DUBAI // Emirati Ahmed Al Maqoodi put his knowledge of the local conditions to great use, cruising to the title in the Dubai International Rally on Friday.
Driving a Polaris Racing Team UAE car, Al Maqoodi completed the two legs, a distance of around 220kms in the sands of Al Qudra, in 3hrs 19mins 16secs, to finish ahead of another Emirati, Atif Al Zarouni (3:57:29), while Michel Fadel (4:27:58) came in third in the top-bill international category.
Behind them, Briton Tom Bell was victorious in the T1.1 category (cars) in his Bowler EXR, 25 minutes ahead of Ahmed Al Shuhail and an hour in front of experienced UAE Desert Challenge competitor Emil Khneisser, both in Nissan Patrols.
In the national motor category, Emirati ace Mohammed Al Balooshi finished four seconds behind Briton David McBride, while Emirati Khalid Al Falasi was third.
“For me, this is my first rally after injury so I am really happy,” said Al Balooshi. “It was a very good stage, very fast; no problems with the navigation. The main thing is, me and the bike and me are in one piece.
“Second behind David McBride by four seconds, it’s a close race. Congratulations to him. It was a well-deserved win. I am very happy with my performance. I was on a very small bike – motocross bike, not a rally bike.”
In the national class buggy category, Sheikh Saeed Al Maktoum took the top honours, ahead of Sheikh Mohammed Al Qassimi and Sabertooth Motorsport’s Derrick Edmondson. In the national autos category, Khaled Al Feraihi finished ahead of Meshari Al Thefiri.
Saudi Arabia’s Abdulmajid Al Khulaifi took first spot in the quad category, finishing ahead of Emirati Humaid Al Mashghouni and Fahad Al Musallam of Kuwait.
Austrian Dana Miskulnig took first place in the ladies moto category.
A part of the Middle East Rally Championships for the first 33 years of its existence, the Dubai International Rally was staged as a Cross Country candidate event this year and, if they get the nod from the FIA, Dubai will earn a slot – provisionally March 9-11 – on the 2017 FIA World Cup for Cross Country Rallies schedule.
Excited about the changes, Al Balooshi said: “I am really excited about what ATCUAE are trying to do. It is really important for the sport. More events like this will add value to all the drivers and riders.
“We have the numbers, but we are not being able to display our talents regularly. But events like this give the riders a stage to shine. This is what you need in all sports. So I hope we get a spot on the 2017 World Cup for Cross Country Rallies calendar.”
Mohammed Ben Sulayem, president of the Automobile and Touring Club of the UAE (ATCUAE), is confident Dubai will get the nod and join the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge on the World Cup calendar after getting positive feedback from the participants and FIA observer.
“The feedback has been good,” he said. “Having done the World Cup in Abu Dhabi for the FIA and also motorcycle, we have the experience. But we cannot get carried away and pretend that we know everything.
“Of course, there are a few things that I would like to improve on, especially on the marketing side because I am a firm believer that we should not be organisers, but we should be promoters. That is the way to sustain this sport.”
Meanwhile, Abu Dhabi Racing’s Sheikh Khalid Al Qassimi, winner of the Dubai International Rally 12 months ago, could not make it to the starting line due to a technical snag that hit his Armada Trophy Truck before the ceremonial start on Thursday night.
Disappointed not to be a part of the Dubai rally, Sheikh Khalid will now focus on preparing for his maiden Dakar Rally appearance in January and will be testing the Peugeot 2008 DKR in Liwa next week.
Follow us on Twitter @NatSportUAE
Like us on Facebook at facebook.com/TheNationalSport
