ABU DHABI // Describing the Citroen C3 WRC 2017 as a “beast”, Sheikh Khalid Al Qassimi is confident the all-new car can lead the Citroen Total Abu Dhabi World Rally Team (WRT) to success in the new World Rally Championship (WRC) season.
The Citroen C3 WRC was unveiled here last night at a glittering function in the Jumeirah Al Etihad Towers hotel to gasps from the audience.
Needless to say, Sheikh Khalid is excited about driving the car next season.
“For sure, we had a fantastic car last season, a really fast car, but this is a completely different beast,” he said. “I have driven it. It’s like a time machine, a bullet.
“The team have built a fantastic car. It’s a piece of art, a much more powerful and a lot more aggressive car. It is a very mean car compared to the one we had last year.”
Sheikh Khalid also said he was confident of winning the championship with the car.
“This car is the future,” he said.
“We, Abu Dhabi Racing, have had a fantastic four-year relationship with Citroen and the global unveiling of this car here in Abu Dhabi shows how strong this bond is.
“Usually when you have a new car, you always launch it in your home country or in a motor show.”
Kris Meeke, Citroen Total Abu Dhabi WRT’s lead driver in 2016 with two victories — in Portugal and Finland — echoed Sheikh Khalid’s optimism about the C3 WRC, which heralds Citroen’s return as a works team to a championship where they have a record 96 race wins along with 238 podium finishes and eight manufacturers’ titles.
“I am really proud to be part of the Citroen Total Abu Dhabi WRT,” Meeke said. “It’s a big moment for my career to be part of a factory team. It’s something that I have always dreamt of and hopefully we can be competitive.
“We have worked really hard this year and the goal now is to the world championship.
“We have done a lot of work and yeah, we are ready.”
With Volkswagen — winners of the drivers’ and constructors’ championship in 2016 and the dominant WRC team of the past four years — withdrawing from the series, Citroen Total Abu Dhabi WRT are being mentioned as favourites for 2017.
But Sheikh Khalid said it will not be easy.
Four-time world champion Sebastien Ogier, who won the 2016 WRC driver’s crown with Volkswagen, will be around to defend his crown, driving for M-Sport Ford.
Toyota, winners of three manufacturer titles in WRC, will be returning to the international rally stage for the first time since 1999 with an all-Finnish line-up that includes the experienced Jari-Matti Latvala, who has finished inside the top four for eight of the last nine seasons, Juho Hanninen and Esapekka Lappi.
“The drivers are still there,” said Sheikh Khalid, who has been busy preparing for his Dakar Rally debut over the past two weeks. “The Championship still has four manufacturers — Citroean, Ford, Toyota and Hyundai.
“So you have two of the four biggest manufacturers of the world, which is Toyota and Hyundai.
“You also have Ford and Sebastien Ogier, who is the world champion, will be driving for them. Ford have been around for a long time.
“So it is too early to say anything. We are launching a new car and it will be a new challenge. Of course, we will be making a greater effort to win more rallies, but we cannot say we will win the championship because it is a new car.
“Yes we can win the championship, but don’t forget the only way to reach our goal of winning the championship is through winning rallies and having less problems,” he pointed out.
“So, we have to wait. It’s a brand-new car and we can only start making judgements after a few rallies.”
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RESULTS
5pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 1,200m
Winner: Shafaf, Sam Hitchcott (jockey), Ahmed Al Mehairbi (trainer)
5,30pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 1,200m
Winner: Noof KB, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel
6pm: The President’s Cup Listed (TB) Dh380,000 1,400m
Winner: Taamol, Jim Crowley, Ali Rashid Al Raihe
6.30pm: The President’s Cup Group One (PA) Dh2,500,000 2,200m
Winner: Rmmas, Tadhg O’Shea, Jean de Roualle
7pm: Arabian Triple Crown Listed (PA) Dh230,000 1,600m
Winner: Ihtesham, Szczepan Mazur, Ibrahim Al Hadhrami
7.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 1,400m
Winner: AF Mekhbat, Antonio Fresu, Ernst Oertel
Manchester United v Club America
When: Thursday, 9pm Arizona time (Friday UAE, 8am)
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
A State of Passion
Directors: Carol Mansour and Muna Khalidi
Stars: Dr Ghassan Abu-Sittah
Rating: 4/5
RESULTS
5pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 2,200m
Winner: Arjan, Fabrice Veron (jockey), Eric Lemartinel (trainer).
5.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 1,400m
Winner: Jap Nazaa, Royston Ffrench, Irfan Ellahi.
6pm: Al Ruwais Group 3 (PA) Dh300,000 1,200m
Winner: RB Lam Tara, Fabrice Veron, Eric Lemartinal.
6.30pm: Shadwell Gold Cup Prestige Dh125,000 1,600m
Winner: AF Sanad, Bernardo Pinheiro, Khalifa Al Neyadi.
7pm: Shadwell Farm Stallions Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 1,600m
Winner: Jawal Al Reef, Patrick Cosgrave, Abdallah Al Hammadi.
7.30pm: Maiden (TB) Dh80,000 1,600m
Winner: Dubai Canal, Harry Bentley, Satish Seemar.
Recipe
Garlicky shrimp in olive oil
Gambas Al Ajillo
Preparation time: 5 to 10 minutes
Cooking time: 5 minutes
Serves 4
Ingredients
180ml extra virgin olive oil; 4 to 5 large cloves of garlic, minced or pureed (or 3 to 4 garlic scapes, roughly chopped); 1 or 2 small hot red chillies, dried (or ¼ teaspoon dried red chilli flakes); 400g raw prawns, deveined, heads removed and tails left intact; a generous splash of sweet chilli vinegar; sea salt flakes for seasoning; a small handful of fresh flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
Method
▶ Heat the oil in a terracotta dish or frying pan. Once the oil is sizzling hot, add the garlic and chilli, stirring continuously for about 10 seconds until golden and aromatic.
▶ Add a splash of sweet chilli vinegar and as it vigorously simmers, releasing perfumed aromas, add the prawns and cook, stirring a few times.
▶ Once the prawns turn pink, after 1 or 2 minutes of cooking, remove from the heat and season with sea salt flakes.
▶ Once the prawns are cool enough to eat, scatter with parsley and serve with small forks or toothpicks as the perfect sharing starter. Finish off with crusty bread to soak up all that flavour-infused olive oil.
Spare
Profile
Company name: Spare
Started: March 2018
Co-founders: Dalal Alrayes and Saurabh Shah
Based: UAE
Sector: FinTech
Investment: Own savings. Going for first round of fund-raising in March 2019
Uefa Nations League: How it works
The Uefa Nations League, introduced last year, has reached its final stage, to be played over five days in northern Portugal. The format of its closing tournament is compact, spread over two semi-finals, with the first, Portugal versus Switzerland in Porto on Wednesday evening, and the second, England against the Netherlands, in Guimaraes, on Thursday.
The winners of each semi will then meet at Porto’s Dragao stadium on Sunday, with the losing semi-finalists contesting a third-place play-off in Guimaraes earlier that day.
Qualifying for the final stage was via League A of the inaugural Nations League, in which the top 12 European countries according to Uefa's co-efficient seeding system were divided into four groups, the teams playing each other twice between September and November. Portugal, who finished above Italy and Poland, successfully bid to host the finals.
MATCH INFO
England 19 (Try: Tuilagi; Cons: Farrell; Pens: Ford (4)
New Zealand 7 (Try: Savea; Con: Mo'unga)
Results:
6.30pm: Handicap (Turf) | US$175,000 2,410m | Winner: Bin Battuta, Christophe Soumillon (jockey), Saeed bin Suroor (trainer)
7.05pm: UAE 1000 Guineas Trial Conditions (Dirt) | $100,000 | 1,400m | Winner: Al Hayette, Fabrice Veron, Ismail Mohammed
7.40pm: Handicap (T) | $145,000 | 1,000m | Winner: Faatinah, Jim Crowley, David Hayes
8.15pm: Dubawi Stakes Group 3 (D) | $200,000 | 1,200m | Winner: Raven’s Corner, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar
8.50pm: Singspiel Stakes Group 3 (T) | $200,000 | 1,800m | Winner: Dream Castle, Christophe Soumillon, Saeed bin Suroor
9.25pm: Handicap (T) | $175,000 | 1,400m | Winner: Another Batt, Connor Beasley, George Scott
Duterte Harry: Fire and Fury in the Philippines
Jonathan Miller, Scribe Publications
The Bio
Favourite Emirati dish: I have so many because it has a lot of herbs and vegetables. Harees (oats with chicken) is one of them
Favourite place to go to: Dubai Mall because it has lots of sports shops.
Her motivation: My performance because I know that whatever I do, if I put the effort in, I’ll get results
During her free time: I like to drink coffee - a latte no sugar and no flavours. I do not like cold drinks
Pet peeve: That with every meal they give you a fries and Pepsi. That is so unhealthy
Advice to anyone who wants to be an ironman: Go for the goal. If you are consistent, you will get there. With the first one, it might not be what they want but they should start and just do it
