Toyota and Hyundai unable to travel to Rally Saudi Arabia

Toyota and Hyundai have informed the FIA and WRC Promoter that, as it stands, they are unable to travel to Rally Saudi Arabia. Both manufacturers are facing travel restrictions to certain locations in the Middle East, including the venue for the final round of the World Rally Championship this season.

Sporting directors Kaj Lindström (Toyota) and Andrew Wheatley (Hyundai) sent a joint letter to the FIA outlining their position regarding the November event in Jeddah. Hyundai told DirtFish: "There are some restrictions on business travel to the Middle East which are being monitored on a daily basis and are evolving constantly."

A statement from Toyota added: "The Toyota Gazoo Racing World Rally Team is fully dependent on Toyota Motor Corporation, and all of its team members need to comply with TMC regulations. There is a TMC policy which currently doesn’t allow travel in the Middle East. We, as a company and as a team, are updated weekly by the head office whether there are changes to this policy."

Countering the stance of Toyota and Hyundai, M-Sport team principal Richard Millener said: "Naturally, in these scenarios we follow the government’s foreign office advice and, as of now, the restriction is only on travelling within 10 kilometers of the Saudi border with Yemen. Current company travel advice doesn't allow Toyota and Hyundai employees to travel to Saudi Arabia. Naturally, our primary concern is for the safety of our team and we will respect whatever decision is taken."

Despite the communication from Toyota and Hyundai, the FIA is focusing its efforts on finding a solution to deliver a Rally Saudi Arabia finale. FIA road sport director Emilia Abel said: "For the moment there, there is no official decision or announcement that has been made. Work is progressing as planned, nothing has been postponed or put on hold. But it’s true there comes a limit for the logistics."

Abel refused to comment on details of a potential deadline from the FIA side, but it is thought it could come as soon as Monday. One source told DirtFish: "If you look to Rally Italy, you can see the deadline for entries has been extended by one week – now entries for Sardinia will close on Monday [September 7] at midnight. Maybe this is giving some idea for a decision coming from Saudi on Monday."

WRC Promoter’s COO Julien Vial added: "We are, of course, monitoring the situation very closely. We need to take into account the FIA’s recommendations and the teams’ concerns, which we fully share when it comes to safety, while also recognising our contractual commitments with Saudi Arabia."