The start of the 2008 FIA World Rally Championship season will see renewed vigour and a new look for the capital of the United Arab Emirates, Abu Dhabi. The emirate will once again partner both the recently-crowned WRC Champion BP-Ford in the newly-named BP Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team and the championship itself, as Official Destination Partner.
However, the 2008 program is far more than simply a continuation of these ground-breaking partnerships, formed when the Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority took the unprecedented step of joining forces with BP-Ford and the WRC last year, to bring the Abu Dhabi name to millions of motorsport fans worldwide.
The emirate’s activity in the WRC forms part of a more far-reaching program to develop awareness of Abu Dhabi as a world-class destination for leisure, culture and commerce. In addition to the WRC and the emirate’s national team, Team Abu Dhabi competing in the FIA Middle East Rally Championship, Abu Dhabi will also be hosting its first Formula One Grand Prix next year and is currently in the midst of the European Tour-backed Abu Dhabi Golf championship.
Abu Dhabi’s partnership with the BP-Ford World Rally Team reaped huge rewards for the emirate in 2007, with success from the outset. Debuting in the WRC at August’s Rally Finland, the team’s two drivers, Marcus Grönholm and Mikko Hirvonen took a monumental one-two result on home soil to kick-start what was described by the ADTA as ‘a perfect partnership’. Incredibly consistent performances by the team for the rest of the year lead to BP-Ford claiming its second Manufacturers’ title in as many years, a fitting result at the end of the first year of partnership with Abu Dhabi.
“For eight rallies last year our WRC partnership with reigning champions BP-Ford saw the Abu Dhabi name engage a worldwide television audience of more than 800 million,” said HH Sheikh Sultan bin Tahnoon Al Nahyan, Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority. “This compelling mechanism will continue to demonstrate the appeal of Abu Dhabi and its evolution into one of the Middle East’s fastest-growing business and leisure destinations.”
Ahmed Hussein, Deputy Director of the ADTA, said; “In the 2008 season Abu Dhabi’s involvement in the newly-named BP Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team will come to the fore. Our first full season as partner will see optimum integration of Abu Dhabi’s destination branding in all aspects of the team.”
“For the first time the new Abu Dhabi brand and logo will be revealed to the WRC’s global fan-base. The BP Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team will communicate the UAE capital’s unique tourism proposition to a worldwide audience of potential visitors.
“We wish everyone in the team, from engineers to drivers – including Abu Dhabi’s own Sheikh Khalid Al Qassimi - all the best for the season ahead.”
With the retirement of Grönholm from the sport at the end of the 2007 season, Hirvonen was promoted to the team’s lead driver, to be partnered by rising fellow Finn, Jari-Matti Latvala in 2008. Both Hirvonen and Latvala’s cars, as well as the complete team operation, will feature a brand-new livery for the 2008 season, encompassing the new Abu Dhabi logo, proudly displayed against the burgundy background, giving the emirate a more integrated look and feel for this upcoming season. The new identity was unveiled at this year’s Autosport International show in the UK by the drivers, Ford of Europe Motorsport Director Mark Deans and Team Director Malcolm Wilson.
"The Focus RS WRC has a new, contemporary livery which blends perfectly with the outlook of the BP Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team," explained Deans. "This is our first full season in partnership with BP and the Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority and their importance to our WRC programme is reflected in the team's new name and their prominence on the car."
In addition to Hirvonen and Latvala, the team will also welcome the return of Abu Dhabi’s rally representative, Sheikh Khalid Al Qassimi. Al Qassimi competed in both the WRC and the MERC in 2007 and lost out to the overall MERC title on a tie-break. However, for 2008, the Emirati is concentrating on representing Abu Dhabi at the highest level of the sport, with a ten-rally program that will allow him to personify the Abu Dhabi spirit and develop his skills and knowledge across all surfaces that make up the WRC.
“I can’t wait to start my first full WRC season in the new Abu Dhabi–branded car,” said Al Qassimi. “It looks fantastic and is faster and lighter than the model I drove last year.
“There are a lot of tarmac events on the calendar this year, and starting the season with Monte Carlo and then Sweden – both with plenty of snow and ice expected – is obviously a little different to what I’m used to in Abu Dhabi and the MERC!
“I’m especially looking forward to Jordan – which I won in the MERC last year – as I’ll be able to test myself against the world’s best drivers on familiar terrain. Then we move to Sardinia and Greece, where better weather will hopefully help me maintain high speeds. It’s going to be a fantastic season and I have to again express my gratitude to Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority and in particular, His Highness Sheikh Sultan, for giving me this unbelievable opportunity,” added Al Qassimi.
Aiding Al Qassimi in tackling more WRC events this year will be a new co-driver, Michael Orr. Orr is extremely experienced and should help the Emirati realise his potential on the WRC stages and demonstrate what Abu Dhabi stands for.
“With Michael – a hugely experienced navigator – in the cockpit with me, I’m really optimistic about the season ahead. His knowledge will be vital in helping me approach new rallies and surfaces with the confidence to go all out.”
The 2008 season will also see a much greater presence for Abu Dhabi in the championship itself. The Abu Dhabi Oasis, which debuted in the WRC service park in Ireland in November 2007, will be present on 11 of the season’s 15 rounds and will allow the emirate to communicate its key message to the media, WRC family and the world’s motorsport fans directly. The Oasis will form the base for Abu Dhabi’s expanding programme of promotion through a range of initiatives and the emirate will also have greater presence through the official radio service, World Rally Radio.
Abu Dhabi will also be clearly demonstrating its new brand mark in stages throughout the championship with the associated television coverage, ensuring that as many motorsport fans as possible are aware of the unique nature of Abu Dhabi as a world-class destination.
