Following their 1-2 finish in Argentina, Citroën Total Abu Dhabi World Rally Team go to Portugal to compete in the fifth round of the World Rally Championship in the new look DS 3 WRC.
Rally Portugal takes place on May 21-24 and will be Sheikh Khalid Al Qassimi’s second event in the 2015 WRC season.
The team arrives in fine form after claiming their first win in two years thanks to Kris Meeke’s victory in April, while teammate Mats Odstberg claimed the runner-up spot. Al Qassimi finished Rally Argentina in sixth place overall securing 8 points.
For the first time since 2001, Rally Portugal moves north and will feature a whole new set of stages, which will require the co-drivers to prepare new stage notes for each stage, ramping up the challenge. The UAE champion finished last year’s edition of Rally Portugal in 9th place, under harsh weather conditions using cautious attacking strategy.
Review: Citroen Abu Dhabi win Rally Argentina as Shekih Khalid Al Qassimi claims top-six finish
“Rally Portugal is very important to us,” Al Qassimi said. “Citroën Total Abu Dhabi World Rally Team has a huge presence there and we have a special lounge called Abu Dhabi Wave.
“Rally Portugal is considered one of the most prestigious events in the World Rally Championship calendar and is watched by people around the world and attended many thousands of people.
“This year’s edition is particularly exciting because we are officially unveiling the new look of our cars and the Rally features all new stages.
“I have huge confidence in our team, they have vast experience in the World Rally Championship and I am hoping that with the new DS 3 WRC we can repeat Rally Argentina scenario and compete for 1st place. “
Rally Portugal will also see Abu Dhabi Racing’s junior driver, Mohamed Al Mutawaa and his co-driver Stephen McAuley kick off their Junior World Rally Championship (JWRC) campaign in their Citroën DS 3 Al Al Mutawaa, 22, is the first Arabic Emirati driver to participate in a full JWRC season which features 18 drivers from various European countries.
“We decided at the end of last year to give Al Mutawaa the opportunity to participate in a full season of the JWRC.” Sheikh Khalid bin Faisal Al Qassimi, the Chairman of Abu Dhabi Racing, said: “This was based on Al Mutawaa’s performance last year in the Middle East Rally Championship in his category and for his disciplined approach.
“Al Mutawaa performed very well in the 2WD category in has shown to great dedication and commitment to Abu Dhabi Racing Team. Our initiative is based on building youth new champions in the UAE and I hope Mohamed will take advantage of this opportunity.”
Rally Portugal will be based this year in Matosinhos and consists of 16 special stages with a total length of 352.09km, starting with Thursday’s spectator stage (SSS) in Rally Cross arena in Losada. Friday consists of six stages with a total length of 128.7km. Saturday also involves six stages, but with a total length of 165.40km, and concluding Rally Portugal on Sunday with three stages with a total of 54.65km including the classical ‘Fafe’ stage with its famous jump which attracts around 100,000 spectators.
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