Taif revs up for Saudi Toyota 2023 Championship finale

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Taif will host the finale of the Saudi Toyota 2023 Hill Climb Championship from Sept. 8-9. (Supplied)
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Taif will host the finale of the Saudi Toyota 2023 Hill Climb Championship from Sept. 8-9. (Supplied)
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Taif will host the finale of the Saudi Toyota 2023 Hill Climb Championship from Sept. 8-9. (Supplied)
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Updated 07 September 2023
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Taif revs up for Saudi Toyota 2023 Championship finale

  • Challenging 4.2 km track to test more than 140 leading drivers, including 8 female contestants
  • Moving into the final two days of competition, Jean Lahoud leads the overall standings with 43 points, followed by Fadi Hamadeh with 40 points

RIYADH: The Saudi city of Taif will host the finale of the Saudi Toyota 2023 Hill Climb Championship on Sept. 8-9.

More than 140 elite drivers, including eight female contestants, will compete in the final round of competition, which marks the governorate’s racing debut at Al-Mohammadia Hill in Shifa.

A challenging 4.2 km track with 30 hairpin turns will test drivers to their limit.

Results of the final round will decide the champion in each racing category as well as the overall winner. The finale will also feature an extended track and higher speeds than the previous two rounds.

Moving into the final two days of competition, Jean Lahoud leads the overall standings with 43 points, followed by Fadi Hamadeh with 40 points and Rabih Muayad Al-Aour with 28 points.

In the category standings, Abdulaziz Majid Al-Fadhli leads the G1 division, trailed by Sultan Saeed Abu Nabe and Walid Zaki Mahmoud. In the G2 class, Ali Mohammed Al-Khudeir leads, with Hisham Badei Al-Badei and Sultan Jalal Al-Din Hamdi in pursuit.

The front-runner in the G3 category is Mubarak Ali Al-Zubaidi, followed by Abdulaziz Al-Rumaih and Nawaf Bandar Baouzir. In the G4 class, Rabih Muayad Al-Aour claims top spot, closely followed by Sultan Thamer Kaylou and Mohammad Al-Shouraian.

Jean Lahoud maintains his lead in the G5 category, ahead of Ahmed Jamal Abdulhadi and Faisal Sufian Al-Qubani. Meanwhile, Fadi Youssef Hamadeh spearheads the G6 group, followed by Zakaria Sulwan and Saeed Zaki Al-Mouri.

This year’s medalists will receive substantial prizes, including a GR 86 MT car for the first-place winner and a SR50,000 ($13,000) in cash prizes distributed among the top performers in each category.

The championship, one of the leading events on the Saudi motorsports calendar, is organized by the Saudi Arabian Motor Federation in collaboration with the Ministry of Sports and the Taif governorate.

Abdul Latif Jameel Company as the event’s official partner and the Saudi Investment Bank is its strategic partner.


Mbappé equals ‘idol’ Ronaldo with his record 59th goal in a year for Real Madrid

Updated 21 December 2025
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Mbappé equals ‘idol’ Ronaldo with his record 59th goal in a year for Real Madrid

  • “It’s incredible, in my first (full) year to do what Cristiano did. (He’s) my idol, the best player in the history of Real Madrid,” Mbappé said

BARCELONA, Spain: Kylian Mbappé scored his 59th goal for Real Madrid in 2025 on Saturday to equal the club record for the most in a year held by Cristiano Ronaldo.
The milestone was about to escape the France striker until he converted a penalty kick with four minutes left to complete a 2-0 win over 10-man Sevilla in Madrid’s final game of the year.
Mbappé matched Ronaldo’s tally from 2013 on his 27th birthday. After embracing his teammates, he marked the feat with a subdued version of Ronaldo’s trademark goal celebration — whereby the Portugal forward leaps up and thrusts his arms downwards upon landing — before blowing a kiss at the television cameras.
The former Paris Saint-Germain star, who joined Madrid in the summer of 2024, has scored 29 times for Madrid this season, including a league-leading 18.
“It’s incredible, in my first (full) year to do what Cristiano did. (He’s) my idol, the best player in the history of Real Madrid,” Mbappé said.
“My celebration is for him. I wanted to do that because he helped me adapt here and now I can help Madrid win games with my goals. I wanted to share it with him. I have a really good relationship with him, he is my friend, and I wish him and all Madrid fans a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.”
Jude Bellingham scored with a header in the 38th minute and Sevilla lost defender Marcao to a second booking for rash tackles with 20 minutes left.
Sevilla coach Matías Almeyda also was expelled by the referee during the halftime break apparently for protesting.
Alonso has been under pressure for several weeks due to a run of bad results and the overall lackluster play of his star-studded side. Spanish sports media is rife with speculation the first-year coach could be replaced.
Now Madrid club president Florentino Pérez will have two weeks to ponder the team’s future before its next game against Real Betis on Jan. 4.
Alonso could have ill afforded another slip at the Santiago Bernabeu after his side lost its previous two games. But Madrid’s fans still had reason to grumble after Sevilla repeatedly created scoring chances — even after being reduced to 10 men.
Alexis Sánchez, still spry at age 37, and right back Juanlu Sánchez stood out the most for a Sevilla side that poked holes in Madrid’s defense.
Madrid needed Thibaut Courtois to deny Alexis, Isaac Romero and Alfonso González on four strikes in the second half. But Sevilla could have gone ahead if it had just showed more finishing touch early on.
The result was still in doubt until Mbappé converted his spot kick after Juanlu fouled Rodrygo in the area.
Madrid is in second place at one point behind Barcelona before the leader visits third-placed Villarreal on Sunday.