Top FIA drivers, including Qatar’s Nasser Saleh al-Attiyah and Saudi Arabia’s Yazeed al-Rajhi, with QMMF president Nasser Khalifa al-Attiyah at the pre-event Sealine press conference.
By Sports Reporter/Doha
Qatar’s Sealine Cross-Country Rally gets underway from the Losail International Circuit today morning and a record entry of cars, motorcycles and quads will face five days of demanding competition through the deserts of Qatar.
With the prospect of temperatures in the high thirties, strong desert winds and a gruelling route across the remotest terrain the country, it was vital that the competitors completed their preparations thoroughly before the start.
Following Nasser Saleh al-Attiyah’s disputed disqualification from the recent Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge for a minor technical infringement, Russian Mini driver Vladimir Vasilyev holds a 29-point lead in the FIA World Cup Cross-Country Rallies after two rounds. Vasilyev is the defending champion, but faces a stern test of his driving ability and the navigating skills of his co-driver Konstantin Zhiltsov if he is to extend that series lead at the Sealine finish on Friday afternoon.
Al-Attiyah is determined to get back on track after the Abu Dhabi disappointment. “We have appealed against that decision and await the outcome,” said Nasser. “But, saying that, I must move on and what better way than to ensure that we take victory here on my home race in Qatar and move into contention for the championship again.
“It has been a tremendous season so far and I am confident that Matthieu and I can take the win. We have a good starting position (four) and I understand the strong winds are going to die down over the next 24 hours, so it’s looking good.”
Last year’s Sealine winner faces a strong challenge from a further four Mini All4 Racings entered by the German X-raid team and a trio of Toyota Hiluxes, prepared and entered by the Belgian Overdrive Racing team.
England’s Harry Hunt made an impressive cross-country debut in Abu Dhabi to finish third and Dutchman Erik van Loon, Poland’s Adam Malysz and the two-time Dakar winner Joan Roma complete the X-raid line-up with his new co-driver Alex Haro.
“I made a great start to my new challenge in cross-country rallying and enjoyed the first event immensely,” said Hunt. “But now, I suppose, there is a little pressure on me to perform here and take on board any advise I am given.”
Overdrive’s driving trio need to get back into contention for the FIA World Cup after a disappointing result in Abu Dhabi over terrain that better suited the torque of the diesel-turbo engine in the Minis. Saudi Arabia’s Yazeed al-Rajhi, Poland’s Marek Dabrowski and Brazilian Reinaldo Varela drive the three V8-engined cars.
Czech driver Miroslav Zapletal (Hummer H3) and Dutchman Dennis Kuipers (HRX Ford) round off the list of 11 FIA priority drivers.
Qatar has strength in depth on the entry list: the 1993 FIA Middle East rally champion Sheikh Hamed bin Eid al-Thani is entered in a Ford Raptor, while Abdullah al-Raban, Jaralla Jahman, Jamal Fakhroo, Abdullah al-Baker, Khalid al-Mohannadi and Mohammed al-Hargan round off the local drivers on the list. “This is my first cross-country rally and I have chosen one of the toughest in the calendar to begin with,” admitted al-Baker.
There has been an explosion of interest in cross-country rallying in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and al-Rajhi should be joined at the Losail start by fellow countryman and last year’s Ha’il Rally winner Ibrahim al-Muhanna, Ahmed al-Gashimi, Omar Allahim, Khalid al-Feraihi and Yaser Seaidan.
GCC interest is bolstered by an entry for the Emirati driver Mansoor al-Helai. “My father has driven competitively against the very best in the world and won a stage at the Desert Challenge last month. I have started from the bottom, gaining experience and listening to others when I can. I am progressing well and the goal is to achieve more each time I race,” said al-Helai.
French, Kazakh, Brazilian, Dutch, Polish, Peruvian and Russian entrants complete the impressive international driver line-up. The QMMF have also attracted a number of entrants in the T2 category. Russia’s Denis Berezovskiy, Lebanon’s Emil Kneisser and the Brazilian Marcos Ermino Moraes top the field.
Several of the GCC entrants, FIA priority drivers and leading quad and motorcycle riders attended a series of pre-event press conferences at the Losail circuit yesterday in the presence of Nasser Khalifa al-Attiyah, president of the Qatar Motor and Motorcycle Federation (QMMF) and FIA vice-president MENA.
Twenty-three bikes and four quads will join the cars for over 1,780 kilometres of desert competition in a compact route of over 1,900km.
This year’s Sealine Cross-Country Rally is being organised by the QMMF with support from GAC and the Salam International Group. Issa Abdulsalam Abu Issa, chairman and CEO of Salam International, and Mikko Wieru, general manager of GAC in Qatar, joined al-Attiyah at a sponsor’s press conference that followed the presentation of the drivers and riders to an impressive line-up of local and international media.
Today, riders and drivers will leave Losail from 09.30hrs and take a 50.34km road liaison to the start of a 201.94km selective section that finishes 940 metres from the bivouac at Sealine, south of Doha.
FIA World Cup for Cross-Country Rallies standings
1. Vladimir Vasilyev (RUS) 81 pts
2. Erik van Loon (NLD) 52 pts
3. Harry Hunt (GBR) 32 pts
4. Tapio Suominen (FIA) 30 pts
5. Yazeed al-Rajhi (SAU) 24 pts
6. Marek Dabrowski (POL) 22 pts
7. Ahmed al-Fahim (ARE) 18 pts
8. Reinaldo Varela (BRA) 16 pts
8. Orlando Terranova (ARG) 16 pts
10. Miroslav Zapletal (CZE) 12 pts
10. Adam Malysz (POL) 12 pts
BELOW:
1) Leading riders join QMMF president Nasser Khalifa al-Attiyah at the pre-event press conference.
2) Issa Abdulsalam Abu Issa and Mikko Wieru from sponsors Salam International and GAC join Nasser Khalifa al-Attiyah at the Sealine Rally press conference.
