HAIL: Saudi rally driver Abdullah Bakhashab and French co-driver Sebastien Delanuay stormed to a commanding victory at the second and final stage of the Legends Rally in Hail on Saturday driving their Toyota Hilux.
Bakhashab set the pace from the start, recording an impressive time of 04h.40m.10s. Their dominant performance saw them set the fastest time on each stage, underlining their control of both first and second round.
Despite Bakhashab's dramatic victory, it was Prince Khalid bin Sultan Al-Faisal who captured the headlines after he suffered a vehicle rollover accident just before the end of the second stage, but he overcame the rollover and continued until the end.
His unfortunate accident brought him and his co-driver Pablo Moreno of Spain to fourth place with a time of 05h.48m.24s.
Second place overall went to Essa Al-Dosari with a time of 05h.30m.53s, while third place was secured by veteran Saudi rally driver Ahmed Al-Sabban with a time of 05h.45m.05s.
During the press conference held after the race, Bakhashab expressed his happiness at winning the Legends category title which is part of this year's edition of Hail Toyota International Rally. He also indicated that he did not expect to win, especially after his absence from rallying for 15 years.
"I was following a strategy of taking my time so that I could pass Prince Khaled and the rest of my colleagues, and thank God I succeeded and was able to arrive first and win the title," he said.
Prince Khalid bin Sultan congratulated Bakhashab, saying: “Abdullah was able to win the challenge with his experience, and this is not strange for him as a champion with titles and achievements.”
On the accident that he met, Prince Khalid said, “Thank God we came out of this race safely, and I promise you that we will be crowned in the next rally. The challenge is still on with Bakhashab and the other competitors.”
Other participants in the race expressed their great happiness to participate in the special event.
