The Team FJ race car attracted, as was expected, a lot of attention at the scrutineering area on Monday 26th January. The Toyota FJ’s radical appearance meant that TV crews were drawn to it immediately and the race crew were interviewed by a number of the Saudi TV crews covering the event. They were also invited by the organisers to participate in the press conference on the evening of the 26th.

The car passed scrutineering without any problems. Although we know that the vehicle of course meets the very strict FIA guidelines in every respect, none the less it is always a nerve wracking time as you wait for the scrutineers to say “Okay, you can race”. The team were seeded 7th out of 30 entrants and thus carry the number 7 on the vehicle doors.

Today (Tuesday) the racing began in earnest, with a six kilometre Prologue stage through hard sand and a wadi bed. The event was broadcast live on several Saudi stations, making it doubly nerve wracking for the crews. Dave Mabbs drove as only Dave can – flat out on two wheels or airborne much of the time – and consequently finished the race in a commendable sixth place. Not content with their TV appearances, David and Xavier were subsequently also mentioned in the official press release summarising the prologue, (see below) Bear in mind that the official releases are sent to every daily paper in the Middle East, all sports magazines in the region, and hundreds of  motoring and extreme sports magazines throughout Europe, Asia and the U.S.. Ours was the ONLY car singled out for a detailed description.  Three photos were also sent to the publications, one of which was of the branded Team FJ car. Further evidence, if it were needed, of its media appeal