Qatari driver Adel Hussein Abdulla (right) and his French navigator Sebastien Delaunay.
Jeddah, Saudi Arabia: Nissan’s Adel Hussein Abdulla took advantage of his experience in this year’s FIA World Cup for Cross-Country Rallies to seal a convincing victory – the biggest of his career - in the two-day Rally Jeddah that finished in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s western deserts on Friday evening.
The Nissan Patrol driver and his French navigator Sebastien Delaunay stayed out of trouble and kept to the challenging route to finish 10min 49sec in front of the experienced local driver Ibrahim Al Muhanna, also driving a Nissan. The two drivers were the class of the 31-car field, where only three cars retired but all but three teams received heavy time penalties for route violations.
“It was a very difficult and challenging rally and probably more difficult than some of the rounds of this year’s FIA World Cup,” said Qatar’s Adel Hussein Abdulla, who had support from Nissan Middle East, Nissan Qatar and the Qatar Motor and Motorcycle Federation (QMMF).
“It was never easy to see the defined tracks and it was a big ask. I am so happy to take the win with Sebastien. There was a strong entry here, with many local drivers.”
The Japanese manufacturer completely dominated the top 10 in the overall classification at Rally Jeddah. A staggering eight Nissan Patrols featured inside the final top 10, with last year’s T2 winner Monef Al Salmani finishing second behind Adel Hussein in the Series Production Cross-Country class with a fine third overall.
Saudi driver Ahmed Al Shegawi was fourth in a Nissan and Mohammed Al Saeri made sure that the Japanese brand filled the top five places. Ahmed Al Gashami, Yayha Halwa and Ahmed Mohammed Al Malki were classified in seventh, eighth and 10th overall, also in Nissans.
Abu Dhabi-based Lebanese driver Emil Khneisser and Russian co-driver Alexei Kuzmich ran their Nissan Patrol with backing from Nissan Middle East and Al Masaood Automobiles. But they were one of three retirements from the 31 cars on the start list on Thursday evening.
Twenty Nissans had lined up at the start podium at Sharm Ubhur and the same score of cars were permitted to start Friday’s 220km selective section through the Saudi desert.
Only two of those 20 cars retired, with Rajah Farhan Al Shammeri crashing his Nissan Patrol heavily and joining Khneisser on the list of retirements.
Rally Jeddah was organised by the Jeddah Government and Abdullah S. Bakhashab Establishment under the supervision of the Saudi Arabian Motor Federation (SAMF) and the patronage of HRH Prince Mishaal Bin Majid Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Governor of Jeddah and head of Rally Jeddah’s higher organising committee.
