Sheikh Khalid Al Qassimi is optimistic about producing a better performance on Sunday at Rally Cyprus after seeing his victory hopes hindered by dust and mechanical problems on Saturday.
The Abu Dhabi Racing driver, who entered this week’s penultimate round of the Middle East Rally Championship (Merc) with an outside chance of the title, finished Sunday’s first full day of action in Nicosia in third place, one minute, 38 seconds adrift of leader Nasser Al Attiyah.
Sheikh Khalid, who had begun the day in fourth spot after the opening ceremonial stage on Friday, was forced to slow down as a consequence of having to drive on stages too soon after Al Attiyah, with his vision being limited by the dust coming up off the gravel roads.
“There was a lot of dust on the first stage and I lost a lot of time because of that,” he said.
“For the next stage, they gave us an extra minute gap to reduce the dust.”
Sheikh Khalid, driving an Abu Dhabi Citroen DS3 in the event with co-driver Scott Martin, found pace later in the day, setting the fastest time of all on the fourth stage.
But it was not enough to prevent him from losing ground to Al Attiyah, the championship leader, and Abdulaziz Al Kuwari, on the remaining five stages.
Sheikh Khalid remained frustrated with the conditions, which had caused concerns with the car during the day, too.
“The problem is that the car doesn’t feel right.” he said. “On that last stage, we had a blockage. With no air coming into the engine, it overheated and went into safe mode, and we lost power. But we still put in a good time and we’ll look to make some changes and improve.”
Another eight stages will complete the event today, and Sheikh Khalid, who won the Merc title in 2004, needs Al Attiyah to have mechanical problems or make a mistake if he is to keep the championship alive until the final round of racing in Dubai next month.
Going into the event, Sheikh Khalid trailed Al Attiyah, who is driving a Ford Fiesta, by 42 points.
Al Attiyah only needs to finish fifth to guarantee his ninth Merc title, but driving conservately does not appear to have been part of his strategy as a string of fast times has seen him pull away from the field.
He will start Sunday with a lead of 96 seconds over Al Kuwari, who is fourth in points, and a potential challenger to Sheikh Khalid’s second spot in the standings, trailing the Emirati by nine.
Cypriot driver Costas Georgiou is fourth but more than three minutes behind Sheikh Khaid in his Mitsubishi Lancer, with Qatari Misfer Al Marri completing the top five.
The only major casualty on the first day of action was Saudi Arabia’s Yazeed Al Rajhi, who plunged from fourth to seventh place when mechanical problems saw him collect time penalties for starting stage five late, before retiring from the event soon afterward.
sports@thenational.ae
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Pupils in Abu Dhabi are learning the importance of being active, eating well and leading a healthy lifestyle now and throughout adulthood, thanks to a newly launched programme 'Healthy Lifestyle'.
As part of the Healthy Lifestyle programme, specially trained coaches from City Football Schools, along with Healthpoint physicians have visited schools throughout Abu Dhabi to give fun and interactive lessons on working out regularly, making the right food choices, getting enough sleep and staying hydrated, just like their favourite footballers.
Organised by Manchester City FC and Healthpoint, Manchester City FC’s regional healthcare partner and part of Mubadala’s healthcare network, the ‘Healthy Lifestyle’ programme will visit 15 schools, meeting around 1,000 youngsters over the next five months.
Designed to give pupils all the information they need to improve their diet and fitness habits at home, at school and as they grow up, coaches from City Football Schools will work alongside teachers to lead the youngsters through a series of fun, creative and educational classes as well as activities, including playing football and other games.
Dr Mai Ahmed Al Jaber, head of public health at Healthpoint, said: “The programme has different aspects - diet, exercise, sleep and mental well-being. By having a focus on each of those and delivering information in a way that children can absorb easily it can help to address childhood obesity."
UAE finals day
Friday, April 13
Rugby Park, Dubai Sports City
3pm, UAE Conference: Dubai Tigers v Sharjah Wanderers
6.30pm, UAE Premiership: Dubai Exiles v Abu Dhabi Harlequins
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What are the GCSE grade equivalents?
- Grade 9 = above an A*
- Grade 8 = between grades A* and A
- Grade 7 = grade A
- Grade 6 = just above a grade B
- Grade 5 = between grades B and C
- Grade 4 = grade C
- Grade 3 = between grades D and E
- Grade 2 = between grades E and F
- Grade 1 = between grades F and G
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
Company profile
Company name: Fasset
Started: 2019
Founders: Mohammad Raafi Hossain, Daniel Ahmed
Based: Dubai
Sector: FinTech
Initial investment: $2.45 million
Current number of staff: 86
Investment stage: Pre-series B
Investors: Investcorp, Liberty City Ventures, Fatima Gobi Ventures, Primal Capital, Wealthwell Ventures, FHS Capital, VN2 Capital, local family offices
Company Profile
Name: Direct Debit System
Started: Sept 2017
Based: UAE with a subsidiary in the UK
Industry: FinTech
Funding: Undisclosed
Investors: Elaine Jones
Number of employees: 8
The pillars of the Dubai Metaverse Strategy
Encourage innovation in the metaverse field and boost economic contribution
Develop outstanding talents through education and training
Develop applications and the way they are used in Dubai's government institutions
Adopt, expand and promote secure platforms globally
Develop the infrastructure and regulations