Abu Dhabi Racing’s Sheikh Khalid al-Qassimi, Dubai-based Briton Sam Sunderland and Kuwait’s Fahad al-Musallam secured overall victories after the final dramatic Abu Dhabi Aviation-sponsored stage of 219.76km at the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge yesterday.
Qatar’s Nasser Saleh al-Attiyah appeared to be cruising to victory in the cars until he rolled his Overdrive Racing Toyota Hilux heavily before the opening passage control. Despite continuing for a short while after a long delay, he retired the damaged car at PC1.
Al-Attiyah just needed to avoid taking any risks to win the car category for the third time and give Toyota a second win. But the Qatari got caught out on a fast section of track before the first passage control and launched the Toyota into a heavy roll. The crew frantically tried to make repairs and began to crawl through the stage to the first checkpoint, but it was to no avail and it opened the door for al-Qassimi to snatch a sensational victory.
Al-Qassimi and navigator Khalid al-Kendi had put their previous day’s troubles behind them and were pushing hard to the finish and keeping the pressure on their rivals. Their determination was duly rewarded with a superb victory that gives the Abu Dhabi driver a 33-point lead in the FIA World Cup for Cross-Country Rallies after three rounds.
A fascinating tussle ensued for supremacy in the motorcycle and quad categories. Honda’s Paulo Gonçalves began the last stage with a lead of 33.8 seconds, but starting order is crucial in this form of cross-country rallying and Dakar champion Sam Sunderland delivered a stunning ride on his Red Bull KTM 450 Rally to seal the stage win and earn his first Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge victory.
Starting eighth on the road was an obvious advantage and the Dubai-based rider’s strategy paid off handsomely.
Chile’s Pablo Quintanilla bounced back from recent career setbacks to claim second place on his Rockstar Energy Husqvarna – 6min 13.7sec behind the winner – and Austrian Matthias Walkner won the battle with Paulo Gonçalves for third place.
A delighted al-Qassimi will take many positives from his debut in the Abu Dhabi Racing Peugeot 3008 DKR. Delays on day four aside, al-Qassimi has adapted well to cross-country rallying in a short space of time and his victory throws the FIA World Cup wide open. His winning margin was 41min 26sec and he became the first Emirati to win the event since Mohamed Mattar won the two non-championship races way back in 1991 and 1992.
Al-Qassimi said: “I think this is the first win on an FIA World Cup round for an Emirati in 27 years. This event has been in the series for 25 years and this is also a first for an Emirati. I don’t want to be so greedy. I am still learning and for me every day is a learning curve. This is only my fourth or fifth cross-country. I am pushing myself to a good level. The team itself, all of us, had a good effort. We had a lot of problems.
Czech driver Martin Prokop delivered a career-best performance in this discipline of rallying to snatch second place in his Ford F-150. Mohamed Abu Issa has enjoyed a successful transition from racing on a quad to being competitive in a car and the Qatari finished third overall in his Mini All4 Racing.
T2 became a battle ground between Ahmed al-Shegawi and Yasir Saiedan after earlier delays for Abu Dhabi’s Emil Khneisser and Qatar’s Adel Abdulla. Al-Shegawi was delayed on the last stage and Saiedan claimed the win from al-Shegawi and Mansoor al-Helai. Adel Hussein battled on bravely after minor delays and a time loss when he stopped to help a rival competitor. The Qatari, who runs his Nissan Patrol with support from Saleh Al-Hamad Al-Mana Co. Ooredoo, QMMF and Nissan Middle East, finished fourth and maintains the defence of his world title in style before his home event in two weeks.
It also meant that al-Qassimi leapt to the top of the unofficial championship standings before the next round of the FIA World Cup for Cross-Country Rallies in Qatar.
Results check
Cars
1. Khalid al-Qassimi (ARE)/Khaled al-Kendi (ARE) Peugeot 3008 DKR 2hr 46min 23sec
2. Martin Prokop (CZE)/Jan Tomanek (CZE) Ford F-150 Evo 2hr 53min 44sec
3. Miroslav Zapletal (CZE)/Marek Sykora (SLO) Hummer H3 Evo III 2hr 57min 02sec
4. Eugenio Amos (ITA)/Rafael Tornabell (ESP) Buggy 2WD 3hr 01min 50sec
5. Yayha al-Helai (ARE)/Nasser al-Kuwari (QAT) Nissan Pick-Up 3hr 14min 18sec
Bikes
1. Sam Sunderland (GBR) KTM 450 Rally Factory 2hr 40min 20sec
2. Pablo Quintanilla (CHI) Husqvarna 450 Rally 2hr 46min 19sec
3. Matthias Walkner (AUT) KTM 450 Rally Factory 2hr 49min 18sec
4. Paulo Gonçalves (PRT) Honda 450 CRF Rally 2hr 52min 46sec
5. Pierre Alexander Renet (FRA) Husqvarna 450 Rally 2hr 55min 16sec
Quads
1. Kees Koolen (NED) Barren Racer One 690 3hr 14min 53sec
2. Alexis Hernande Ponce (PER) Yamaha Raptor 700 R 3hr 18min 02sec
3. Rafal Sonik (POL) Honda TRX 700 3hr 20min 40sec
