HAIL: Crossing the finish line first is of course the primary goal of any racing driver, but for rally driver Annett Quandt from Germany and her co-driver Annie Seel from Sweden, it is also a time to learn about new cultures.
The pair, who are competing in the Hail International Rally in northeastern Saudi Arabia, told Arab News ahead of the start of the three-day event on Thursday that they were delighted to once again have a chance to enjoy the rich culture of the Kingdom.
“This country is the best in the world for off-road racing; the scenery, terrains and mountains are amazing,” said Quandt, who made her competitive Dakar Rally debut in 2019, and the following year was the only woman to compete in the first Dakar Rally held in Saudi Arabia.
She added that although her main aim when she competes around the world is to win, she also likes to take the opportunity to learn about other nations and cultures.
“Since I started coming to Saudi Arabia for the Dakar Rally competition, I have really enjoy being here and have learned a lot about Saudi Arabia’s culture,” she said.
“What I noticed is it’s completely different from what we heard back home about this country. Saudis are very nice and friendly and wherever we go they host us and treat us so nicely.
“I am deeply touched by the hospitality and warmth of the people here. At the same time, I truly love the natural beauty within the country,”
Quandt, a trained sport physio who has been working for X-Raid since 2012, said she feels a duty to set the record straight about Saudi Arabia when she goes back home.
Speaking about her chances in the competition this year with co-driver Seel, Quandt said: “We’ll be trying our hardest again. Annie and I both know our strengths and weaknesses and we bring out the best in each other.
“The T3 category is an incredibly competitive class so if we could finish in a similar position to where we were when we went out last year we’d be happy.” Last year they finished 29th in the Challenger classification of the X-Raid 1000R Turbo.
Seel, meanwhile, is very familiar with the Kingdom, having been busy co-driving and coaching in the burgeoning Saudi women’s off-road racing scene.
“To come here and participate in rallies held in Saudi Arabia is always an experience and we are enjoying the competition and the Saudi culture,” she said.
“The past two years, I’ve been racing in the Saudi Off-Road Championship and there’s a lot of Saudi ladies competing, some of whom will eventually be entering the Dakar. I won a female-only (event) called Rally Jameel and there were over 40 crews on the start line. It’s getting really big over there.”
As for her chances in the Hail Rally, she said: “It’s not only the driving and navigation but also the mechanical stuff we do. But we feel confident that the two of us together have all the skills needed to take on whatever is thrown at us. We are both real fighters.”
On the opening day of racing on Thursday, the X-Raid Yamaha-supported duo finished in 10th place in the Prologue, and they were in 16th place in the X-raid 1000R Turbo category on Friday after the first day of the Hail International Rally.
Yazeed Al-Rajhi and Timo Gottschalk took the overall lead on Friday after recording a time of 2 hours 45 minutes and 58 seconds on the demanding 302-kilometer opening stage.
The Toyota Hilux driver finished 4:10 quicker than his Overdrive Racing teammates Rokas Baciuska and Oriol Vidal. Portugal’s Joao Ferreira and Filipe Palmeiro were third-quickest, a further 1:57 adrift, in their X-Raid Mini John Cooper Works Rally Plus.
“In some places the navigation was difficult but everything was going well for us. That’s the most important and we are in the lead,” Al-Rajhi said.
Argentina’s Juan Cruz Yacopini guided the third of the Overdrive Toyotas to fourth place overall in the event, which is hosted by the Saudi Automobile and Motorcycle Federation and serves as the opening round of the FIA World and Middle East Baja Cups.
Saudi driver Dania Akeel started the stage well down the running order after delays on the Prologue, but she climbed to ninth place on her first true desert stage in an Overdrive Racing Toyota Hilux.
On Saturday, the competitors will tackle a shorter, 164-kilometer second stage.
Hail Rally offers more than just a chance to compete for drivers Annett Quandt and Annie Seel
https://arab.news/zc9n4
Hail Rally offers more than just a chance to compete for drivers Annett Quandt and Annie Seel
- Saudi Arabia is ‘completely different from what we heard back home about this country; Saudis are very nice and friendly and … they host us and treat us so nicely,’ Quandt says
- Yazeed Al-Rajhi, Timo Gottschalk take the overall lead on Friday after the opening stage; Overdrive Racing teammates Rokas Baciuska and Oriol Vidal come in second
Lategan leads the Dakar, champion Al-Rajhi withdraws
- Lategan, last year’s overall runner-up, took his fifth career stage win and led Qatar’s Nasser Al-Attiyah by three minutes and 55 seconds
ALULA, Saudi Arabia: Saudi Arabia’s Dakar Rally champion Yazeed Al-Rajhi declared an end to his title defense and withdrew on Wednesday as South African Henk Lategan dominated the fourth stage for Toyota and took over at the top.
Al-Rajhi had been struggling from the start in his customer entry Toyota Hilux, and was already 19th when he withdrew with technical issues 234km into the 452km part of a two-day marathon stage around AlUla.
“Sadly, our Dakar 2026 journey ends here,” he posted on Facebook. “We’ll come back stronger next year.”
The Saudi explained later that he had lost half an hour with two punctures and, with nearly half the stage remaining until the bivouac and having to go slow with no further spare available, had called it a day.
It ended a difficult year for the Saudi since he won last year, with Al-Rajhi crashing in Jordan last April and breaking two vertebrae. He returned to competition only in September.
Lategan, last year’s overall runner-up, took his fifth career stage win and led Qatar’s Nasser Al-Attiyah by three minutes and 55 seconds.
“Yesterday, we had a total of nine punctures. It’s unbelievable. I think that’s a record in three days. I was lost,” the factory Toyota driver said, his happiness tempered by missing his son’s sixth birthday.
“I didn’t know what to do on the rocks, whether to slow down or not, attack or not. Today I decided to forget all that and just go for it. It’s a lottery anyway.”
Al-Attiyah, a five-times Dakar winner now with the Dacia Sandriders team, was second in the stage — more than seven minutes behind Lategan — to move up from 10th overnight.
“We did a good job, we’re here, and I think we didn’t lose too much time. It might even be good for our start position tomorrow,” he said.
“We didn’t need to push any harder; we’re still some way back. The car is in good condition and we’re happy.”
Ford’s Mattias Ekstrom was in third place overall with teammate and four-time Dakar winner Carlos Sainz fourth and nearly 16 minutes off the lead.
Ford’s overnight leader Mitch Guthrie of the US dropped to 13th.
In the motorcycle category, Spaniard Tosha Schareina took the lead for Honda from Australia’s defending champion Daniel Sanders, who dropped to third on his KTM. American Ricky Brabec was second.
Schareina and Brabec finished the stage in a Honda one-two-three with American Skyler Howes third and Sanders fifth.
“I made some silly mistakes in the navigation. After the refuel, I tried to push and make up time,” said Sanders.
“I felt better in the last half. The bike’s okay. There was a lot of rocks. I tried to protect my tires. We’ll see what happens tomorrow.”
