Jordan Rally

Jordan will celebrate its third appearance in the World Rally Championship this year with its popular all-gravel event based in the Dead Sea Resort.

The rally, which enjoys the continued patronage of His Royal Highness Prince Feisal Al Hussein, represents a tough test for the drivers who compete in scorching ambient temperatures approaching 40 degrees centigrade over rock-strewn passes.

With the majority of the stages running up to 400 metres below sea level, Jordan is a unique event on the WRC calendar and the only round of the series to take place in the Middle East and one of the few not to finish on a Sunday: the Islamic weekend requires a Saturday finish.

Service is located overlooking the Dead Sea and is in walking distance from the event’s plush headquarters. Amman, Jordan’s capital is a 50-kilometre drive away and with the stages located close by, the rally, which also incorporates a round of the Middle East championship, is one of the most compact on the 2011 schedule.

But the Jordan Rally is much more than a round of the WRC. With the event visiting several of the country’s national treasures, visitors to the rally can savour famous attractions such as the Baptism Site, the Jordan River and Mount Nebo, while the ceremonial start will again be located in the ancient city of Jerash, considered one of the largest and best preserved examples of Roman architecture in the world.

New for 2011

The Mai’n stage returns to the itinerary having been reworked since it was last used in 2008. Emergency vehicle access has been improved and the stage is longer and more testing than the original version.