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Toyota’s Yazeed Al-Rajhi cruises to comfortable victory at Rally Asir

Yazeed Al-Rajhi on his way to victory at the Aseer Rally in his Toyota Hilux. (Supplied)
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Updated 19 October 2022
Arab News
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Toyota’s Yazeed Al-Rajhi cruises to comfortable victory at Rally Asir

  • ‘It’s great to make such a good start to the Saudi Toyota Championship’
  • Kingdom’s driver ready for round 2 at Rally Qassim from Oct. 12-14
Updated 19 October 2022
Arab News

ABHA: Toyota Hilux driver Yazeed Al-Rajhi and his German co-driver Dirk von Zitzewitz stayed clear of trouble to clinch an emphatic victory at the Abha-based Rally Asir, round one of the 2022 Saudi Toyota Rally Championship.

The Saudi was fastest on both selective sections on Friday and Saturday and a time of 1 hour 36 minutes and 54.6 seconds for the longer of the two stages earned the Toyota man a winning margin of 26 minutes and 1.5 seconds.

Al-Rajhi said: “This was a challenging rally, not easy, but the car was perfect and Dirk did a great job with the navigation. It’s great to get back to winning ways and to make such a good start to the Saudi Toyota Championship.”

Event stewards awarded Miroslav Zapletal and his Slovakian co-driver Marek Sykora a 12-minute penalty for a timing infringement on Friday afternoon and the Czech was pushed down from second to sixth place before the final 186.73-kilometer selective section got underway. The Ford F-150 driver’s misfortune promoted Al-Saif into second place and the Can-Am driver started the day 14:44 behind Al-Rajhi.

The final day’s action was split into two sections and passed between Tareeb and Al-Qa’ah. Al-Saif and his Spanish co-driver Oriol Vidal were unable to hold on to their position and set the fourth quickest time in the Black Horse Can-Am Maverick X3. The Saudi duly finished fourth overall, sealing victory in the T3 category in the process.

Zapletal was second on the day and managed to overhaul four crews, including Al-Saif and third-placed Mohammed Al-Tuwaijri and his Peruvian co-driver Hector Garcia, to regain second position in the overall standings. Khalid Al-Feraihi and French navigator Sébastien Delaunay finished fifth.

Hamad Al-Harbi and Russian co-driver Alexey Kuzmich managed to fend off a late challenge from Dania Akeel and her Uruguayan navigator Sergio Lafuente to confirm sixth overall and second in T3 in their Al-Shegawi Racing Can-Am. Akeel was seventh, despite finishing the stage with a cracked windscreen after hitting a tree branch.

Saudi Border Guard team driver Jafar Al-Qahtani secured eighth and outright success in the T2 section for series-production cross-country vehicles. SBG teammate Haylan Al-Subaie and Ahmed Al-Shegawi were second and third in the showroom section.

Both Saeed Al-Mouri and Maha Al-Hamali failed to finish the opening stage and the duel for the T4 category win was fought out over the final morning with both drivers carrying massive time penalties from the previous day. Al-Mouri and his Jordanian co-driver Ata Al-Hmoud pipped Al-Hamali and her Spanish co-driver María de Los Angeles to the day’s stage win and snatched T4 success, courtesy of having less time penalties for missing waypoints.

Mubarak Al-Zubaidi and Abdullah Al-Sanad joined Muneef Al-Salmani on the list of retirements, as 17 crews tackled the final stage. Ibrahim bin Sahnan and Fahad Al-Maioweed withdrew during the morning.

The event was organized by the Saudi Automobile and Motorcycle Federation in conjunction with the Ministry of Sport, the Saudi Motorsport Marshals Club and the Saudi Motorsport Company, in partnership with Abdul Latif Jameel Motors Toyota.

Round two of the championship will be Rally Qassim from Oct. 12 to 14.

 

Asir Rally 2022 positions after leg 2 over 186.73 km:

 

1. Yazeed Al-Rajhi (Saudi)/Dirk von Zitzewitz (Germany) Toyota Hilux: 3:19:58.7

 

2. Miroslav Zapletal (Czech)/Marek Sykora (Slovakia) Ford F-150 Evo: 3:46:0.2

 

3. Mohammed Al-Tuwaijri (Saudi)/Hector Garcia (Peru) Nissan: 3:49:42.4

 

4. Saleh Al-Saif (Saudi)/Oriol Vidal (Spain) Can-Am Maverick X3 (T3): 3:50:6.4

 

5. Khalid Al-Feraihi (Saudi)/Sébastien Delaunay (France) Nissan: 3:55:21.7

 

6. Hamad Al-Harbi (Saudi)/Alexei Kuzmich (Russia) Can-Am Maverick X3 (T3): 4:07:45

 

7. Dania Akeel (Saudi)/Sergio Lafuente (Uruguay) Can-Am Maverick X3 (T3): 4:16:48.2

 

8. Jafar Al-Qahtani (Saudi)/Ali Al-Yami (SAU) Nissan (T2): 4:51:57.4

 

9. Haylan Al-Subaie (Saudi)/Hussam Al-Zahrani (Saudi) Nissan (T2): 4:55:50.3

 

10. Ahmed Al-Shegawi (Saudi)/Waleed Al-Shegawi (Saudi) Nissan (T2): 5:00:10.9

 

11. Abdulaziz Al-Yaeesh (Saudi)/Omar Al-Lahim (Saudi) Nissan: 5:05:23.6

 

12. Ahmed Al-Gashami (Saudi)/Nawaf Al-Enezi (Kuwait) Nissan: 5:26:18.3

 

13. Majed Al-Thunayyan (Saudi)/Fahad Al-Sufinay (Saudi) Nissan: 6:34:47.7

 

14. Saeed Al-Mouri (Saudi)/Ata Al-Hmoud (Jordan) Can-Am Maverick X3 (T4): 22:47:18

 

15. Maha Al-Hamali (Saudi)/María de Los Angeles (Spain) Can-Am Maverick X3 (T4): 24:11:56.9

Topics: Saudi Arabia sport

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Son scores 50th international goal as South Korea beat Kuwait in World Cup qualifying

Updated 14 November 2024
AP
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Son scores 50th international goal as South Korea beat Kuwait in World Cup qualifying

  • Jordan and Iraq stayed in second and third place on eight points after drawing 0-0 in Basra
  • Oman are now two points behind after defeating the Palestinian team 1-0
Updated 14 November 2024
AP

MELBOURNE: Son Heung-min scored his 50th international goal on Thursday as South Korea beat Kuwait 3-1 to take a big step toward an 11th successive World Cup appearance.
The Tottenham forward converted a penalty to make it 2-0 in the 19th minute and help South Korea earn a fourth successive win in Group B of Asia’s World Cup qualifiers to move five points clear at the top with five games to go.
Oh Se-hun headed in South Korea’s opener in the 10th minute and Son, who had just returned from a hamstring injury, extended the advantage after being fouled in the area. Mohammed Daham pulled a goal back with a spectacular strike with 30 minutes remaining but Bae Jun-ho sealed the win for the visitors.
“(Son is) such an important part of our team,” South Korea coach Hong Myung-bo said. “He just came back after being hobbled by injury.”
Jordan and Iraq stayed in second and third place on eight points after drawing 0-0 in Basra while Oman are now two points behind after defeating the Palestinian team 1-0.
In Group A, Iran defeated North Korea 3-2 in Laos to move onto 13 points, three clear of Uzbekistan which lost 3-2 at Qatar. The 2022 World Cup host stayed in fourth with seven points, level with the United Arab Emirates which defeated Kyrgyzstan 2-0.
In Group C, Australia and Saudi Arabia drew 0-0 in Melbourne and remained level on six points from five games and are joined by China, which defeated Bahrain 1-0 with an injury-time goal from Zhang Yuning. Leader Japan will move seven points clear if they can defeat Indonesia in Jakarta on Friday.
Only the top two of six in each group will qualify automatically for the 2026 World Cup. The third- and fourth-place finishers will advance to the next stage.

Topics: Son Heung-min 2026 FIFA World Cup Kuwait Qatar UAE Jordan Iraq

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McIlroy shares Dubai lead with Ballesteros mark in sight

Updated 14 November 2024
AFP
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McIlroy shares Dubai lead with Ballesteros mark in sight

  • McIlroy fired a 67 to stand on top of the leaderboard alongside Tyrrell Hatton
  • McIlroy only needs a top ten finish to secure a sixth Race to Dubai crown of his career, matching the tally of Ballesteros
Updated 14 November 2024
AFP

DUBAI: Rory McIlroy claimed a share of the first-round lead at the World Tour Championship in Dubai on Thursday as he closed in on equalling Seve Ballesteros’ mark of six European Tour Order of Merit crowns.
McIlroy fired a 67 to stand on top of the leaderboard alongside Tyrrell Hatton.
The 35-year-old McIlroy started the season-ending event in Dubai with a healthy lead over South Africa’s Thriston Lawrence who endured a nightmare day, signing for a one-over 73 which included five bogeys.
With 2,000 points on offer to the winner, McIlroy only needs a top ten finish to secure a sixth Race to Dubai crown of his career, matching the tally of Ballesteros.
Playing partners Hatton and Paul Waring, who sealed the biggest victory of his career at last week’s Abu Dhabi Championship, hit the front at four under after they each birdied the 14th hole, but the Northern Irishman followed suit shortly after.
Hatton became the first person to reach five under with a birdie at the penultimate hole, only to be matched by McIlroy’s 48-foot putt at the same hole to share the lead with Englishman.
“I thought I played well. I hit the ball pretty well. I gave myself plenty of chances, plenty of looks,” four-time major champion McIlroy said.
“I want to go on from here and win the golf tournament. I’ve opened up with a really good score, but I need to go out and play similarly over these next three days, not just to try to win the tournament, but also to try to get the job done in the Race to Dubai.
“I’m under no illusions that that was probably Thriston’s worst day. If he goes out and has three good ones, I still need to go out there and play some very solid golf.”
Hatton, 33, carded seven birdies and two dropped shots in his round.
Dubai-based Waring reached the turn in 32 before mixing a bogey and birdie on the back nine to sit alone in third at four under.
There are seven players at three under — Billy Horschel, Matt Wallace, Adam Scott, Alex Fitzpatrick, Niklas Norgaard and Japanese duo Keita Nakajima and Rikuya Hoshino.

Topics: DP World Tour Rory McIlroy Seve Ballesteros

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Jeddah Corniche Circuit to host SAL Jeddah GT Race 2024 on Nov. 29-30

Updated 14 November 2024
Arab News
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Jeddah Corniche Circuit to host SAL Jeddah GT Race 2024 on Nov. 29-30

  • SAL Jeddah GT Race 2024 consists of two main races, the Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe and the GT4 European Series
  • Some of the world’s leading drivers and manufacturers will take part in the race
Updated 14 November 2024
Arab News

JEDDAH: The Jeddah Corniche Circuit, dubbed the fastest street circuit in the world, is set to host the SAL Jeddah GT Race 2024 for the first time on Nov. 29-30.
The SAL Jeddah GT Race 2024 consists of two main races — the Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS, which lasts for six hours and covers 1,000 km with more than 40 teams participating, and the GT4 European Series powered by RAFA Racing, which is 250 km long and features more than 30 teams.
GT racing showcases car models designed for road use that have been expertly modified for high-speed endurance events, often proving to be more powerful and durable than Formula cars, according to a media statement on Thursday.
The championship is sponsored by Fanatec, a leading manufacturer of racing simulation equipment, offering a connection between real and virtual motorsports.
The race will see an array of the world’s leading drivers and manufacturers take part, such as Porsche, Aston Martin, Ferrari, Lamborghini, Mercedes, BMW, Audi and Ford.
The primary focus of GT racing is to challenge the endurance of both drivers and cars, particularly in events such as the SAL Jeddah GT Race 2024.
Teams, drivers and spectators are set to make the most of the opportunities offered by the SAL Jeddah GT 2024. Saudi Arabia will again be in the global spotlight as it becomes an important destination for international motorsport stars and racing enthusiasts, in a new championship that stands apart from other regional competitions, the media statement said.

Topics: Jeddah Corniche Circuit SAL Jeddah GT Race 2024

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UEFA investigates English ref Coote over footage of alleged drug use at Euro 2024

Updated 14 November 2024
AP
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UEFA investigates English ref Coote over footage of alleged drug use at Euro 2024

  • “A UEFA ethics and disciplinary inspector has been appointed to evaluate a potential violation of the UEFA disciplinary regulations by the referee, Mr. David Coote,” UEFA said
  • The report said the incident was filmed one day after Coote’s last match duty, the quarterfinal between France and Portugal
Updated 14 November 2024
AP

NYON: UEFA started another investigation into English match official David Coote on Thursday after a video allegedly showed him using cocaine during the European Championship.
“A UEFA ethics and disciplinary inspector has been appointed to evaluate a potential violation of the UEFA disciplinary regulations by the referee, Mr. David Coote,” UEFA said in a statement.
Coote worked as a video review specialist at Euro 2024, where match officials stayed at a hotel near Frankfurt. He was an assistant supporting the lead VAR official at eight games.
British daily The Sun published a video late Wednesday appearing to show Coote snorting the drug using an American banknote.
The report said the incident was filmed one day after Coote’s last match duty, the quarterfinal between France and Portugal. France won a penalty shootout after a 0-0 draw.
Coote was suspended on Monday by the English match referees body after a different cellphone video circulated of him making offensive comments with friends about former Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp. That body and the English FA started investigations.
UEFA already withdrew Coote from match duty for national team games this week after the first video was published.
The games he worked at Euro 2024 included host Germany’s 2-0 win over Denmark in the round of 16 that included a controversial penalty award for handball. The lead VAR official at that game, Stuart Attwell, was involved in some of the tournament’s most debated decisions.

Topics: UEFA David Coote English Premier League (EPL) Jurgen Klopp

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Sinner doping case could have been communicated more efficiently, ATP chair says

Updated 14 November 2024
AP
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Sinner doping case could have been communicated more efficiently, ATP chair says

  • A decision by an independent tribunal to clear Sinner of wrongdoing was appealed by the World Anti-Doping Agency in September
  • The Switzerland-based Court of Arbitration for Sport is expected to make a final ruling on the case early next year
Updated 14 November 2024
AP

TURIN: There “could have been better communication” in explaining the rules involved in Jannik Sinner’s doping case, ATP Tour chairman Andrea Gaudenzi acknowledged Thursday.
However, Gaudenzi said at the ATP Finals that anyone hinting that a “double standard” was applied because of top-ranked Sinner’s status is “unfair because the rules have been the same.”
Sinner is playing at home this week for the first time since it was announced before his US Open title that he tested positive for an anabolic steroid in two separate drug tests in March.
The case wasn’t made public until August.
“I learned the day before we all learned,” Gaudenzi said in his first public comments on the case. He spoke in a round-table discussion with international reporters.
“And to be honest, I’m happy about that. I really thank the ITA (International Testing Agency) and our representatives there for intentionally keeping me and our entire team in the dark because that’s how it should be.
“It should be completely independent and that was agreed by the (parties). It was a shock, but obviously comforted by the evidence afterward.”
A decision by an independent tribunal to clear Sinner of wrongdoing was appealed by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) in September and the Switzerland-based Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) is expected to make a final ruling on the case early next year.
Sinner’s explanation was that the banned performance-enhancer entered his system unintentionally through a massage from his physiotherapist, who used a spray containing the steroid to treat his own cut finger.
WADA is seeking a ban of one to two years for Sinner.
“We are completely external and it’s (an) independent process,” Gaudenzi said. “I generally think has been a fair process. It was really done by the book and by the rules. Maybe there could have been better communication in explaining those rules, and that is something that I would urge every party involved to work better in the next time.”
ATP Finals future will be revealed
Gaudenzi said he plans to announce on Sunday the future host of the ATP Finals. The contract with Turin expires next year and there is an option to move the event to nearby Milan at a bigger arena being built for the 2026 Milan-Cortina Olympics.

Topics: Jannik Sinner ATP World Tour Andrea Gaudenzi doping

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