Struck by misfortunes on the penultimate day of the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge on Wednesday, Sheikh Khalid Al Qassimi had a stunning reversal of fortunes on Thursday when overnight leader and defending champion Nasser Al Attiyah crashed out, leaving the Abu Dhabi Racing chairman to celebrate his first triumph in the event.
Al Attiyah, who had started his 2017 campaign with an impressive win in the Dubai International Baja, looked to be cruising to victory in Abu Dhabi as well as he started the fifth and final stage with a lead of 1 hour, 46 minutes and 3.1 seconds over Sheikh Khalid.
Misfortune, however, struck Al Attiyah as he rolled his Overdrive Racing Toyota Hilux before the opening passage control and, though he tried to continue after a long wait, he was eventually forced to retire with a damaged car.
Al Attiyah’s exit left Sheikh Khalid and co-driver Khaled Al Kendi – who had an overnight lead of 34 minutes over Czech driver Martin Prokop – at the top of the standings and they consolidated their position in the 2017 Dakar-winning Peugeot 3008 DKR, winning the 219.76km Abu Dhabi Aviation Stage by 7 mins, 21 secs, to finish 41:26.3 clear at the top of the standings.
Qatar’s Mohammed Abu Issa completed the podium in third.
Sheikh Khalid, who had lost more than an hour on Stage Four due to a broken driveshaft and a nosedive into a gully, is the first Emirati to win the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge since Mohammed Mattar’s second success in 1992. The event was then known as the UAE Desert Challenge.
“This result is fantastic for Abu Dhabi because a driver and team from Abu Dhabi have won not just the final stage but also the title,” said Sheikh Khalid. “It was not easy. We had a lot of problems, especially on the fourth day where we got stuck and then had to repair a damaged driveshaft. That is the nature of cross-country rallying.”
Sheikh Khalid’s triumph in Abu Dhabi and runners-up finish in the previous round of the World Cup in Dubai means he is now leading the championship table by 33 points, and he is now pondering if he should add a few more World Cup rounds to his schedule.
“To be honest, I went out there to continue my learning curve as I have now done about five cross-country rallies,” said Sheikh Khalid, who will be taking part in the next round of the World Cup in Qatar later this month.
“I am not doing the cross-country championship, but the reality is that we are leading now. So do we take part in another event?
“We will wait and see. If we can do a couple of more events and we are there near the top, then maybe. It will be difficult because we have other events that clash with the calendar, but let us wait and see.”
In the bikes category, the Dubai-based 2017 Dakar champion Sam Sunderland prevailed in a tense battle for the top honours, while Kuwait’s Fahad Al Musallam took the top spot in the quads section.
“It feels cool, it’s been a long time coming,” said Sunderland, as he savoured his first Abu Dhabi triumph.
“This is my home race and it’s a great way to follow up the win in Dakar.”
arizvi@thenational.ae
STAGE FIVE RESULTS (TOP 5)
Cars
1 Khalid Al Qassimi (UAE)/Khaled Al Kendi (UAE), Peugeot 3008 DKR, 2:46:23
2 Martin Prokop (CZE)/Jan Tomanek (CZE), Ford F-150 Evo, 2:53:44
3 Miroslav Zapletal (CZE)/Marek Sykora (SLO), Hummer H3 Evo III, 2:57:02
4 Eugenio Amos (ITA)/Rafael Tornabell (ESP), Buggy 2WD, 3:01:50
5 Yayha Al-Helai (ARE)/Nasser Al-Kuwari (QAT), Nissan Pick-Up, 3:14:18
Bikes
1 Sam Sunderland (GBR), KTM 450 Rally Factory, 2:40:20
2 Pablo Quintanilla (CHI), Husqvarna 450 Rally, 2:46:19
3 Matthias Walkner (AUT), KTM 450 Rally Factory, 2:49:18
4 Paulo Gonçalves (PRT), Honda 450 CRF Rally, 2:52:46
5 Pierre Alexander Renet (FRA), Husqvarna 450 Rally, 2:55:16
Quads
1 Kees Koolen (NED), Barren Racer One 690, 3:14:53
2 Alexis Hernande Ponce (PER), Yamaha Raptor 700 R, 3:18:02
3 Rafal Sonik (POL), Honda TRX 700, 3:20:40
4 Fahad Al-Musallam (KUW), Yamaha Raptor 700R, 3:21:24
5 Maxim Antimirov (KAZ), Honda TRX 700, 3:30:48
OVERALL CLASSIFICATION (TOP 5)
Cars
1 Khalid Al-Qassimi (ARE)/Khaled Al-Kendi (ARE), Peugeot 3008 DKR, 19:16:24.8
2 Martin Prokop (CZE)/Jan Tomanek (CZE), Ford F-150 Evo, 19:57:51.1
3 Mohammed Abu Issa (QAT)/Xavier Panseri (FRA), Mini All 4 Racing, 21:29:02.7
4 Khalid Al-Feraihi (SAU)/Ali Hassan Obaid (ARE), Nissan Patrol, 23:37:58.3
5 Yayha Al-Helai (ARE)/Nasser Al-Kuwari (QAT), Nissan Pick-Up, 23:47:42.6
Bikes
1 Sam Sunderland (GBR), KTM 450 Rally Factory, 18:14:32.5
2 Pablo Quintanilla (CHI), Husqvarna 450 Rally, 18:20:46.2
3 Matthias Walkner (AUT), KTM 450 Rally Factory, 18:22:48.6
4 Paulo Gonçalves (PRT), Honda 450 CRF Rally, 18:25:42.8
5 Pierre Alexander Renet (FRA), Husqvarna 450 Rally, 18:29:23.3
Quads
1 Fahad Al-Musallam (KUW), Yamaha Raptor 700R, 22:33:02.2
2. Kamil Wisniewski (POL), Yamaha Raptor 700 R, 23:12:58.4
3. Camelia Liparoti (ITA), Yamaha Raptor 700 R, 23:42:23.4
4 Maxim Antimirov (KAZ), Honda TRX 700, 23:54:38.4
5 Alexis Hernande Ponce (PER), Yamaha Raptor 700 R, 24:19:14.8
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