With the benefit of hindsight, the Prado was probably not the ideal choice for towing a three and a half ton load 1700km. But it was either that or the Patrol, which is now in its 18th year and clearly past its prime. Even with its supercharger, we struggled to top 120kph on the flat, and any sort of incline or headwind knocked us back to around 90. But after the long haul up from Dubai to Riyadh, we reached the Al Janadriah Hotel in Hail at around 2.30pm Sunday, and had time to visit rally control and complete some of the formalities.
Most of the UAE entrants are housed at the Janadriah – Team FJ, Team Saluki, Nabeel Al Shamsi, Abdullah Al Heraiz with his beautifully prepared Patrol, as well as Miroslav Zapletal’s Czech team, fresh from their successful completion of the Dakar. Despite its removal from the FIA Baja Championship, the event has over 30 entrants, a third of whom are competing in our T2 class. Prize money is not yet confirmed, but rumoured to be over SR100,000 (₤20k). A small share of that would make our journey worthwhile!
Sheila seems to be able to get away with wearing jeans and sweater, with her head covered in an Arabic shayla or headscarf. Western women are still a rarity in Hail, almost a century after Gertrude Bell’s visit, so her appearance in any garb will hardly go unnoticed. Since she is unable to drive in Saudi, we have managed to retain a driver called Hamdan. He will take Sheila in the Prado, with its cargo of tools and spares, to and from the service point each day.
Hail is noticeably cooler than Riyadh, which was much colder than Dubai. At over 1000m altitude, its sere air dries lips and skin continually. As night falls, the mercury dips to around freezing and our rooms need heating. Hail is ringed by a mountain range which appears to have been transplanted from a ‘Lord of the Rings’ set. There’s even a wall between two mountains with a huge gateway – surely the entrance to Mordor! The city boasts interesting road features, too. The interchange behind Sheila we have christened ‘Blackbladder Roundabout’.
We’ve installed the GPS, Iritrack and Sentinel equipment, applied our lucky number 13 rally stickers, and successfully completed scrutineering, so we are all set for tomorrow’s prologue.
Most of the UAE entrants are housed at the Janadriah – Team FJ, Team Saluki, Nabeel Al Shamsi, Abdullah Al Heraiz with his beautifully prepared Patrol, as well as Miroslav Zapletal’s Czech team, fresh from their successful completion of the Dakar. Despite its removal from the FIA Baja Championship, the event has over 30 entrants, a third of whom are competing in our T2 class. Prize money is not yet confirmed, but rumoured to be over SR100,000 (₤20k). A small share of that would make our journey worthwhile!
Sheila seems to be able to get away with wearing jeans and sweater, with her head covered in an Arabic shayla or headscarf. Western women are still a rarity in Hail, almost a century after Gertrude Bell’s visit, so her appearance in any garb will hardly go unnoticed. Since she is unable to drive in Saudi, we have managed to retain a driver called Hamdan. He will take Sheila in the Prado, with its cargo of tools and spares, to and from the service point each day.
Hail is noticeably cooler than Riyadh, which was much colder than Dubai. At over 1000m altitude, its sere air dries lips and skin continually. As night falls, the mercury dips to around freezing and our rooms need heating. Hail is ringed by a mountain range which appears to have been transplanted from a ‘Lord of the Rings’ set. There’s even a wall between two mountains with a huge gateway – surely the entrance to Mordor! The city boasts interesting road features, too. The interchange behind Sheila we have christened ‘Blackbladder Roundabout’.
We’ve installed the GPS, Iritrack and Sentinel equipment, applied our lucky number 13 rally stickers, and successfully completed scrutineering, so we are all set for tomorrow’s prologue.
