We all know it’s based mostly in Jeddah and we all know it’s taking us to the moon and again, however what’s this yr’s inaugural World Rally Championship-qualifying Rally Saudi Arabia really going to be like?
The lunar reference is, clearly, speaking in regards to the Moon Stage which runs twice on Thursday’s first full day of motion – following a Wednesday night superspecial in Jeddah. Jérôme Roussel is aware of the 200-mile route intimately and presents himself as the best tour information to the November 26-29 occasion.
A route overview
“I feel the most important factor this route will convey is a very new panorama for the WRC. The magic of WRC is to be on a number of terrains. And it will convey one thing new. If it could be one other clean gravel occasion within the forest, typically, truthfully, if you watch TV, it’s arduous for a rally on comparable terrain to distinguish itself.
“This can be a rally which brings a route which, by way of problem and roughness, is much like Greece – however there’s actual range by way of levels. For instance, we’re going via the mountains and there’s the Moon Stage. For me, that is one thing which doesn’t exist within the WRC now – it’s a street which might turn into as iconic as Giulio Cesare and El Condor in Argentina. That is already going to convey one thing particular to the championship.
“This route is just not one thing new; Abdullah [Bakhashab, event director] has been engaged on this mission for a very long time. I bear in mind him exhibiting me a route, for the primary time, on Google Maps in 2021. He has a lot expertise in WRC and a lot enthusiasm for this route.
Extra on the mountains
“I feel one factor we will be pretty certain for, is there is not going to be any snow! The mountains mark the beginning of the desert, it’s with out lots of vegetation and actually arid. Coming from the mountains into the desert we could have some totally different points for the WRC. As a substitute of a very outlined street on the route, we could have a system of flags – just a little bit like snowboarding the place it’s important to go between the flags. I feel now we have seen this earlier than, perhaps in Jordan, however not for some time within the WRC.
