SAUDI Total Lubricants Co. (SATLUB) recently signed a, agreement for the 1st edition of Jeddah Deseret Rally as its “Golden sponsor”, which will be held in Jeddah under the supervision of the Saudi Automobile Federation. The contract was signed at the company's headquarters in Jeddah between Nizar Raydan, Managing Director of Saudi Total Lubricants Co., and Abdullah Bakhashab, Executive Director of the rally, Raydan said “our presence in a big motorsport event such ‘Jeddah Desert Rally' is very natural because it fits with our overall strategy and plans to enter the motorsport arena in Saudi Arabia in particular.” He added: “The desert stages of Jeddah Rally are much like the world's most famous ‘Dakar Rally' which is closely linked with Total for many years, and thus we decided to be part of this rally through sponsoring it, hoping to gain fame in the future.” Meanwhile, Captain Abdullah Bakhashab reviewed some of the technical aspects of the rally which will run for three days for a distance of 500 km, 250 km of which are special stages. The rally will kick off at Shorm Obhor, while the 2nd and 3rd stages will start from at northeast of King Abdullah Economic City in Alberekah area. The 1st edition of the rally is expected to witness the participation of rally champions from the region, where about 30 cars of T1 (T2 as classified by FIA) are motorcycles of different categories. For the first time in the Kingdom and in desert rallies, the rally might witness the participation of two trucks in category T4. Among the prominent participants of the rally are the Middle East Rally champion Qatari Nasser Al-Attiyah, and the Saudi rally driver Yazid Al Rajhi, in addition to a group of Saudi and Arab rally drivers. Total company proved its passion for car racing and motorsports in particular, and its support since 1967. Over decades, Total brand has maintained strong relationship with the leading manufacturers of car engines and gearboxes worldwide. Total research and development department strives to provide high quality fuel and lubricants specially designed to provide higher levels of performance for racing cars. The great number of victories achieved by Total- supported racing drivers positively affected and enhanced its brand and products and enabled the company to lead the industry. – SG
