JEDDAH, 1 February 2005 — The first ever AutoSolo event in Saudi Arabia is on! Over Feb. 3 and 4, competitors will pit themselves against the clock, stretching their driving skills to the limit under the rules of international motorsport.
AutoSolo is a new event combining elements of Autotest and Sprint, both of which are regulated globally by motorsport’s governing body, the International Automobile Federation (FIA).
For the new event, a complete set of regulations has been authored inside the Kingdom that tailors the standard FIA rules to the specific requirements of the Saudi Arabia.
The event has attracted entries from drivers of cars ranging from BMW MINI and Toyota Camry to Chevrolet Corvette and Porsche. The event will take place on a specially prepared track located to the airport side of the Jeddah International Exhibition Centre close to the Madina Road and Herra St junction.
Originally planned for Jan. 26-30, the AutoSolo was rescheduled by one week because of flooding following the heavy rain which made the driving surface temporarily unusable. The decision to reschedule was taken only after extensive consultation with competitors.
“As late as Tuesday, almost 25 percent of the track was under water and since this is a speed and precision driving event we could not risk having any debris on the track for safety reasons” said Ian Bennett, Director of Operations for ACE Automotive Projects, organizer of the event.
With tight turns and narrow lanes, the Autotest sections are an extreme test of driver skill while the Sprint sections allow the true performance of modern cars to be exploited to the full. The result is an exciting event with tire screaming handbrake turns, close driving, high revving engines and fast acceleration in the Sprint legs.
In Europe, AutoSolo has been the learning ground for many film stunt drivers, rally drivers and other motor sports. For the Jeddah event, which is being organized under the aegisl of the Department of Tourism & Education, Jeddah Municipality, there are numerous classes ranging from small hatch through sedan to hot sports cars. Safety equipment including homologated safety helmets will be provided but all competitors must be holders of a valid driver’s license and complete the scrutineering process at the time of signing on.
Open to all members of the public with the appropriate documentation, registration is from 2 p.m. on Thursday. Full information is available on the web site at www.aceautoprojects.com Drivers competing in the AutoSolo event will be invited to register for a series of further events planned throughout the season, leading to Grand Finals at the Autolympics in December.
The Jeddah AutoSolo event is open to the public with free admission for spectators. Timed runs commence at 5 p.m. on both Thursday and Friday with presentation of prizes and awards
