Saudi Arabia will host a round of the WRC for the first time, with a total of 41 crews set to take part in the historic event.
After a five-month break, the top category will feature 12 entries. Toyota fields five cars, M-Sport Ford four, and Hyundai three. The last time there were as many Rally1 cars on the start line was at the Acropolis Rally in Greece in late June.
Toyota drivers Elfyn Evans, Sébastien Ogier and Kalle Rovanperä are all still in contention for this year’s title. Takamoto Katsuta and Sami Pajari will also represent Toyota in Saudi Arabia.
Hyundai brings its familiar trio of Ott Tänak, Thierry Neuville and Adrien Fourmaux. M-Sport Ford, meanwhile, lines up with four crews, as Grégoire Munster and Josh McErlean are joined by Latvia’s Martins Sesks and Qatari desert-rally specialist Nasser Al-Attiyah.
The WRC2 bronze medal will also be decided in Saudi Arabia. Champion Oliver Solberg will take part in the new event, while Roope Korhonen, Robert Virves, Gus Greensmith, Nikolay Gryazin and Jan Solans will battle for the remaining podium spot.
Rally Saudi Arabia will be held from 26–29 November, with the Red Sea city of Jeddah serving as the event’s base.
The rally will mark Kalle Rovanperä’s farewell to the World Rally Championship. The Finnish driver will switch to circuit racing next year to compete in Japan’s Super Formula series.
The penultimate round of the WRC season takes place next weekend in Japan.
