Emiratis aim to step up challenge in UAE Desert Championship

Early leaders David Mabbs, Sean Gaugain and Sebastian Husseini could come under pressure from a cluster of Emirati challengers when the inaugural UAE Desert Championship breaks new ground with the support of Skydive Dubai this weekend.

Mabbs enters the second round of the new national rally series on Friday looking to build on his initial advantage in the combined cars and buggies category, while Gaugain and Husseini aim to repeat their opening round successes in the bikes and quads divisions.

After finishing second and fourth behind Mabbs in last month’s first round, Emirati drivers Ahmad Al Maqoodi and Mansoor Al Helei will both aim to step up their bids in the 2013-14 four-round national championship, which is also a feeder series for next year’s Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge.

Organized by the Emirates Motor Sport Federation, with TAG Heuer Middle East as the official timekeeper and founding partner, the UAE Desert Championship is run with the support of the Automobile and Touring Club of the UAE, the national motor sport authority.

The second round will be a Baja-style short track rally run near Al Lusayli. A spectacular marked desert route has been plotted with the help of Skydive Dubai whose impressive facility in nearby Margham boasts a world-class accelerated freefall training school and heritage village.

ATCUAE President Mohammed Ben Sulayem and SkyDive Dubai General Manager Nasser Al Neyadi established the first in a series of event partnerships which are planned to drive the development of the UAE Desert Championship.
“The support of both the public and private sector is vital to ensure the success of the new championship, and we’re very grateful to SkyDive Dubai for their help in staging this latest round at the weekend,” said Sulayem.

“We want to revitalize rallying in the UAE by attracting and developing more young talent and creating a new platform for existing competitors. We chose a desert rally format because we have some of the best natural terrain in the world for cross country events, and it’s vital to have the backing of organizations like SkyDive Dubai to find new areas for staging events.”

More than 80 cars, buggies, bikes and quads contested last month’s opening round, and a similarly powerful line-up will be in action at the weekend.

Lying second and third respectively in the quads category, Mohammad Shamshi and Nasser Al Ali Abdullah are among the UAE riders aiming to challenge first round winner Husseini, while Gaugain can also expect more tough competition in the bikes division.

With practice prohibited, the second round route running near Al Lusayli will be revealed to competitors on Friday morning, before the cars and buggies set off at 9 a.m. on 20km laps running for two hours, with the bikes and quads competing simultaneously over a parallel track.

Scrutineering for the opening round takes place at Dubai Autodrome between 5pm-8pm tomorrow (Wednesday). Access to the rally HQ and service park for Friday’s event is via Exit 37 on the Dubai-Al Ain Road 5km south of The Sevens rugby venue. The two remaining rounds scheduled for Jan. 31 and Feb. 14-15 will take place in other emirates.