The Jordan Rally will have a special stage

The organizers of the Jordan Rally promised that the new Jordan River stage, 41 km long, would be one of the most spectacular of the 2008 season of the WRC World Rally Championship.

The final touches have just been made to the 41 km special stage, one of the longest in the WRC. Passing through the ‘no man’s land’ between the Jordanian-Palestinian border, Jordan River follows one of the world’s most famous river routes amidst a landscape of cactus forests and date farms.

350 meters below sea level, with numerous twists and turns, this challenging time trial would conclude the event, a first in this region of the world.

« Jordan River is a new special stage this year. It will be scheduled twice on the last day. It will be the last stage of the event, and it will determine the winner of the rally, assures Prince Feisal Al Hussein, President of Jordan Motorsport, who organizes the event. « It was the subject of many efforts by our teams and the army to design probably the most beautiful stage ever created in Jordan. »

Drawn in a specific location, access will be limited to spectators and the press, but the organizers have identified specially designed areas with facilitated access. The end of the special stage will be near the King Hussein Bridge.

All the special stages are now ready. Jordan is now awaiting the arrival of the first round of the World Championship on its soil.

Thousands of competitors, officials, media, followers, and spectators will converge on the kingdom. This will be the first edition of a global rally in the Arab world since the Morocco Rally 31 years ago. Hundreds of volunteers are currently completing their training program for the largest sporting event the kingdom has hosted.

The Jordan Rally will start with an opening ceremony on April 24, followed by three days of racing from April 25 to 27 around the Dead Sea and the Jordan Valley. The rally will be based at the deepest point on Earth.

According to the WRC (Web)