ABU DHABI, one of seven emirates that make up the UAE and home of the country’s capital city, has agreed a historic partnership with nine-time World Rally Championship (WRC) winning manufacturer, Citroen Racing.

The three-year partnership between Citroen Racing and the newly-created Abu Dhabi Racing (ADR), an Abu Dhabi-based company working on a number of expansive professional and grassroots motorsport initiatives, will see the two full-works manufacturer teams, Citroen

Total Abu Dhabi World Rally Team and the Abu Dhabi Total Citroen World Rally Team participate in the WRC as of next season’s opening round in Monte Carlo, running January 18-20. Both teams and all registered drivers in the new Citroen-Abu Dhabi stable will be eligible to score manufacturers’ points.

“In Abu Dhabi, we have a long-term partner that will preserve Citroen’s position at the summit of global rallying,” said Yves Matton, director of Citroen Racing and Team Principal of Citroen Total Abu Dhabi World Rally Team.

As part of the agreement, the UAE’s most successful international rally driver in terms of

WRC points, Sheikh Khalid Al-Qassimi is back in the WRC next year. Al-Qassimi will contest eight WRC rounds for Abu Dhabi Total Citroen World Rally Team in the all-new Abu Dhabi-branded DS3 WRC, which was unveiled recently at the team’s international launch at Monte Carlo Beach Club Saadiyat, Abu Dhabi.

On WRC rounds where nine-time world champion, Sebastien Loeb, is participating, the legendary Frenchman will drive for Citroen Total Abu Dhabi World Rally Team alongside Finland’s Mikko Hirvonen, with Spain’s Dani Sordo joining Al Qassimi in the Abu Dhabi Total Citroen World Rally Team. When Loeb, who is contesting a shortened schedule next season, is not in action, Sordo will pilot the second manufacturers’ points-scoring car for Citroen Total.

“It also begins a long-term relationship that we hope will foster increased Emirati participation in various global motorsport series — including off-road and circuit-based disciplines,” said Al-Qassimi, who counts 45 WRC starts to his name and is also ADR chairman.