SOUTHERN SHUNEH, Jordan, 25 April 2008 — Abir Batikhi will become the first Arab woman to compete in the world rally championship series when the Jordan Rally starts today.
The soft-spoken 38-year-old Jordanian has won several smaller racing competitions in the kingdom. But her move to compete on the world level is unusual in the Arab world.
“It’s an excellent opportunity to tell the world that Arab women have all it takes to be among big players in men’s sports,” Batikhi, who will be driving a Subaru, told the Associated Press.
In the first rally held in the Middle East, Batihki heads one of 11 Jordanian crews competing against the world’s top drivers, including defending world champion Sebastien Loeb of France.
Loeb is chasing a record-breaking 40th career win, while Finnish rivals Mikko Hirvonen and Jari-Matti Latvala are his main competitors among the 55 drivers from 27 nations. Hirvonen is second in the overall standings behind Loeb.
FIA President Max Mosley is attending the event, which ends Sunday, despite widespread concern among organizers and participants about his role in a sex scandal. The scandal has outraged many national motor bodies, but Mosley has defended his decision not to resign from FIA and hopes for a show of support at the organization’s general assembly meeting in June.
In Jordan, officials said they wanted Mosley’s presence in the country to be kept low-key to avoid domestic rebuke.
Still, Jordan feels indebted to Mosley for helping it host this year’s rally instead of Bahrain, which had also bid for the event. The Jordan Rally is the fifth of the season, and got off to a ceremonial start late yesterday against the spectacular backdrop of the Dead Sea, the lowest point on earth. Racing starts today.
Local organizers have spent three years on detailed preparations for the event to meet the requirements of FIA, the sport’s governing body. The route covers a total of 983.44 kilometers (609.73 miles), with drivers tackling 22 stages running through historic and biblical sites in the Jordan Valley. All stages except one are fully or partially below sea level.
