 29 bikes and quads and three trucks on entry lists

The Hail Cross-Country Rally has attracted a bumper entry of national and international competitors to close out the 2021 FIA World Cup for Cross-Country Rallies. The last off-road event of the FIA calendar year takes centre stage in the north-central region of Saudi Arabia on December 6th-11th.
Organised by the Saudi Automobile and Motorcycle Federation (SAMF), the event has attracted 28 entries in the international FIA category, four additional 2022 specification machines, 27 vehicles in the national section, 29 motorcycles and quads and three trucks, with many competitors using the four desert stages next week as a shakedown for January’s Dakar Rally.
The challenging special stages through the neighbouring Al-Nafud desert will decide the outcome of the Drivers’ Championship in the FIA World Cup. Qatar’s Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah is the overwhelming favourite to claim a fifth title after securing four wins in 2008 and 2015-2017 and needs merely to finish inside the points to secure the win.
Toyota team-mate Lucio Alvarez will be chasing outright victory in Saudi Arabia if he has any chance of snatching the title from the Qatari.
The Hail Cross-Country Rally has attracted three works Toyotas, four X-raid Minis, a Ford F-150 for Czech driver Miroslav Zapletal and a BMW X5 for former champion Vladimir Vasilyev.
But the FIA field is dominated by Can-Ams competing in the increasingly popular T3 and T4 sections. South Racing and South Racing Middle East field 10 vehicles out of the 28 on the full entry, including Mavericks for Australian female driver Molly Taylor and Saudi Arabia’s Saleh Al-Saif and Dania Akeel.
There are also four cars running in a separate category with a 2022 specification. Martin Prokop wheels out the latest Ford, there are two Toyota Hilux T1+ versions for Ronan Chabot and Juan Cruz Yacopini and Sebastien Eriksson drives the latest T3 Can-Am.
Saudi and Emirati drivers dominate the National category and the motorcycle and quad sections are completely filled by GCC riders, with the likes of Abdulmajeed Al-Khulaifi and Sultan Al-Masoud hoping to shine on their home event.
Three trucks grace the entry and will run at the rear of the field. Local driver Ibrahim Al-Muhanna (Mercedes) is joined by Japanese veteran Teruhito Sugawara (Hino) and Frenchman Teo Calvet (Tatra)
The event will be fought out over four desert selective sections, with approximately 969 competitive kilometres in a route of 1,753km.
Scrutineering and technical checks will take place at the rally headquarters in Hail on December 6th and 7th, in advance of the ceremonial start at Maghwat, scheduled from 18.00hrs on December 7th.
Competitors will then tackle four desert stages from December 8th-11th.

Source SAMF

Spaniard Cristina Gutiérrez made history at the 30th anniversary edition of the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge as she gained enough points in the T3 category to become the first-ever female driver to win the FIA World Cup for Cross-Country Rallies title.

Here is all you need to know:

- Gutiérrez and co-driver François Cazalet (FRA) combined for the Red Bull Off-Road Junior Team to fight back from two tricky opening stages and gain enough points to put themselves beyond the reach of compatriot Fernando Alvarez for an historic, maiden title.

- Earlier this year the Spanish racer had become the first woman to win a stage of the Dakar Rally since Jutta Kleinschmidt's last stage win in 2005 and she followed that feat up with an emotionally charged victory in her native Spain at May's Andalucia Rally and Rally Kazakhstan win in June.

- She sustained three broken vertebrae during the final Kazakhstan stage and, after two months of intense recovery, she returned to win more precious championship points at Rallye du Maroc last month.

- The 30-year-old said:
 

"We are world champions! I can't believe it. After such a hard year I've had, I can't be happier. The first couple of stages in particular were not easy. Finally we managed to find a good pace and avoid mistakes, and took important points for the championship. These races are so long so it's difficult to always be at the front on every stage."

- Fellow Red Bull Off-Road Junior Team crews Seth Quintero (USA)/Dennis Zenz (GER) and Guillaume De Mevius (BEL)/Tom Colsoul (BEL) also competed with Quintero retiring on Tuesday due to a stiff neck and De Mevius continuing the mission to prepare their 2022 spec OT3 for Dakar.

- Meanwhile, 50-year-old legend Nasser Al-Attiyah won the first four stages in the T1 car category to build up a huge lead of 23m48s over Argentine Lucio Alvarez heading into the final stage.

- Alvarez finally claimed a stage win by 1m53s from Yazeed Al Rajhi with Al-Attiyah 2m46s back in third to win overall by 21m02s and Poland's Kuba Przygonski fourth on the day after a mixed race.

- Qatar's Al-Attiyah and French co-driver Matthieu Baumel led the 2021 FIA World Cup for Cross-Country Rallies going into the race with Al-Attiyah sealing his fifth title and Baumel his fourth with one stop remaining.

- In the bikes, Matthias Walkner - who had the luxury of already having the 2021 FIA World Cup for Cross-Country Rallies title wrapped up - was in the top two on every stage to win by just 4m31s from Frenchman Adrien Van Beveren who was unlucky not to triumph after three stage wins.

- Austrian Walkner's maiden Abu Dhabi victory will give him a boost heading into Dakar 2022, while Australian Daniel Sanders won the third stage before Thursday mechanical problems scuppered his hopes.

- Rookie Sanders still finished third overall in the 2021 FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Championship, while local fans enjoyed the performance of Mohammed Balooshi (UAE) who ended the race in sixth place.

- Czech Martin Prokop came out on top of the SSV category by a mammoth 4h35m20s after he won the first four stages and finished just seven seconds behind Dutchman Erik van Loon on the last stage.

Source: Red Bull News

The adventure continues for the CST Polaris Xtremeplus crews at the Tunisia Desert Challenge as the race enters into day 6, a 380 km stage that brings the competitors from Douz to  Star Wars. The bivouac in fact is set next to the legendary Star Wars setting.
 
On the menu, another long and demanding timed section that features  a variety of terrains: camel grass, winding tracks, small dunes, sandy paths but also open desert till the famous Chott El Jerid, a semi-dry salt lake.
 

“We arrived this morning at the bivouac in Douz after a night in the desert. After a couple of hours of rest,  we  were back on track for the 6th stage. It was a mix of off-piste, dunes and sandy paths. Unfortunately, we had problems with the suspension arm in the stage so it was quiet challenging and tiring. The positive is that tonight we can rest more and tomorrow we can restart in a better shape”,

said  Andrea Tronconi
 
It was a tough day also for  Checco Tonetti , who had spent the night in the middle of the desert with his co-driver, Alberto Bertoldi, and the assistance team waiting for the first morning lights.
 

“It was though, but in a way fascinating. During the night it was very cold so we made shift to sleep so that there was only one to take care of the fire. All in all, this is racing and we haven’t lost our good mood. We are heading towards Star Wars so that we can work on the car and tomorrow restart”.

 Tomorrow the competitors will start for the 7th stage, a loop if 262 kms around Star Wars.
 

November 11th 2021

Stage 6 | Douz – Star Wars| 380 km
 

The adventure continues for the CST Polaris Xtremeplus crews at the Tunisia Desert Challenge as the race enters into day 6, a 380 km stage that brings the competitors from Douz to  Star Wars. The bivouac in fact is set next to the legendary Star Wars setting.
 
On the menu, another long and demanding timed section that features  a variety of terrains: camel grass, winding tracks, small dunes, sandy paths but also open desert till the famous Chott El Jerid, a semi-dry salt lake.

 
“We arrived this morning at the bivouac in Douz after a night in the desert. After a couple of hours of rest,  we  were back on track for the 6th stage. It was a mix of off-piste, dunes and sandy paths. Unfortunately, we had problems with the suspension arm in the stage so it was quiet challenging and tiring. The positive is that tonight we can rest more and tomorrow we can restart in a better shape”,

said  Andrea Tronconi
 
It was a tough day also for  Checco Tonetti , who had spent the night in the middle of the desert with his co-driver, Alberto Bertoldi, and the assistance team waiting for the first morning lights.
 

“It was though, but in a way fascinating. During the night it was very cold so we made shift to sleep so that there was only one to take care of the fire. All in all, this is racing and we haven’t lost our good mood. We are heading towards Star Wars so that we can work on the car and tomorrow restart”.
 

Tomorrow the competitors will start for the 7th stage, a loop if 262 kms around Star Wars.
 

About XTREMEPLUS
Recognized for the professionalism and the quality of the preparations of the Polaris RZR for the Cross-Country Rallies, XTREMEPLUS IS THE ONLY TEAM SUPPORTED BY POLARIS USA AND POLARIS EUROPE.
Founded by Marco Piana in 2004, Xtremeplus has its workshop in Gorrevod - Municipality of Pont de Vaux - not far from Mâcon.
 

Source Xtremeplus