With 12 rally wins so far, Saudi Arabian champion introduces new crew, announces plans to compete in legendary Dakar race

RIYAHD, SAUDI ARABIA, July 24, 2023/EINPresswire.com/ -- – Champion off-road rally racer Khaled Al Feraihi – who has won top honors in 12 prestigious rallies in the Middle East since he began his professional racing career in 2013 – recently inaugurated his own racing team, Khaled Racing. The 37-year-old athlete hit the circuit at the front of the pack, beginning his career with a first-place finish in the Kuwait Desert Rally Championship in 2013 and racking up 11 more wins over the past 10 years. Khaled Racing’s new goal is to be among the top finishers in the world-famous Dakar Rally, which will pit racers against one another and thousands of miles of Saudi Arabian desert in January, 2024.

“Dakar is a legendary rally that attracts the best of the best racing teams,” Al Feraihi said. “We’re excited to take on this challenge. We’re ready to show the international racing world what we can do and finish at the top.”

More than a driver, Al Feraihi has always been an independent racer and a hand-on mechanic, working with his team to build high-performance racing trucks by building relationships with parts suppliers all across the world, particularly in the United States. The FIA-licensed driver is touring the U.S. in July, visiting performance shops, meeting with parts and equipment partners face-to-face, and doing media interviews with top sports media outlets from Los Angeles to New York.

The first Khaled-built race vehicles hit the dirt in 2015, when Al Feraihi began testing his truck in national races throughout the Middle East. “By 2016 we had the truck fine-tuned and brought it to the international championships, “Al Feraihi said “In our first race, we finished in the top 10 among more than 50 international competitors.”

Racing T1-category vehicles - often referred to as “Trophy Trucks” - Khaled Al Feraihi’s first-place honors include the Fujairah Rally in 2014, the Sharjah Rally in 2015, Dubai International Baja in 2016, and Abu Dhabi International Cross Country WR2C Rally in 2017 and 2018, all in the punishing deserts of United Arab Emirates (UAE). After a challenging 2019 season with third- to sixth-place finishes, and an eighth-place finish in the Dubai International Baja in 2021, Al Feraihi came back strong post-pandemic, winning the Sudair National Rally, Asir National Rally, Al-Qassim National Rally and Jeddah National Rally – all in his native Saudi Arabia – to take the Saudi National Championship in the T1 category in 2022 and place third overall for the year. This year Khaled Racing Team has won two of its three race in the T1 category, including a first-place finish in the Tabuk Rally in Saudi Arabia, winning the Qatar International Baja for the Middle East championship, and taking fourth place in Ha’il International Rally.

Al Feraihi has finished in the top ten in all 31 races of his career, with several second- and third-place trophies to his credit in addition to the 12 wins.

“Baja racing is a true endurance sport. You have to use all your skills, and have a team you can count on,” the driver explained. “Our trucks are in top form and our team is exceptional, pushing it to the limit to pull out T1 wins in two of our three races this year. Khaled Racing Team has started strong, and we’ve proven we have what it takes to keep winning rallies: great trucks and extraordinary people.”

The Khaled Racing team includes UAE-based Crew Chief Abdullah Bin Hurez, a veteran of three Dakar rallies. Chief Engineer Mohammad Al Housaini, from Rayan Garage in Riyadh, is responsible for the engine and its tuning. Also joining the team is Mechanic Abdullah Al Guizi, well-known in the region for his restorations of classic cars and trucks.

To learn more, find Khaled Racing on social media and online, at Khaled_racing on Snapchat, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok and LinkedIn.

Following is Khaled Al Feraihi’s professional racing record:

2013
Kuwait Desert Rally Championship: 1st place

2014
Umm Al Quwain Rally (UAE): 2nd place
Umm Al Quwain Rally – 24-Hour Race Pro Challenge (UAE): 2nd place
Fujairah Rally (UAE): 1st place
United Arab Emirates Desert Rally Championship (UAE): 2nd place

2015
Umm Al Quwain Rally (UAE): 2nd place
Sharjah Rally (UAE): 1st place

2016
Dubai International Baja (UAE): 1st place (National), 6th place (International)
Jeddah National Rally (Saudi Arabia): 3rd place (International)
Abu Dhabi International Cross Country WR2C Rally (UAE): 10th place overall
Ha’il Nissan International Rally (Saudi Arabia): 4th place (International)

2017
Dubai International Baja (UAE): 1st place (National), 9th place (International)
Abu Dhabi International Cross Country WR2C Rally (UAE): 2nd place (National), 4th place (International)
Sealine Rally (State of Qatar): 3rd place (National), 13th place (International)

2018
Abu Dhabi International Cross Country WR2C Rally (UAE): 1st place (Middle East), 6th (Overall)
Qatar Rally: 2nd place (National)

2019
Dubai International Baja (UAE): 3rd place (Middle East)
Asir National Rally (Saudi Arabia): 3rd place (Overall)
Al-Qassim National Rally (Saudi Arabia): 6th place (Overall)
Al-Ula-Neom International Rally (Saudi Arabia): 1st place (National) 6th place (Overall)
Ha’il International Rally (Saudi Arabia): 6th place (Overall)

2021
Dubai International Baja (UAE): 8th place (Overall)

2022
Sudair National Rally (Saudi Arabia): 1st place (Overall)
Asir National Rally (Saudi Arabia): 1st place (National), 4th place (Overall)
Al-Qassim National Rally (Saudi Arabia): 1st place (National), 2nd place (Overall)
Ha’il International Rally (Saudi Arabia): 4th place (T1)
Jeddah National Rally (Saudi Arabia): 1st place (Overall)

2023
Ha’il National Rally (Saudi Arabia): 4th Place (T1)
Qatar National Baja (Qatar): 1st place (Middle East)
Tabuk Rally (Saudi Arabia): 1st place (T1), 3rd place (Overall)

Find Khaled Racing on social media:
Snapchat: khaled_racing
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/khaled-al-feraihi-730609279/
Instagram: https://instagram.com/khaled_racing?igshid=ZWQyN2ExYTkwZQ==
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@khaled_racing
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwk9g_PH_8-b0gyXtE_pQWA

Sorcha Aisling
Khaled Racing Team
sorcha@khaledracing.com
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