AFTER a first day crash which saw him incur a 10-minute penalty and
drop from 15th to 42nd, BP-Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team’s UAE driver
Sheikh Khalid Al Qassimi on Sunday (October 5, 2008) finished a
memorable Rally de Espana – round 12 of the 15-event FIA World Rally
Championship series – in 21st place.
Since being given his WRC opportunity as part of Abu Dhabi Tourism
Authority’s partnership with twice consecutive manufacturers’ champions
BP-Ford, Sheikh Khalid has now managed to maintain his record of
finishing all 12 WRC rounds he’s started after coming through Rally de
Espana’s tricky asphalt stages.
“It’s always important to finish events, especially on tarmac. I am
discovering new techniques and driving styles to combat this surface
all the time. The rear differential problems were disappointing but
that is part of the sport – the more you push, the greater the
likelihood of an incident,” said the Abu Dhabi driver.
With some exceptionally fast split times coming just before his Friday
(October 3) crash, Sheikh Khalid was beginning to produce real speed on
asphalt – his least favourite surface – and during several stages was
fighting for a position in the top seven.
The heavy damage to the bottom of his Abu Dhabi branded Ford, and
subsequent problems with his rear differential, competitively ended the
Emirati’s event.
“I have two events left this year and this has been another valuable
learning exercise for me. I managed to climb 21 positions in two days
and I have to be happy with that,” added the 36-year old.
TITLE HUNT
Meanwhile, the BP-Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team was content with a
haul of 11s at the end of Rally de Espana the formidable Citroen
pairing of four-time world champion Sebastien Loeb and local boy Dani
Sordo produced a dominating start-to-finish one-two.
However, it wasn’t all bad news for BP-Ford Abu Dhabi as the team’s
second driver, Francois Duval, conceded third place on the last stage
to his title challenging team-mate, Mikko Hirvonen, so the Finn could
keep up the pressure on Loeb in the pair’s titanic championship tussle.
BP-Ford Abu Dhabi’s Team Principal Malcolm Wilson still believes the
drivers’ and manufacturers’ title battles could well be decided in the
season’s final round in Rally Great Britain (December 12-14).
With two of the remaining three events falling on BP-Ford Abu Dhabi’s
preferred gravel surface, the Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority-backed outfit
has every reason to stay optimistic, despite now trailing Citroen by 27
points in the manufacturers’ title race.
Lead driver Hirvonen is now 12 points behind Loeb after the Citroen
man’s fourth consecutive Rally de Espana triumph. And the Finn knows
he has his work cut out if he is to taste success after a season-long
battle to stop the all-conquering Frenchman securing an unprecedented
fifth consecutive drivers’ title.
THE BMW Driving Skills Challenge organized by the Emirates Motor Sports Federation got underway on the sidelines of the 9th International Motor Show 2008 at Expo Centre Sharjah on November 18.
The debut of the five-day event saw 28 competitors of various nationalities negotiate a BMW through a specially set up track in the car park located next to Gate No. 3 of Expo Centre Sharjah.
Khalil Mohammed Khalil, Alaa Said Rahrough and Yasser Ahmed Mohammed walked off with the first, second and third prize with times of 26.01 seconds, 26.91 seconds and 27.06 seconds respectively.
The winners received a trophy and Certina watch each while all participants received a certificate.
The challenge, sponsored by BMW, tests the driving skills of participants and highlights the importance of abiding by traffic rules and regulations.
The driving skills challenge is being held daily from 5pm to 10pm until November 22, the last day of the automobile show.
Pirelli, Certina and Mobil 1 are the other co-sponsors of the challenge.
