Jeddah, Saudi Arabia (June 1st, 2024): The Saudi Arabian Ministry of Sport today announced that the Kingdom will stage Rally Saudi Arabia, as a round of the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) from 2025 onwards*. The event will be organized by the Saudi Motorsport Company (SMC) and the Saudi Automobile and Motorcycle Federation (SAMF), under the supervision of the Ministry of Sports and in collaboration with the World Rally Championship.
The ground-breaking, 10-year agreement was signed in the presence of HRH Prince Khalid Bin Sultan Al Abdullah Al-Faisal, Chairman of the Saudi Automobile and Motorcycle Federation and the Saudi Motorsport Company, Jona Siebel, WRC Managing Director, and FIA Secretary General for Sport, Valerio Iachizzi, at a special ceremony in Sardinia during the WRC Rally Italia Sardegna.
His Royal Highness Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al Faisal, Minister of Sports and President of the Saudi Arabian Olympic and Paralympic Committee, welcome the news earlier today: “We are extremely proud to welcome the World Rally Championship to our roster of internationally renowned sporting events that have been established under Vision 2030. Beyond the inspiring skill, speed and stunning scenery, the series represents the absolute pinnacle of the sport and has always driven forward innovation in motorsport. And in Saudi Arabia, the WRC has the perfect partner. A country that offers unique challenges for drivers and outstanding beauty in equal measures, with passionate fans who are ready to embrace the championship and help grow the sport. Already we look forward to staging our first WRC.”
The deal to stage Rally Saudi Arabia signifies the WRC’s return to the Middle East for the first time since the 2011 Jordan Rally. More than just a strategic move, it underscores the WRC’s commitment to provide fans worldwide with a fresh and exhilarating experience while underlining Saudi Arabia’s continuous growth as a major global motorsport hub.
HRH Prince Khalid Bin Sultan Al Abdullah Al-Faisal, Chairman of the Saudi Motorsport Company and the Saudi Automobile and Motorcycle Federation, added: “We are thrilled to host the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) for the first time in 2025. The arrival of another racing series of global stature in Saudi Arabia confirms the extent of our transformation into a major hub for motorsport in the region. From 2025 we will proudly host Formula 1, Formula E, Extreme E, the Dakar Rally and now WRC and Rally Saudi Arabia in the Kingdom – an unrivalled accomplishment. By growing our motorsport portfolio and further increasing our commitment to hosting major motorsport series such as WRC in the Kingdom, we remain true to the goals of Vision 2030 which aims to improve the lives of all Saudis. We will use the experience we have gained from delivering so many world class motorsport events to ensure that the Saudi edition on the WRC calendar is one of the standout events of the 2025 season and beyond.”
As a current host of Formula 1, Formula E, Dakar Rally and Extreme E, the confirmation of WRC’s arrival in Saudi Arabia continues to showcase the Kingdom as the new home for global, prestige motorsport events in the Middle East. In doing so, it furthers SMC and SAMF’s long-term goal of leveraging the power of motorsports to deliver directly against the Kingdom’s transformative Vision 2030 and to grow interest and participation in the sport, creating career paths for young people and identifying Saudi champions of the future while showcasing the culture and the hospitality of the Saudi people.
Saudi Arabia – as already proven via its successful hosting of multiple editions of the world-famous Dakar Rally – is ideally suited to rally racing and will prove itself to be a perfect home to the WRC with the objective of “Rally Saudi Arabia” becoming a differentiator for the Championship. The Kingdom’s immense and varied landscapes – ranging from volcanic rock to vast deserts, from urban centres to sandy beaches – will test the drivers to their limits and captivate the many fans of this remarkable series watching live in person and at home.
FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem also commented: “This is a great moment for motorsport in the Middle East. It has been over a decade since the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) last visited the region, and from my own experience, I know very well the unique challenges that the drivers and co-drivers will face when Rally Saudi Arabia gets underway in 2025. It’s going to be a great opportunity for national and regional drivers to showcase their talents on the world stage, and I am very thankful to HRH Prince Khalid Bin Sultan Al Abdullah Al-Faisal, Chairman of the Saudi Motorsport Company & the Saudi Automobile & Motorcycle Federation, for continuing to push forward and develop our sport in Saudi Arabia.”
Jona Siebel, WRC Managing Director, further celebrated today’s ground-breaking agreement: “We’re excited by the opportunity to be back in the Middle East and in a country with a proud rallying tradition. Each day will offer vastly distinctive challenges to the drivers and highlight everything Saudi Arabia has to offer, from cityscapes to the desert and from the mountains to the ocean. We will be working with a vastly experienced partner in the Saudi Motorsport Company who have proven their expertise in organising top-level motorsports events such as Formula 1, Formula E and Dakar events. We are confident that this is a rally that will add its own unique identity to the championship.”
*Subject to World Motor Sport Council approval