Sports | Tuesday 19 May, 2015 2:40 pm |

Deaf driver Fahad Al Abdullatif, who was supported by Nissan, won the admiration of organisers, spectators and fellow competitors in the punishing Jeddah Rally as he flew the flag for citizens with special needs in the Kingdom.
Abdullatif powered his Nissan Patrol to seventh in the T2 category and 13th in the overall standings but in many ways the Saudi national was the biggest winner of the three-day event.

Seven years of persistence paid off when Abdullatif was flagged off in his first rally by HRH Prince Mishaal bin Majed bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud, Governor of Jeddah, with the aim of being the first Saudi with special needs to take part in a rally, let alone finish it. He also picked one of the toughest in the Jeddah event.
The plucky driver has heaped praise on Nissan and its dealership Alissa Automotive for their encouragement and support.
Abdulatif, who enjoys a large following on social media websites, says: “After seven years of persistence and effort and countless attempts to convince the community that the impaired can achieve what society sees as impossible, with some support from Nissan I was able to participate in and finish my first rally.”

Nissan Middle East managing director Samir Cherfan says Abdullatif’s stoic performance is a source of great pride to the Japanese auto maker.
“It is gratifying to Nissan that we were able to facilitate Fahad Al Abdullatif turning his dream into reality. His efforts in Jeddah Rally and those that will surely follow will inspire others with special needs throughout Saudi Arabia and beyond. Nissan has an extensive commitment to motor sport but the fact we have been able to assist Fahad shows this commitment covers many areas.”
At no stage did Abdullatif’s deafness act as a stumbling block and he and co-driver left nothing to chance in their preparation including both men learning an extensive series of hand signals so they could pilot the ‘Hero of All Terrains’ Patrol.

And we’ll be hearing a lot more of Abdullatif now he has made his initial rallying breakthrough. He intends to compete in as many rallies as possible to hone his skills and also create further awareness of the necessity of inclusiveness concerning those with special needs.
He says: “I thank God first and foremost for this most wonderful experience. I cannot wait now to take part in more rallies in the future. It was extremely interesting but more importantly I proved that I have the same capabilities as other drivers when I sit behind the wheel of a car.”
Abdulatif also paid tribute to his co-driver for his skills and support.

Meanwhile, the Jeddah Rally represented a major triumph for Nissan in general. Twenty of 29 Nissan vehicles that started the three-day rally in Obhur crossed the finish line with Nissan winning the T2 category thanks to star driver Moneef Al-Sulaimani while Yayha Al-Helaiand powered to second in the overall standings.
Nissan vehicles filled seven of the top 10 positions overall including second, third fifth and sixth. In T2 competition Nissans took out nine of the top 10 positions on the ladder including the winner.