The Ha’il Nissan International Rally, Saudi Arabia’s premier motor sporting event, gets underway at the Maghwat conference centre on the outskirts of Ha’il today afternoon. The ceremonial start will be followed by a brand new 7.8km super special stage, starting at 16.05hrs, at a challenging new location near the city.
The Saudi Arabian Motor Federation (SAMF) has attracted a bumper entry of 47 cars for the five-day event, which will then take place over four selective sections in the An Nafud desert to the north and west of Ha’il between Friday and Monday.  
Yazeed al-Rajhi starts as the clear favourite to win the event in the car category for a record fifth time. Al-Rajhi won in Ha’il in 2009, 2010, 2012 and 2015 and will be hoping to take the Hummer to a third win.
“This is my home event and one that is special in my heart and one I always look forward to taking part in,” said al-Rajhi.
The event also sees the return to rallying action of the former FIA Middle East Rally Championship regular Hassan al-Sadadi.
Qatar’s Sheikh Hamed bin Eid al-Thani, the 1993 FIA Middle East rally champion and regular FIA World Cup competitor, will be taking part in his Nissan Patrol, running alongside Jordanian navigator Fares Aloueh. There is also an entry for the all-Kuwaiti crew of Salem and Fares al-Dhafiri in a Nissan Patrol.
Three entries grace the T3 category. Former quad category winner Atif al-Zarouni of the UAE drives a Rage, Saudi’s Rakan Yousef al-Salloum is entered in a Polaris and there is a third car for the UAE duo of Khalid al-Jaflah and Ahmed Malik.
The remainder of the impressive four-wheel field is dominated by Saudi drivers in a large number of Nissans and Toyotas. There are also categories for motorcycles and quads.
The rally is being staged under the patronage of  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.