JEDDAH, 25 January — Three rally drivers have been selected to join the Toyota Middle East Team. They are Sultan Himdy, Mijid Alghamdy and Amro Shas Hasanain. Incidentally, Hasanain has been a successful goalkeeper of Al-Ittihad football team of Jeddah for several years.
The local Rally and Safety School, headed by Saudi rally champion Abdullah Bakhashab, did the selection after grueling tests of contenders.
The three new drivers will receive advance training before they take part in the next season’s Toyota Rally Cup race.
On screening 12,000 applications received, only 400 were found proper. They were interviewed and their number brought down to 100.
"The high number of applicants shows how popular motor sports is becoming in the Kingdom. Fact that over 12,000 youngsters applied for the chance to become rally drivers shows the keen interest they have in this rapidly growing sport in this part of the world," Bakhashab said. "But unfortunately, we could only settle for three drivers and three navigators," he added.
Some 120 accepted applicants were tested extensively before the finalists were chosen. From among the 15 finalists, three drivers and three navigators were eventually chosen with the expertise of the English Rally School, represented by Howard Patterson and Simon Nutter.
Patterson has trained some of the most successful rally drivers in the world, including rally champion Richard Burns. Patterson expressed his amazement at high levels of skill and maturity among Saudi drivers, adding: "The 15 finalists were as good as any candidates I’ve seen anywhere in the world. Anyone of them could have been chosen."
Bakhashab, seen as a great inspirer in the rally world for young enthusiasts, especially in this part of the world, expressed his happiness for seeing his dream of starting a rally school in Jeddah become a reality. "All the applicants benefited in a big way from professional training and instruction they received. I’m sure some of them will go on to become rally drivers on their own. I saw the enthusiasm in their eyes. I’m also sure that all of them will become model drivers in this society and are bound to have a lot of positive effect on the way people drive in this country," he added.
