When Octane last checked in with the 2026 Badawi Trial, Clark and Round’s Ford V8 was leading the field north through the Hejaz Mountains toward Madinah. Seven days, several broken cars and one breathtaking mountain later, the rally has just crossed the finish line.
Despite the shadow of regional conflict forcing a last-minute re-route and reducing the size of the field, the determination of event organiser HERO-ERA and the crews has resulted in a spectacular rally that has showcased more of Saudi Arabia than the original itinerary ever would have.
The first half of the event had already presented the field with considerable challenges. The ascent of the treacherous Sha’ar Pass, the twisting mountain roads of the Sarawat range and the Wigglywadi regularity were among the standout moments, and the second half wasted no time in raising the stakes even further.
Day five saw the crews head 495km northwards from Yanbu to Al Ula. The route crossed 15km of basalt rock fields, with blind crests, steep descents and precious little margin for error. It became a graveyard for clutches and suspension components and even Clark and Round were forced into a five-minute roadside repair after a clutch problem struck five kilometres into the section.
The Mercedes-Benz 450 SLC of Kurt Deklerck and Patrick Debusseré completed the stage with its front wheels pointing in opposite directions. The duo completed their repairs with good humour, listening to Queen’s Another One Bites the Dust as they toiled at the roadside. The attrition continued beyond the competitive stages, too, as David and Matthew Leblanc’s Volvo had its sump guard torn clean off, pushing the sump up into the engine and ending their rally on the spot. The father-and-son crew were towed some 30km back to the road and continued in a hire car.
The punishing rock fields eventually gave way to soft sand, shifting the scenery to that of an archetypal desert landscape, framed by the distant backdrop of the Hejaz Mountains. The relieved field arrived in the ancient sandstone canyon of Al Ula as the sun began to sink below the horizon.
A well-deserved rest day in Al Ula provided respite for both cars and competitors, before the return to action on day seven brought a dramatic change in conditions.
Grey skies and fierce sandstorms replaced the desert heat on day seven, with wind-driven sand ripping through the Al Ula canyons — much to the chagrin of those in open-top machines. Predictably, the conditions also brought their share of mechanical maladies. Bo Stærmose and Jens Odgaard Olsson, who spent much of their rest day replacing their Volvo 242’s head gasket, had their efforts rewarded with a camshaft failure before the first competitive section, causing another retirement.
The day’s most dramatic moment, however, came in the Clock Around the Rock sporting section, when Harry Tayler and Andrew Thompson’s Bentley was launched airborne over a wadi. The harsh landing disengaged the brake linkage, locking the front wheels solid. A sledgehammer was required to get the car moving again.
Despite the attrition, the sharp end of the leaderboard remained largely unchanged, with Clark and Round’s Ford remaining the crew to beat.
Day eight opened with a long, northerly highway slog, hemmed in by the vast earthworks resulting from Saudi Arabia’s ambitious NEOM construction project. The reward came in the afternoon, with the crews heading into the Neom Bajdah Wildlife Reserve and the Hisma Desert. Punctuated by wind-sculpted sandstone towers, this stunning 500-million-year-old landscape is home to ibex, oryx and gazelle thanks to a rewilding project that may yet see lynx and cheetah introduced to the region. Even the fastest and most focused crews are reported to have slowed down to drink it all in.
Yet the day still presented challenges. After the final time control, soft sand brought the entire field to a collective standstill. The Medcalf Bentley was the first to attempt crossing the terrain and triggered a chain reaction that left myriad cars trapped in deep sand drifts. Locals, fellow competitors and rally sweeps united to help free the immobile machines.
HERO-ERA‘s long-distance events always provide plenty of camaraderie, and this was best illustrated on day ten, when the Chevrolet of Peter and Debbie Fitzcharles was forced to stop with a bent steering arm. Rival competitors Deklerck and Debusseré, along with Yang Zhan and Jason Zhe Ren, immediately pulled over to help. A ratchet strap was all it took to straighten the arm and get the Fitzcharles back on the road to Madinah.
The leaderboard began to tighten as the final few days of the rally beckoned. By day 11, Xavier and Lucas de Sarrau’s Mustang remained in the lead, but the chasing Toyota Land Cruiser of Alfonso de Orleans-Borbon and Haikko Visser had narrowed the gap to just 75 seconds.
The field completed its final morning on the road and returned to the Jeddah Corniche Circuit today, with Clark and Round’s Ford appearing set to take overall honours, showcasing impressive consistency across almost 5000km. The de Sarrau Mustang continued to preserve its narrow lead into the final stages, with Visser and de Orleans-Borbon following closely behind.
Full results to follow.
