The Alghulah stage, driven among the sand dunes, followed the same pattern as Thursday’s tests: the road got faster with every car, meaning the leading runners posted the quickest times.
Hyundai driver Fourmaux, who leads the rally, set the pace and beat Sami Pajari by 1.8 seconds.
“There were a lot of loose stones everywhere. It wasn’t easy when the grip was changing all the time. But of course the starting position helped us,” Fourmaux said.
In the overall classification, Fourmaux’s advantage over Toyota driver Pajari grew to 7.8 seconds. The top three remain closely packed, with M-Sport Ford’s Martins Sesks 9.8 seconds behind the Frenchman.
“I tried to drive well, but it feels challenging. There are a lot of ruts in the road, so it’s difficult to know which is the fastest way to go,” Pajari reflected.
“It didn’t feel good enough. I tried to push more, but I made some small mistakes. I need to calm down a bit,” Sesks admitted.
Hyundai drivers Ott Tänak and Thierry Neuville are also within striking distance, with less than 20 seconds to the lead. Takamoto Katsuta, currently sixth, is around half a minute away from the top.
Toyota’s championship contenders Sébastien Ogier, Kalle Rovanperä and Elfyn Evans were unable to match the leading pace on Alghulah, as their starting positions left them near the front of the running order. Ogier is seventh, Rovanperä eighth and Evans ninth.
“The stage was in rough condition. There are a huge amount of loose stones on the road, even though we were the fourth car. It will be a long day,” Rovanperä commented.
Rally Saudi Arabia continues on Friday with five more special stages. The event finishes on Saturday.
Rally Saudi Arabia standings after SS9/17:
| POS | Driver | Car | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Adrien Fourmaux | Hyundai | 1:27:02.5 |
| 2. | Sami Pajari | Toyota | +7.8 |
| 3. | Martins Sesks | Ford | +9.8 |
| 4. | Ott Tänak | Hyundai | +18.0 |
| 5. | Thierry Neuville | Hyundai | +19.9 |
| 6. | Takamoto Katsuta | Toyota | +32.7 |
| 7. | Sebastien Ogier | Toyota | +56.4 |
| 8. | Kalle Rovanperä | Toyota | +1:32.9 |
| 9. | Elfyn Evans | Toyota | +1:42.9 |
| 10. | Gregoire Munster | Ford | +2:35.2 |
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
