Cars & Autos | Tuesday 17 March, 2015 1:58 pm |

11 Drivers will be supported by Nissan and the “Hero Of All Terrains” is the Rally’s official Zero car

In its continued drive to be a catalyst in establishing a world class vibrant motor sports environment in Saudi Arabia, Nissan took another powerful step in that direction by sponsoring the Ha’il International Rally. On the occasion of Hai’l Rally’s 10th anniversary, a new three-year sponsorship agreement was signed with Nissan. Prince Abdullah Bin Khalid Bin Abdullah Al-Saud, Vice President of the Supreme Commission for Ha’il Development as well as head of the executive committee of the rally and Samir Cherfan, the Managing Director of Nissan Middle East, signed the contract announcing the new title “Hai’l Nissan International Rally”. The Rally, this year, is scheduled to take place on March 19-22.

“We are committed to facilitating sporting activities for the Kingdom’s youth. The pace and progress of the development of the Hai’l Rally has been staggering and Nissan is proud to support the event which represents excellence in motor sports in the Middle East”, Mr. Cherfan said.

Underlining its commitment to support motor sports enthusiasts; Nissan is fully sponsoring five Saudi drivers and their teams; training and grooming them to triumph in Nissan cars this year. Those T1 and T2 teams are the teams of Samir AlSammari/Suliman Alsanu’ni, Rajih AlShammari/Mubarak AlShammari, Khalid AlShammari/Fahad Suliman, and Munif AlSuliman/Ali Mirza. At the same time,
6 more drivers will receive other forms of backing from Nissan. All will be competing alongside Emil Khneisser, Nissan Patrol entrant, who was very successful across the main regional desert rallies last year. In addition to all this excitement, a host of celebratory activities are lined up throughout the rally to entertain the fans.

Worthy to note, Nissan is also supplying 23 cars to the Saudi Arabian Motor Federation (SAMF) for use throughout the rally. That is not counting the Patrol, as the Rally’s Zero car, which kicks off the race. “Nissan has a stellar history in motor sports. Our collaboration with the Hai’l Rally makes a perfect fit, particularly that it is a unique Saudi Auto sporting event that enjoys international attention.” said Mr. Najeeb Alissa, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Alissa Auto.

In the decade since its inception, the Ha’il event has grown from a small, enthusiastic club contest to a cross-country rally of international standing. Nissan has a proud record in competition in the Hai’l Rally. Yazeed Al-Rajhi was victorious with Matthieu Baumel in 2009 in a Nissan Navara while Ibrahim Al-Muhanna and Ali Obaid triumphed in their Patrol last year.

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About Nissan Middle East:
Nissan Motor Co. Ltd. became the first Japanese car manufacturer to establish a regional Middle East headquarters in June 1994. Nissan operations now cover over 20 countries across the region making it one of the best-represented Japanese automotive brands in the Middle East. From its pioneering crossover vehicles and class-leading small cars to the legendary Nissan GT-R and all-conquering SUVs such as the ‘Hero of All Terrain’, Nissan Patrol, Nissan Middle East’s vehicle line-up is one of the broadest and most popular in the region, covering almost every segment of the automotive market.






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