Impressive field to battle in revived UAE Rally Championship

posted on 27/10/2011: 24 views

The Emirates Motor Sport Federation (EMSF) is reviving the UAE Rally Championship with the opening round being held over four stages in the Al Ain desert tomorrow.

Sponsored by Shaikh Marwan Bin Rashid Al Mualla, EMSF Chairman and Mohammad Bin Sulayem, FIA Vice President (Sports), the opening round has attracted some big names and former champions Shaikh Suhail Bin Khalifa Al Maktoum and Shaikh Abdullah Al Qasimi.

"This rally is definitely going to be a great learning curve for all involved… for the drivers, the marshalls, the ground staff and the organisers. We've not organised an event for a long time now and we want to start small and ensure its success before we start growing," Ahmad Al Sharif, general manager at EMSF.

Drivers confirmed

The last time the EMSF staged any activity was in 2008, after which things got difficult with the economic crunch worldwide.

"Now is the time for a re-look of things and a fresh start and we are thankful to all the drivers who have confirmed for this opening round of the championship," Al Sharif said.

"For sure, we need to take things to the next stage and this will happen once we start building on the success of the first round," he added.

As per the last count, 14 cars have been confirmed for tomorrow's first round to be held in the Al Ain desert area of Al Ruway'ya.

There are drivers from Saudi Arabia and Qatar who will also be competing.

"It's exciting to see the old times roll back. A lot of hard work has gone into this rally and we hope to make it a success," Al Sharif said.

Five rounds

The 2011 UAE Rally Championship will see five rounds for 4x4 vehicles and another three for the saloon cars. The second and third rounds of the championship for 4x4 will be in Ras Al Khaimah, in December, and Umm Al Qaiwain, in February, respectively, while the dates for the remaining two rounds are yet to be confirmed.

The first two rounds for saloon cars will be held alongside the Dubai International Rally, from December 1-3, followed by the second round in Sharjah in March 2012.

"Our aim is to start small and ensure a successful rally with a lot of cost cutting," Al Sharif said.

The drivers will be flagged from the Outlet Mall along the Dubai-Al Ain Highway at 8am tomorrow. After the four stages totalling 95kms, the first of the cars is expected to roll in by 3.30pm. – Gulf News

RELATED ARTICLES

13 May 2012	Al Ketbi ends Giru di Corsica-Tour de Corse in style
13 May 2012	Dubai Falcons take thrilling Kartdrome 12hours title
09 May 2012	Skydive Dubai brace for ‘Rally of 1000 Corners’
12 April 2012	Last day of the UAE national circuit racing season at the Dubai Autodrome
11 April 2012	Red Bull X-Fighters stars back for more in Dubai

blog comments powered by Disqus