Saleh secured a driver's seat on one of the Toyota Rally Team Saudi Arabia cars after finishing top from among the 100 students who attended the four-day Toyota Rally School in Jeddah last week. Three drivers Al-Saleh, Abdul Aziz Al-Yaesh and Saed Al-Mouri were in the running for the final spot till the last day. Al-Mouri even clocked the best time on the last day, but Al-Saleh managed to finish on top after taking into consideration both the theoretical and the practical aspects of the training conducted at the school. The British trainer, Bill Gwynne, admired the drivers' skills: “I was surprised with their great skills. It indicates Saudi youths' love for motorsport and rallies. Support and care for these drivers will produce many Saudi champions to participate in the Middle East competitions soon.” He was also impressed by the equipment and the tracks which were developed for the drivers' training. “I have to give credit to the Saudi Rally champion Abdullah Bakhashab who devoted all his efforts to serve the youth and encourage them to be clever drivers,” he said. Speaking about Al Saleh, Gwynne said: “All drivers were very smart that you can't determine the best among them, but Al-Saleh has a lot of qualities which reminded me of international rally driver Alan Proust.” Al-Saleh, who will participate in the upcoming Rally Hail, expressed his joy over the result and the prize. He thanked Toyota and Abdullah Bakhashab for helping him achieve his dream. “Toyota School helped me see all my skills and enriched me with other experiences. I also came to know more about the rules and regulations in rally driving. I hope to come up to my senior's expectations at the Hail Rally and prove that I deserved to this win here at the Toyota Rally School,” he said. The selected one hundred young drivers from the Western, Central and Eastern regions finished their participation at Toyota Rally School at Durat-Al-Arous. The school was sponsored by Abdul Latif Jameel Co. Ltd. Mobil 1 was the school's co-sponsor under the supervision of Abdullah Bakhashab. British trainer Gwynne, helped by his assistant Nicholas Bolt, conducted the training course at Durat Al-Arous. Gwynne, who runs a rally school back in his home country, trained Abdullah Bakhashab in 1990. Theoretical lectures and practical training formed the main course for the four-day training. Theoretical lectures included rally rules and regulations. As for practical course, the teachers concentrated on safe driving and driving in difficult conditions similar to those in rallies. Fifteen drivers made it to the third day. They were then given an intensive course. Three drivers finally managed to strike the sight and admiration of the evaluation committee. Bakhashab said: “Rally is one of the most popular sport for youths and we tried to introduce more drivers to it to help increase their participation in national and international events. We have a great history in introducing rally drivers such as Majed Al-Ghamdi, Sultan Hamdi and Amro Shas.”
