SS11/14 has been shortened by 3km as crews had concerns the end was too dangerous
Photography by Hyundai
Words by Luke Barry
Friday’s Wadi Almatwi stage of Rally Saudi Arabia has been shortened, after a request from the World Rally Championship drivers.
The test – scheduled to run as SS11/14 of the rally – was due to be 28.59km in length, but the flying finish has now been brought forward to 24.9km, avoiding a section drivers felt was too dangerous.
The decision was confirmed via an official bulletin from the organizer.
Sébastien Ogier told DirtFish: “We all agreed together that this section is too dangerous. It makes no sense. Everything is blind. There are big drops, rocks everywhere. You cannot even stop if you have a problem.”
Fellow world champion Kalle Rovanperä added: “The beginning, of course, is still quite rocky and tricky, but it’s doable. For sure, the last three kilometers of the stage is really dangerous on the mountain. Super narrow road, a lot of loose stones and it’s all the time some small crests or something. You don’t see the stone.
“If it’s something on the road, you will never see it and then there is a hundred meter drop on the side of the road. So yeah, if you do the same than we did in Rally Finland with a loose stone, you don’t want to know where you end up.”
Hyundai driver Adrien Fourmaux revealed he was the only one not to vote to change the stage.
He told DirtFish: “OK, there are two places where it’s quite narrow and there is a drop, but it’s not like a big drop, like completely… yes, it’s a climb that you will roll a few times, but there is no… I don’t know. I just always think that it’s part of the rally.
“For sure, it’s not a really comfortable stage at the end, you know, but there is some bumps, there is some barriers, some armco, etc, althhough not everywhere – there two places where I think we could have had this, but we also have pacenotes, we can also decide to push a bit less, go through and then push after.
“This is also why we are rally drivers, because we adapt our driving. So, I always think also about the guys on Dakar with the bikes, reading the road book, in this kind of road with rocks everywhere. What is the most dangerous?
“Here on gravel, if you slow down you can pass it normally easily, you know. It’s not like on Monte Carlo with ice where you lose control and then that’s it.”
Words:Luke Barry
Tags: Rally Saudi Arabia, Rally Saudi Arabia 2025, WRC, WRC 2025
Publish Date November 26, 2025 DirtFish
Up Next