The 15th Hail Nissan Rally, round one of the 2020 Saudi Desert Rally Championship, got under way with the ceremonial start in Hail City on Tuesday afternoon. The Saudi Automobile and Motorcycle Federation (SAMF) event has attracted 58 cars and UTVs, one truck and 10 motorcycles and quads to tackle four selective sections through the An Nafud desert from Wednesday to Saturday. Top seed in the car category is the defending Saudi Desert Rally Champion, Yazeed Al-Rajhi, while fellow Saudi Abdulmajeed Al-Khulaifi tops the quad category and a group of Emirati riders start as favourites for success in the motorcycle section. The rally is running under the chairmanship of Prince Khalid Bin Sultan Al-Abdullah Al-Faisal and the supervision of the Hail Regional Development Authority in cooperation with the General Authority for Tourism and National Heritage and the General Authority for Sport. Prince Khalid, chairman of SAMF, said: "I am delighted with the progress we have made with the Hail Nissan Rally and I am especially happy that the event is a candidate for the 2021 FIA World Cup for Cross-Country Rallies. It is a major sporting event in the Hail province in terms of entertainment and social and economic benefits. "Since its inception in 2006, the importance of the Hail Rally has grown with its history. It was the first Motorsport event in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and was initiated by Prince Saud Bin Abdul Mohsen Bin Abdul Aziz, the governor of the Hail Province at the time. It has been an ever present in the motor sporting calendar ever since and gained international interest and official attention after the rise in popularity of rallying, locally, regionally and internationally. "The rally was a round of the 2008 FIA World Cup for Cross-Country Rallies and has been an important event for Hail Province and for the Kingdom, generally. Local and youth interest interact in a positive way through motor sport and this has increased the level of interest in all sports and made them more attractive to private companies. "The return to the FIA World Cup calendar will attract more international interest to Ha'il and bring factory teams to the rally. It will be another milestone for the Kingdom and will prove the real value of the rally and the essence of Ha'il Province." The event runs under the patronage of Prince Abdul Aziz Bin Saud Al-Saud, governor of Hail, and Prince Faisal Bin Fahed Bin Moqren Al-Saud. The first of four desert selective sections start at 08.00hrs on Wednesday morning. — SG
