Sheikh Khalid Al Qassimi prevailed in his home rally for a third time on Saturday.
Victory clinched
The Abu Dhabi Racing Citroen driver had opened up a lead of 1 min, 44.9 secs going into the final six stages of the final round of the Middle East Rally Championship (Merc), and, although nearest challenger Abdulaziz Al Kuwari was fastest on every stage, he held on to win by 57 seconds.
Changing strategy
Sheikh Khalid, the 2004 Merc champion, said he had altered his tactics thanks to his strong performance on Friday’s opening leg. “My initial strategy was to push hard till the end. But after achieving a comfortable lead on Day 1, we changed our strategy from full attack to balanced pace to defend our lead,” he said.
Unexpected guest
Sheikh Khalid’s previous wins had come in 2005 and 2006, but he acknowledged there had been an unexpected interruption on Stage 8 when a motorbike appeared on the stage. “We were surprised by a motorbike coming on to the stage from the farms,” he said. “Everything went well and I’m really happy to win my home rally.”
Disappointment
Al Kuwari was frustrated to finish second to Sheikh Khalid and blamed a puncture on the first day for ruining his chances. “I was able to lead all the stages on Day 2, but the tyre problem I faced yesterday affected the final result, as the time I lost made it hard to catch up with the leader,” the Qatari said.
Junior category
There was double delight for Abu Dhabi Racing as their driver Mohammed Al Mutawaa won the 2WD class as he finished sixth overall. He was more than three minutes ahead of his nearest rival Mansour bel Helei to top the standings in the category.
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