Toyota’s driver Yazeed Al Rahji of Saudi Arabia today won T1 of the 32nd edition of The Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge, sponsored by the Abu Dhabi Sports Council.
started with weather drama in the form of fog, which delayed the start by two hours. After the stage, the stewards declared that an infraction by Red Bull Can-Am Factory’s Cristina Gutierrez Herrero, whose car was fitted with an illegally wide air restrictor, meant that she incurred a time penalty of 24 hours per stage, while South Racing Can-Am’s Dania Akeel also had an illegal restrictor fitted and was disqualified from the event. At the end of the final stage,
In T1 , Yazeed Al Rajhi started the final stage 10’27” ahead of Martin Prokop in the overall standings, and went on to win the overall race, bringing Toyota its third crown here after wins in 2016 and 2021.
French Adrien Van Beveren dominated the later stages of the race to take the RallyGP category win, his second since joining Honda, despite only taking fifth place in Abu Dhabi Aviation Stage 5. Luciano Benavides took second overall and Toby Price was third.
Emirates Motor Sports Organisation (EMSO) President, Khalid Ben Sulayem, commented: “The second world championship edition of the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge (ADDC) has been a thrilling journey for everyone concerned, Whether you were here as a competitor, as part of the organisation, or as a spectator, the 2023 edition of the ADDC will remain in our memories for a long time. The combination of skill, action, drama, bravery, and good sporting spirit has marked this year out as an important one in the growth and global awareness of this phenomenal event.”
