The Saudi Automobile and Motorcycle Federation (SAMF) has announced that the Al-Qassim Rally will be staged as the second round of the Saudi Desert Rally Championship, on Oct. 17th, 18th and 19th of 2019.
Another exciting event coming up for the rally fans as they will have the pleasure to enjoy a challenging three-day cross-country rally through desert terrain in the north-central region of Saudi Arabia.
The team that manages the Ha’il International Rally has taken control organizing the current Al-Qassim Rally and with the help of the Amaury Sports Organization they are hoping to bring the legendary Dakar Rally to the Kingdom for the first time in 2020. .
The Al-Qassim Rally will be based in the city of Buraidah, the capital of the Al-Qassim region, where the Dakar Rally will be hosted for the first time in January next year.
The rally headquarters will be centered around Dates City in the center of Buraidah. Buraidah is equidistant from the Red Sea to the west and the Gulf to the east and is located on the edge of Wadi Al-Rummah.
The teams will be given an invaluable insight into the type of terrain that they might face during Dakar Rally by experiencing a short opening stage with two challenging desert selective sections.
The opening stage on Thursday, Oct. 17, is a short, twisty and sandy super special of just 3.55km in Buraidah. It follows the ceremonial start from 16.10hrs.
The second Um Sidrah test gets under way from 08.00hrs on Friday, Oct. 18, and scheduled for 170kms over sandy terrain with difficult navigation and featuring large sand dunes.
The final stage concludes with the third Al-Shamasiya selective of 200km from 08.00hrs on Saturday, Oct. 19. This crosses rocky terrain, wadis and a fine balance of sandy tracks featuring difficult navigation and large dunes.
Entries for the Al-Qassim Rally are now open.
