DUBAI, 9 January 2004 — Kuwait's Meshal Al-Nejadi begins his defense of the first Middle East title while UAE's Rashid Al-Ketbi aims to establish himself as a championship contender in the ADNOC Distribution UAE International Rally later this month.
For Al-Nejadi, the opening round of the 2004 FIA Middle East Championship provides an immediate test of his ability to hold on to the regional 1600 Cup he clinched in last month's Dubai International Rally, the final event of the 2003 series.
He finished 14th overall in Dubai in his Citroen Saxo, one place ahead of elder brother Essam in a Proton Wira, and both return to action in Abu Dhabi on Jan. 29-30 looking for a flying start to the season as they bid to keep the title in Kuwait.
For Al-Ketbi, the ADNOC Distribution UAE International Rally offers a quick chance to bury his disappointment from Dubai where his Group N Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution 6 went out of the event when it caught fire on the first leg.
The UAE driver finished runner-up in Abu Dhabi in 1999 just two months after taking second place in Dubai, and while he has made only limited appearances in recent years is now geared up for a full assault on this year's FIA Middle East Championship.
ADNOC Distribution UAE International Rally is organized by the Automobile and Touring Club for the UAE (ATCUAE), the national motor sport authority. The major sponsor is ADNOC Distribution, which has been a consistent supporter of the rally, and of other sporting events in the UAE.
Backed by new sponsors, Mecca Cola, Al-Ketbi intends entering each of the scheduled eight rounds in the 2004 Middle East series and hopes to mount a serious challenge, particularly as World Rally Cars have been banished from the championship, leaving Group N challengers to contest the regional title.
Another UAE driver, Sadiq Fadhel, will be hoping to build on his eighth place last month in Dubai as he returns to the scene of two of his best performances. Partnered by Imad Nabhan in a Group N Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 7, Fadhel finished runner-up to Khalifa Al-Mataywi in the inaugural UAE International Rally in 1995, and also took fourth place in the event the following year.
