Nasser al-Attiyah in his Mini during the leg 1.
By Sports Reporter/Abu Dhabi
The UAE’s Yahya al-Helei covered himself in glory today in the 25th anniversary Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge Powered by Nissan, outshining the world’s best drivers to take the lead as he extended his remarkable 100% appearance record in the event.
Partnered by Emirati co-driver Khalid al-Kindi in a Nissan Pick-up, al-Helei won the 262km Yas Marina Circuit Special Stage 1 in impressive style to take a 1mins 54 secs overall lead from reigning FIA World Cup champion Vladimir Vasilyev, last year’s cars winner, in a Mini.
Brazilian Reinaldo Varela in a Toyota Hilux finished the leg in third, with Dakar Rally champion Nasser al-Attiyah, the UAE’s Sheikh Khalid al-Qassimi and Dutchman Erik Van Loon completing the top six.
In the battle of the bikes, reigning FIM world champion Marc Coma of Spain once again looked in complete control in the desert of the Western Region which he has come to know so well, taking a lead of 1.21 secs from his KTM teammate, Dubai-based British rider Sam Sunderland.
But al-Helei, the man who has previously contested the Desert Challenge 23 times in a car and once on a bike, was unquestionably the star of the day, despite a nervous last section when he was hindered by gearbox problems.
He reached the end of the stage to say: “I spent AED1 million to turn my car from T2 to T1 because I want to win this rally. The other drivers have factory cars, but I wanted to show that the most important thing is how strong is the driver, not the car.
“I had a good day, but for the last 80kms I had transmission problems, sometimes losing fourth gear and third gear. I was happy to finish, and tomorrow I hope for another good day.”
Making it an even better day for the host country, al-Qassmi produced a splendid drive on his Desert Challenge debut to finish the day in fifth place, showing that he has adapted quickly after making the transition from conventional rallying to cross country for this event. “It was a great performance from Yaha, who has shown again what an accomplished driver he is,” said Mohamed Ben Sulayem, President of the Automobile and Touring Club of the UAE, the rally organisers.
“It’s good to see an Emirati driver performing so well on this world stage, and it was encouraging as well to see Sheikh Khalid driving so confidently on his first attempt at the Desert Challenge.”
Coma was in commanding form on his KTM, and with defending champion Paulo Goncalves of Portugal more than four minutes further adrift in third, the Spaniard said at the end of the stage: “The first day has been tricky however everyone is excited and pushing. I am happy and in a good position.”
Sunderland, who had been uncomfortable with his sixth place starting position on the day, produced another quality performance to say: “I gave it my all to gain ground and catch up with bikers in front. It was difficult but I pushed myself really hard to get there.”
Goncalves, who produced a brilliant final leg surge to win the bikes crown last year, said: “Today has been hard as I began fast so I could chase the leaders. I then lost time when I stopped to help a competitor. Tomorrow is another day and I need to remain focused.”
Portugal’s Ruben Faria, American Ricky Brabec and Austrian Matthias Walkner completed the top six, while top UAE rider Mohamed al-Balooshi again looked comfortable in the presence of the world’s top riders, setting the seventh fastest time.
Balooshi said: “I started the stage in third and stayed there almost until the first service. I then stalled and Marc Coma passed me. It’s day one of four more long days. Anything can happen and it’s important to be smart and take it day by day.”
The 25th Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge is taking place under the patronage of Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed al-Nahyan, the Ruler’s Representative in the Western region. The Nissan Patrol, the “Hero of All terrain in Life”, is positioned for the 12th year as the official vehicle of the event.
