Saudi Arabia is hosting a World Rally Championship event for the very first time. Last year, the country signed a ten-year agreement with the championship’s promoter – despite having virtually no rallying tradition.
The deal sparked heavy criticism. Saudi Arabia’s sportswashing has been widely discussed in recent years, and the multi-million-euro agreement with the WRC was seen as another show of financial power.
Teams and drivers have nevertheless had to be cautious with their words. Too much criticism could be interpreted by the FIA as damaging the reputation of the sport – potentially resulting in a fine.
New roads have been carved into the desert areas surrounding the city of Jeddah for the debut event. Conditions are harsh, and plenty of drama is expected during the rally.
The stakes are high in Saudi Arabia, with three Toyota drivers still fighting for the title. Elfyn Evans holds a three-point lead over Sebastien Ogier, while Kalle Rovanperä is 24 points behind the top spot.
Of the trio, Ogier has been the most vocal in saying that the title should be decided somewhere other than Saudi Arabia, where the rally could easily turn into a tyre lottery.
Rovanperä believes it will be one of the toughest rallies of the year. After such a long season, it is fair to ask whether it makes any sense to battle for the championship in this particular round.
“Basically the stages are man made in the middle of the stones, just ploughed through by tractors. So there will be a lot of loose stones everywhere, and with each car they can move in any direction. You will definitely need some luck on your side this weekend,” Rovanperä explained.
“The pace is important here, like in every rally, but avoiding punctures and other problems is just as crucial. I will just try to keep the car, the brakes and the tyres in one peace – if there are no issues, you can have a good weekend here. It’s not about pure speed, because you need more luck than in other rough gravel rallies. Nowhere else have we seen this many loose stones,” the two-time world champion told RallyJournal.com.
According to Rovanperä, writing pace notes for the new roads was anything but easy. In the rally, any corner may present an unpleasant surprise.
“The roads are not natural, so in many places they do not make sense. Some corners look completely different from what they actually are. And this rally is far too slow for my liking.”
Rovanperä will nonetheless try to enjoy what is – for now – his final WRC rally. The Finnish star will leave the special stages behind after Rally Saudi Arabia and move to circuit racing next season.
But he still wants the best possible end to his rally career this week. He still has a chance of becoming champion – but for his third title, he would also need his team-mates Evans and Ogier to suffer misfortune.
“It’s not gonna come only by our good results. So this is the situation now. And we will see on Saturday evening how it goes,” Rovanperä summed up.
Rally Saudi Arabia begins on Wednesday evening with a short spectator stage.
