Nissan dominates Hail Nissan International Rally 2018
Nissan cars dominated last week’s Hail Nissan International Rally 2018, held under the patronage of Prince Abdul Aziz bin Saad bin Abdul Aziz Al-Saud, governor of Hail.
Race winner Essa Al-Doussary, Nissan Saudi Arabia’s official driver, gave an unforgettable performance in his Nissan Navara at the most important motorsports event in the Kingdom.
The second stage of this year’s rally was the longest in its 13-year history, at 354 kilometers. Although Al-Doussary faced some challenges, he exerted extraordinary efforts, winning by a margin of 8 minutes and 42 seconds at the conclusion of the rally’s 168.57-kilometer final stage.
Nissan drivers claimed the top 11 places. Second was Sami Al-Shammari in his Nissan Patrol Pickup, third was Ahmed Al-Shuahil, Muteb Al-Qnoon was fourth, Ahmed Al-Shaqawi came fifth, and Muneef Al-Salmani claimed sixth place, with a time of 10 hours and 13 minutes in his Nissan Patrol Y62.
Al-Doussary said: “This is my first time participating in the Hail Rally and I hope it is the first of many more. It was such a great experience. Being able to drive one of Nissan’s super cars, the Navara, made me very happy. It was a magnificent car. I only gave it maximum output on the final stage, during which I was challenged by the navigation systems, which delayed me a bit.”
Al-Salmani commented: “The Hail Nissan Rally is a great opportunity for aspiring Saudi drivers. I am very happy to have been part of it, and I’m very impressed by the strong performance of the Nissan Y62, so I’d like to thank Nissan for supporting me and supporting the Hail drivers.”
COO of Nissan Saudi Arabia Bader Al-Houssami said: “Hail Nissan Rally has proved itself a solid motorsport platform in Saudi Arabia and we’re proud to be the title sponsor. Hail Rally is a great platform to create champions, improve tourism, and convey the safe driving message across the Kingdom. We are very proud of this year’s results, proud of our drivers growing more skillful, and we look forward to improving more in the future.”
He added: “We will continue to support Saudi drivers, Hail Festival and the Hail Nissan Rally. We also look forward to the Hail Nissan Rally being included in the FIA cross-country rally championship calendar soon.”