Prince Abdullah Bin Khalid Bin Abdullah Al-Saud and Adel Ezat shake hands after signing the Ha'il Rally sponsorship contract.JEDDAH: Abdul Latif Jameel (ALJ), the sole distributor of Toyota vehicles in the Kingdom, recently signed a contract with Ha'il Rally organizers to be the main sponsor for the event for the fifth straight year. Prince Abdullah Bin Khalid Bin Abdullah Al-Saud, Vice President of the Supreme Commission for Ha'il Development and head of the executive committee of the rally, labeled Ha'il Saudi Baja, signed the deal with Adel Ezat, ALJ's Executive Manager for 4x4 vehicles sectors, in Ha'il Rally. As per the deal, Toyota 4x4 will be the official car of the rally, which will run from Feb. 8-10. The event is being organized by Saudi Arabian Motor Federation with the support of Hail Gov. Prince Saud Bin Abdul Mohsen, President of the Supreme Commission for Ha'il Development and head of the Supreme Commission of Ha'il Rally. The prince thanked and appreciated ALJ for supporting motorsport activities in the Kingdom. “We are proud to see Toyota for the fifth year in Ha'il Rally. We urge the private sector to support such events which lead to international competitions,” he added. “H'ail rally has remained a very important event in the Kingdom's sporting calendar since its inception. This is the fifth year we are supporting Ha'il Rally and the company's focus always matches its strategy, which eye development of motor sport across the Kingdom. The company's efforts have resulted in the launch of a major development at the beginning of 2008 — Toyota Saudi Racing Programs — marking an extension of promotion of motorsport,” Ezat said. Saudi driver Saleh Al-Saleh and Mufdi Al-Shamari were recently selected to take part in the Ha'il Rally 2011. Meanwhile, officials at the federation have carried out another check to ensure that everything is in order for the event. In fact, Toyota has many programs which serve the youths. The sponsorship of ALJ for motorsport in the Kingdom has continued for more than 15 years. “ALJ wants to assure that Toyota becomes the symbol of motorsport for the youth in Saudi Arabia,” Ezat added.
