The Al Faisaliyah stage, driven for the first time, showed that a rear starting position on these desert roads can offer a significant advantage. Toyota driver Pajari started eighth on the road and delivered an impressive second-fastest time.
The fastest man was Latvia’s Martins Sesks, who set off 11th in the running order. Driving the M-Sport Ford Puma Rally1, Sesks beat Pajari by 0.3 seconds to grab his third career stage win.
“Crazy! I think the last stage win was in Latvia, so it seems that we are not fast only in Latvia,” Sesks said.
Sesks also moved into the overall lead of Rally Saudi Arabia ahead of Toyota’s Sébastien Ogier. Pajari holds third place, 1.3 seconds off the lead.
Among the WRC front-runners, Ogier was in a class of his own, setting the third-fastest time on Al Faisaliyah. The Frenchman predicted that more drama could follow on the next two stages of the loop.
“This one is a smooth one and you could push. I had a big jump at the start, I was quite committed,” Ogier said.
The competition remains close at the top. Adrien Fourmaux sits fourth, Thierry Neuville fifth, Ott Tänak sixth and Kalle Rovanperä seventh. The top seven are all covered by less than seven seconds.
Championship leader Elfyn Evans suffered from being first on the road. He lost a full 14.4 seconds to Sesks and dropped to ninth place.
The opening Friday stage also produced the first puncture in the top category. M-Sport Ford’s Josh McErlean was forced to stop for a tyre change and lost around two and a half minutes.
Six more stages remain on Thursday in Saudi Arabia. The rally will finish on Saturday.
Rally Saudi Arabia standings after SS2/17:
| POS | Driver | Car | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Martins Sesks | Ford | 14:33.5 |
| 2. | Sebastien Ogier | Toyota | +1.2 |
| 3. | Sami Pajari | Toyota | +1.3 |
| 4. | Adrien Fourmaux | Hyundai | +3.0 |
| 5. | Thierry Neuville | Hyundai | +3.4 |
| 6. | Ott Tänak | Hyundai | +5.9 |
| 7. | Kalle Rovanperä | Toyota | +6.8 |
| 8. | Takamoto Katsuta | Toyota | +9.2 |
| 9. | Elfyn Evans | Toyota | +14.9 |
| 10. | Nasser Al-Attiyah | Ford | +23.7 |
| 11. | Gregoire Munster | Ford | +26.4 |
Rally Saudi Arabia itinerary (CET):
Wednesday 26 November
09:01 Shakedown: Thahban (4.56 km)
18:35 SS1: Jameel Motorsport Super Special 1 (5.22 km)
Thursday 27 November
06:08 SS2: Al Faisaliyah 1 (19.36 km)
07:06 SS3: Moon Stage 1 (20.12 km)
08:04 SS4: Khulais 1 (11.33 km)
10:14 Service (40 min)
12:22 SS5: Al Faisaliyah 2 (19.36 km)
13:20 SS6: Moon Stage 2 (20.12 km)
14:18 SS7: Khulais 2 (11.33 km)
17:28 Service (45 min)
18:31 SS8: Jameel Motorsport Super Special 2 (5.22 km)
Friday 28 November
06:26 SS9: Alghulah 1 (11.69 km)
07:19 SS10: Um Al Jerem 1 (30.58 km)
08:35 SS11: Wadi Almatwi 1 (24.90 km)
10:15 Service (40 min)
11:51 SS12: Alghulah 2 (11.69 km)
12:47 SS13: Um Al Jerem 2 (30.58 km)
14:05 SS14: Wadi Almatwi 2 (24.90 km)
Saturday 29 November
07:05 SS15: Thahban 1 (16.29 km)
08:21 SS16: Asfan (33.28 km)
11:15 SS17: Thahban 2 (16.29 km) *Power Stage
