By Sports Reporter/Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

The Riyadh-based driver heads a provisional starting list of 38 cars, one truck, and eight bikes and quads, for two days of off-road action in the deserts around Wadi al-Khariq.

Al-Rajhi has an impressive pedigree in cross-country rallies in his native Saudi Arabia and is the clear favourite to win the inaugural event. He has triumphed three times in the last five years in the Ha’il Rally and was comfortably on course for a fourth win last season until he crashed and injured his back on a sand dune. French navigator Alex Winocq will partner the Saudi again.

While al-Rajhi is likely to set the pace in his powerful Hummer, the T2 category should be hotly contested. Emirati veteran Yayha al-Helai tops the entrants in his Nissan Patrol and Saudi’s Ahmed al-Sabban will be hoping that his new Ford Raptor is competitive on its first event, despite the lack of development or any real time to test the Saluki Motorsport-prepared car beforehand.

Sultan Hamdi and Sami al-Shammeri wheel out a pair of Bakhashab Saudi Isuzu Team D-Max models, while Yaser al-Saedan will be hoping for success in his Toyota Land Cruiser. Egyptian Mohammed El-Antabi also drives a D-Max and there are further T2 entries for the likes of Saudi’s Tariq Saleh al-Rammah, Issa al-Dossari, Yahia Halawi and Nayyaf al-Shibani.

Further resistance for Al-Rajhi in the T1 category should come from Ahmed al-Shegawi, Moteb al-Shammeri, Saleh Said al-Hoot, Qatar’s Mohamed al-Mannai and a trio of Toyotas driven by Owaid Mansi al-Shammeri, Farhan al-Ghalib al-Shammeri and Nawaf Aseran.

Eight bikes and quads will start the inaugural Rally Jeddah. The experienced Emirati quad rider Atif al-Zarouni leads the way on his Honda.

Six Saudi riders, including Nadir Khayat, Abdullah Ghazi al-Shoaby and Hamad al-Hdayan, and Egyptian rider Rakan Al-Sallum offer the competition.

Saudi Turky al-Sudairy and his French co-driver Samir Bin Bakhti have entered a solitary MAN truck in the T4 category and Saleh al-Sallum will wheel out a Polaris in T3.

Today, competitors will cross the start ramp from 15.30hrs and head directly into a short three-kilometre prologue stage before returning to the overnight halt for a service stop at the Jeddah beach resort of Durrah.

The first 138km opening selective section takes place tomorrow. After a morning service in Durrah, crews head to Al-Buraikat for the 11.15hrs start of a timed section that finishes near Buraukah.

A second 139km selective through the remote deserts in the Jeddah region starts at 12.25hrs and again finishes at Buraukah and precedes the finish celebrations in Obhur from 19.20hrs.