Mini targets WRC title in three years



LONDON // The Mini will return to the World Rally Championship (WRC) next season with the target of winning the title within three years, David Richards, the Prodrive chief, said yesterday. BMW, the brand's owners, said in a statement that the Mini would compete in selected events in 2011 before a full return from 2012. The Mini Cooper S became an iconic car in rallying in the 1960s, winning the prestigious Monte Carlo Rally on three occasions in 1964, 1965 and 1967, as well as the European Championship in 1965. "The target is clearly to be competitive from the outset and we have set a target with BMW and Mini of the world title within the next three years," Richards told Reuters in a telephone interview. "We [Prodrive] have got six world titles to our credit already so we've been there before and know what it takes to do it. We are setting about that task very meticulously." British-based Prodrive ran Subaru's world championship-winning team until the Japanese manufacturer pulled out at the end of 2008 and have been working on a Mini Countryman WRC for months. Monte Carlo is not on next year's world championship calendar, instead forming part of the Intercontinental Rally Challenge, and is not certain for 2012 either. However, Richards said that event was not fundamental to Mini's return, despite the enduring image of Northern Ireland's Paddy Hopkirk battling through snow and ice to win in 1964. "We are focused on the world championship and if Monte Carlo is on it, we'll be there," Richards said. "If it's not, then we are unlikely to be there. "We expect to do half the championship next year," he added, saying that the car would not be ready for FIA approval before the start of the season anyway. With Subaru, Richards turned the late Colin McRae and Richard Burns into British world champions - as well as winning three constructors' titles in 1995, 1996 and 1997 - and would like to bring on another young Briton to follow in their footsteps. "Obviously our priority is to get the best drivers, whatever nationality. But I have always tried if possible to have one British driver in the team," he said. Matthew Wilson, the son of the Ford team chief Malcolm, is Britain's sole full-time driver at the top level, but has yet to become a winner in a series dominated by Citroen and Sebastien Loeb, the six-time world champion. Northern Ireland's Kris Meeke, McRae's former protege, is the reigning Intercontinental Rally Challenge champion and could be a prime candidate. "There are a few candidates and maybe we will go for a younger driver, in the way we did with Colin and Richard," said Richards. The former Benetton and BAR Formula One team principal said Prodrive was taking a new approach to the Mini project. "We took what's now been 18 months out, where we've actually gone back to basics," he said. "We've taken all the data we've accumulated over the past 20 years, analysed everything and gone into a lot of detail in design, manufacturing and purchasing. "It is a radical new way we have gone about this project and I am very confident it will reap its rewards as well." * Reuters

COMPANY PROFILE

Name: Qyubic
Started: October 2023
Founder: Namrata Raina
Based: Dubai
Sector: E-commerce
Current number of staff: 10
Investment stage: Pre-seed
Initial investment: Undisclosed 

Tips from the expert

Dobromir Radichkov, chief data officer at dubizzle and Bayut, offers a few tips for UAE residents looking to earn some cash from pre-loved items.

  1. Sellers should focus on providing high-quality used goods at attractive prices to buyers.
  2. It’s important to use clear and appealing photos, with catchy titles and detailed descriptions to capture the attention of prospective buyers.
  3. Try to advertise a realistic price to attract buyers looking for good deals, especially in the current environment where consumers are significantly more price-sensitive.
  4. Be creative and look around your home for valuable items that you no longer need but might be useful to others.

A Cat, A Man, and Two Women
Junichiro
Tamizaki
Translated by Paul McCarthy
Daunt Books 

UPI facts

More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions

THE SPECS

Engine: Four-cylinder 2.5-litre

Transmission: Seven-speed auto

Power: 165hp

Torque: 241Nm

Price: Dh99,900 to Dh134,000

On sale: now

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: ARDH Collective
Based: Dubai
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Sector: Sustainability
Total funding: Self funded
Number of employees: 4
The Pope's itinerary

Sunday, February 3, 2019 - Rome to Abu Dhabi
1pm: departure by plane from Rome / Fiumicino to Abu Dhabi
10pm: arrival at Abu Dhabi Presidential Airport


Monday, February 4
12pm: welcome ceremony at the main entrance of the Presidential Palace
12.20pm: visit Abu Dhabi Crown Prince at Presidential Palace
5pm: private meeting with Muslim Council of Elders at Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque
6.10pm: Inter-religious in the Founder's Memorial


Tuesday, February 5 - Abu Dhabi to Rome
9.15am: private visit to undisclosed cathedral
10.30am: public mass at Zayed Sports City – with a homily by Pope Francis
12.40pm: farewell at Abu Dhabi Presidential Airport
1pm: departure by plane to Rome
5pm: arrival at the Rome / Ciampino International Airport

COMPANY PROFILE

Name: Lamsa

Founder: Badr Ward

Launched: 2014

Employees: 60

Based: Abu Dhabi

Sector: EdTech

Funding to date: $15 million

How to protect yourself when air quality drops

Install an air filter in your home.

Close your windows and turn on the AC.

Shower or bath after being outside.

Wear a face mask.

Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.

If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.

 

 

The biog

Name: Shamsa Hassan Safar

Nationality: Emirati

Education: Degree in emergency medical services at Higher Colleges of Technology

Favourite book: Between two hearts- Arabic novels

Favourite music: Mohammed Abdu and modern Arabic songs

Favourite way to spend time off: Family visits and spending time with friends

What is graphene?

Graphene is a single layer of carbon atoms arranged like honeycomb.

It was discovered in 2004, when Russian-born Manchester scientists Andrei Geim and Kostya Novoselov were "playing about" with sticky tape and graphite - the material used as "lead" in pencils.

Placing the tape on the graphite and peeling it, they managed to rip off thin flakes of carbon. In the beginning they got flakes consisting of many layers of graphene. But as they repeated the process many times, the flakes got thinner.

By separating the graphite fragments repeatedly, they managed to create flakes that were just one atom thick. Their experiment had led to graphene being isolated for the very first time.

At the time, many believed it was impossible for such thin crystalline materials to be stable. But examined under a microscope, the material remained stable, and when tested was found to have incredible properties.

It is many times times stronger than steel, yet incredibly lightweight and flexible. It is electrically and thermally conductive but also transparent. The world's first 2D material, it is one million times thinner than the diameter of a single human hair.

But the 'sticky tape' method would not work on an industrial scale. Since then, scientists have been working on manufacturing graphene, to make use of its incredible properties.

In 2010, Geim and Novoselov were awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics. Their discovery meant physicists could study a new class of two-dimensional materials with unique properties. 

 

Other workplace saving schemes
  • The UAE government announced a retirement savings plan for private and free zone sector employees in 2023.
  • Dubai’s savings retirement scheme for foreign employees working in the emirate’s government and public sector came into effect in 2022.
  • National Bonds unveiled a Golden Pension Scheme in 2022 to help private-sector foreign employees with their financial planning.
  • In April 2021, Hayah Insurance unveiled a workplace savings plan to help UAE employees save for their retirement.
  • Lunate, an Abu Dhabi-based investment manager, has launched a fund that will allow UAE private companies to offer employees investment returns on end-of-service benefits.
The five pillars of Islam

1. Fasting 

2. Prayer 

3. Hajj 

4. Shahada 

5. Zakat 

The biog

Hobby: "It is not really a hobby but I am very curious person. I love reading and spend hours on research."

Favourite author: Malcom Gladwell 

Favourite travel destination: "Antigua in the Caribbean because I have emotional attachment to it. It is where I got married."