From Wednesday to Saturday, on Saudi soil, on very similar dirt tracks and with the same Toyota Hilux with which they will take the exit on January 5 at the Dakar Rally. Fernando Alonso and Marc Coma face the Ula-Neom Rally as the last rehearsal before their highly anticipated debut in the toughest race in the world.

The importance of Ula-Neom is redoubled for the Spanish couple given the absence of Nasser Al Attiyah and Giniel de Villiers, the leading duo of Gazoo Racing. So Alonso will be the only Toyota cash among the 60 registered in this contest, third calendar event in the Saudi Desert Rally Championship.

"It's my first time in Arabia. It's great to have an opportunity to compete here to continue our preparation," revealed the double winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, which will squeeze each leg in search of all useful information for the future. At the moment 1,400 kilometers await, divided into four stages, given that Tuesday's prologue was finally suspended.

"Eager to start"

Remember that Amaury Sport Organization (ASO), the Dakar's organizing company, prohibits any previous private test, so Alonso needs to take advantage of all the options to accelerate his learning aboard the 205 car.

"Everything is new for me, but I am eager to start. We complete a stretch to make sure everything works, since this will be the same Dakar car. It is very important to make sure everything is 100% ready," the two-time champion analyzed. Formula 1 World Championship

The local driver Yazeed Al Rajhi (Toyota), eleventh of the Dakar 2016 and winner of a stage a year earlier, is emerging as a favorite for the triumph in hard competition with Khalid Al Qassimi (Peugeot).

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