Nasser Saleh Al Attiyah, the defending champion, will be hoping that seven proves to be his lucky number when the Dubai International Rally starts tomorrow.
The Qatari driver is chasing his seventh Dubai Rally title and if he wins he will become FIA Middle East champion for the seventh time.
But his 21-point championship lead means he can afford to finish seventh and still clinch the regional title.
The rally is set to add another chapter to the UAE's sporting history as the nation celebrates its 40th anniversary.
"This rally is a special event for many and it has extra significance this time because it has traditionally been staged on UAE National Day weekend and goes back longer than any other international sports event staged in the Emirates during the last 40 years," Mohammed ben Sulayem, the president of the Automobile and Touring Club of the UAE, said.
The final round of the 2011 FIA regional series has its ceremonial start at 7.30pm today on Emaar Boulevard in Old Town Dubai.
Tomorrow, as residents across the country celebrate National Day, Al Attiyah, partnered by his Italian co-driver Giovanni Bernacchini in a Ford Fiesta S2000, will lead the starters away from the Rally HQ at Dubai Men's College, en route to the first of the event's 12 special stages.
Appropriately named the "Spirit of the Union Stage", this 19km competitive section is the most technical in the rally and the driver who sets the fastest time will receive a special award.
The "Spirit of the Union Stage" is in a loop of three stages that will each be repeated in the afternoon in a route totalling 1,027kms.
The competitors will reach the finish back on Emaar Boulevard at 4.30pm on Saturday.
Although Al Attiyah only needs a relatively modest finishing position to take the regional title he will want to produce a champion's performance and add to his earlier championship wins this year in Qatar, Kuwait, Cyprus and Lebanon.
But he faces a difficult challenge as the two UAE drivers following him away from the start, Sheikh Abdullah Al Qassimi and Rashed Al Ketbi, would love to score a home win to mark the UAE's 40th anniversary.
Sheikh Abdullah drives a Ford Fiesta S2000 in partnership with Britain's Steve Lancaster, while Al Ketbi is joined by Khalid Al Kendi in a Skoda Fabia S2000, and should Al Attiyah fail to finish, victory for either of the Emiratis would make them the Middle East champion.
Mufeed Mubarak, accompanied by Saad Almelaifi, lies fourth in the championship standings, in a Group N Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X, and he leads a three-car Kuwaiti challenge in Dubai.
Burcu Cetinkaya and Cicek Guney from Turkey form the only all-female crew on the starting line. Oman is represented by Hamed Al Wahaibi, the 1999 World Rally Championship Group N runner-up, who is joined by Allan Harryman in yet another Mitsubishi.
Ben Sulayem said at a press conference yesterday: "The UAE has achieved so much in such a relatively short period of time in many areas, including the sporting arena.
"This is a good time to put on record our thanks to the President and Vice President of the UAE, and to our Rulers, for the support and encouragement that they have given to rallying, and to sport in general, over the years."
Tomorrow's Leg 1 special stages are in the Malaiha and Shawka area and can be reached from the Sharjah-Kalba Road.
The special stages on Saturday's are in the Al Dhaid area, off the Sharjah-Kalba Road or the Al Dhaid Road.
* Agency
'Worse than a prison sentence'
Marie Byrne, a counsellor who volunteers at the UAE government's mental health crisis helpline, said the ordeal the crew had been through would take time to overcome.
“It was worse than a prison sentence, where at least someone can deal with a set amount of time incarcerated," she said.
“They were living in perpetual mystery as to how their futures would pan out, and what that would be.
“Because of coronavirus, the world is very different now to the one they left, that will also have an impact.
“It will not fully register until they are on dry land. Some have not seen their young children grow up while others will have to rebuild relationships.
“It will be a challenge mentally, and to find other work to support their families as they have been out of circulation for so long. Hopefully they will get the care they need when they get home.”
Zayed Sustainability Prize
Explainer: Tanween Design Programme
Non-profit arts studio Tashkeel launched this annual initiative with the intention of supporting budding designers in the UAE. This year, three talents were chosen from hundreds of applicants to be a part of the sixth creative development programme. These are architect Abdulla Al Mulla, interior designer Lana El Samman and graphic designer Yara Habib.
The trio have been guided by experts from the industry over the course of nine months, as they developed their own products that merge their unique styles with traditional elements of Emirati design. This includes laboratory sessions, experimental and collaborative practice, investigation of new business models and evaluation.
It is led by British contemporary design project specialist Helen Voce and mentor Kevin Badni, and offers participants access to experts from across the world, including the likes of UK designer Gareth Neal and multidisciplinary designer and entrepreneur, Sheikh Salem Al Qassimi.
The final pieces are being revealed in a worldwide limited-edition release on the first day of Downtown Designs at Dubai Design Week 2019. Tashkeel will be at stand E31 at the exhibition.
Lisa Ball-Lechgar, deputy director of Tashkeel, said: “The diversity and calibre of the applicants this year … is reflective of the dynamic change that the UAE art and design industry is witnessing, with young creators resolute in making their bold design ideas a reality.”
Classification of skills
A worker is categorised as skilled by the MOHRE based on nine levels given in the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO) issued by the International Labour Organisation.
A skilled worker would be someone at a professional level (levels 1 – 5) which includes managers, professionals, technicians and associate professionals, clerical support workers, and service and sales workers.
The worker must also have an attested educational certificate higher than secondary or an equivalent certification, and earn a monthly salary of at least Dh4,000.
More on Quran memorisation:
Sheer grandeur
The Owo building is 14 storeys high, seven of which are below ground, with the 30,000 square feet of amenities located subterranean, including a 16-seat private cinema, seven lounges, a gym, games room, treatment suites and bicycle storage.
A clear distinction between the residences and the Raffles hotel with the amenities operated separately.
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
Scorline
Iraq 1-0 UAE
Iraq Hussein 28’
Stormy seas
Weather warnings show that Storm Eunice is soon to make landfall. The videographer and I are scrambling to return to the other side of the Channel before it does. As we race to the port of Calais, I see miles of wire fencing topped with barbed wire all around it, a silent ‘Keep Out’ sign for those who, unlike us, aren’t lucky enough to have the right to move freely and safely across borders.
We set sail on a giant ferry whose length dwarfs the dinghies migrants use by nearly a 100 times. Despite the windy rain lashing at the portholes, we arrive safely in Dover; grateful but acutely aware of the miserable conditions the people we’ve left behind are in and of the privilege of choice.
Sholto Byrnes on Myanmar politics
Zayed Sustainability Prize
THE CARD
2pm: Maiden Dh 60,000 (Dirt) 1,400m
2.30pm: Handicap Dh 76,000 (D) 1,400m
3pm: Handicap Dh 64,000 (D) 1,200m
3.30pm: Shadwell Farm Conditions Dh 100,000 (D) 1,000m
4pm: Maiden Dh 60,000 (D) 1,000m
4.30pm: Handicap 64,000 (D) 1,950m
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
