Arabi is a curious country. From what we have seen so far, it is a flat country, with large spaces and a desert-like appearance, arid and dry.
As for the population, from a Western European perspective, the traditional clothing, especially that of women, dressed in a full niqab where only their eyes are visible, is shocking.
Arrival in Jedah
As for the city itself, Jedah looks new, modern but with Arabic-style finishes, dirty in the local style and also typical of the local style, many things started but not so many finished.
On the other hand, Saudi Arabia being an absolute monarchy, investment in infrastructure is, of course, the preserve of any self-respecting statesman, all of whom are lovers of cement and pharaonic projects, to leave their mark on history.
Some people were interested in building reservoirs, others in walls, others in high-speed trains, airports, etc.
We left the parc fermé at 9:05:30, heading north, parallel to the coast on a fairly good highway, with an electronic road book on the GPS for a 195km connecting section.
The electronic Road Book was created to make Map Man's job more difficult, just like giving us the GPS code this morning. Even so, today, those who use this service have had access to the additional information that Map Man can provide.
The adventure begins
We set off three hours later, the harlequinade has subsided and Albert's powerful hands have pressed hard on the accelerator.
The Iveco responded well, and soon the audible signal indicating that we had reached 135 km/h began to sound intermittently.
The first dunes of this edition soon appeared, and Albert negotiated them with ease and efficiency. Llovera is a fast learner, and despite the fact we barely drove the Iveco, he quickly got the hang of it, and the truck's efficiency increased throughout the stage: faster pace, more stable, and much more comfortable for everyone.
As for navigation, I struggled to find my rhythm, and it took me a few kilometers to find my way around the road book. I was a bit carried away by events. I was able to sing the notes well, but not with the finesse my team deserved. After a few kilometers, things improved.
It has been a good stage
Today we had a good stage, with no notable incidents or mechanical breakdowns, and we conserved the machine and crew. For the first day of racing, it was already a tough stage, one of the "African" ones, with a bit of everything, and now a beautiful special due to its technical and physical difficulty and its beautiful landscapes.
Gas i xampany!!
Ferran Marco Albert Llovera's co-pilot
