Prince Saud Bin Abdul Mohsen Bin Abdul Aziz, Governor of Ha'il, President of the Supreme Commission for Ha'il Development and the Head of the Supreme Commission of the Ha'il Rally, announced at the start of the 2010 Saudi Arabian Ha'il Baja that the Saudi Arabian Motor Federation (SAMF) would organize a brand new cross-country rally in spring 2011. The stand-alone event will appear in the FIA calendar and run instead of the Ha'il Baja round of the FIA International Cup for Cross-Country Bajas over a five or six-day format. It will offer in excess of 1,500km of selective sections in a route of over 2,000km in the vast An-Nafud desert in the north-central region of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. “The time has come for Saudi Arabia to show the rest of the world what potential we have for international off-road motor sport and we are thrilled to announce that we will run an event with around 1,500km of selective sections in 2011,” enthused Mishaal Al-Sudairy, President of the Saudi Arabian Motor Federation. “We hope to run the event in the spring, February or early March time, and it will be registered as a stand-alone event in the FIA calendar, but we will also permit motorcycles in co-ordination with the FIM and trucks to take part for the first time. The Rally of Arabia will use as much of the beautiful uncharted desert in the Ha'il area as possible and is sure to be probably the most demanding rally in the world outside the Dakar.” Al-Sudairy has pledged excellent incentives and concessions for local, GCC and other international competitors and is planning a generous prize fund to make the event the most lucrative in the world Cross-Country calendar. The event will run in a looped format and use a centralized service area and rally headquarters at the Maghwat Conference Centre on the outskirts of Ha'il. “The rally will be organized by our team at the Saudi Arabian Motor Federation,” added Al-Sudairy. “The team now has five years' experience running the Ha'il Baja and we feel it is an excellent time to move on and expand the Ha'il Rally to make it one of the great challenges in world motor sport. We have fast tracks, large dunes, rocky trails, undulating pistes…everything is here for the connoisseur of Cross-Country rallying.” The Dakar Rally is traditionally the world's most popular and demanding off-road, long-distance rally, but Al-Sudairy is confident that the Rally of Arabia will become a feared, respected and treasured addition to the international calendar. “We want this event to become the jewel in the Arabian crown,” said Al-Sudairy. “Our very own treasure here in the Middle East.” __
