FAST AND FURIOUS: Poland’s Rafal Sonik (left) and Qatar’s Mohamed Abu Issa seen in action in Quad category during the second stage of the Sealine Cross-Country Rally, a leg of the FIA World Cup for Cross-Country Rallies, yesterday.

Sports Reporter/Sealine (Qatar)


Qatar’s Nasser Saleh al-Attiyah, Dubai-based Briton Sam Sunderland and Qatar’s Mohamed Abu Issa won the punishing 396.46-km second selective section of the Sealine Cross-Country Rally yesterday.
After the second day’s action, al-Attiyah, Spaniard Marc Coma and Abu Issa hold the unofficial outright leads in the car, motorcycle and quad categories, respectively.
Al-Attiyah and French co-driver Matthieu Baumel led from start-to-finish in their Mini All4 Racing and managed to extend their overall lead to 24 minutes 29 seconds over Saudi Yazeed al-Rajhi and his German co-driver Timo Gottschalk in an Overdrive Toyota Hilux.
“It was a good day, no problems,” said the Qatari. “To be the first car and open the road is not easy, but the feeling with the car was incredible. Matthieu did a great job for the second day.”
“I pushed hard and I knew this would be a test for him as well. But it was a good job. Maybe I will soften the rear suspension (tomorrow) to make the wheels travel better over the rocky ground, but I am not worried about opening again. I am very happy,” he added.
Yazeed al-Rajhi was upbeat despite losing his way three times. “I started well and was driving well,” said the Saudi. “Then we lost our way. It is easy to do that in Qatar. There were three Minis going round and round until one of us found the track. I lost four or five minutes, but the goal was to be in front of Vladimir (Vasilyev) and I am doing that, so that’s okay.”
Overnight motorcycle leader Joan Barreda was always going to struggle opening the stage and he reached the finish in sixth position, as Sunderland claimed the stage win and climbed from seventh overall to fifth.
“It looks good on paper to have won the stage, but the strategy and the tactics mean that I will lose it all again (tomorrow),” said Sunderland. “Nice stage, tricky navigation and it’s good to get the stage win, but this rally had no Prologue and my seeding position was not really favourable, so I’m back to square one again.”
Coma holds the unofficial lead. “Today was a better rhythm and a better balance for me,” said the four-time Dakar winner.
“It’s a case of finding the balance between speed and concentrating on the navigation. To lead the way for 400km is never easy. Temperatures were not a factor, but the sand is more compact in the mornings and that helps a lot. I will just keep going and see.”
Qatar’s Abu Issa was in inspired form on his Honda quad and he managed to catch and ride with Poland’s Rafal Sonik to extend the lead he had inherited on Monday evening when Sonik incurred a five-minute time penalty. Adel Hussein Abdullah was running well behind the leading duo in third place.
“I started two minutes behind Rafal (Sonik) and managed to catch and ride with him,” said Abu Issa. Then, after 178km, at the refuel, I got fuel in my googles and they began to melt. I had to ride on without goggles until Rafal lent me a pair of googles. It was not comfortable at all today, but I managed to keep the lead.”
The competitors will tackle the longest stage of the entire event today—a torturous 411.76km loop stage through southern Qatar—with the first bike reaching the start at 05.45 hours.




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