After an intense three-day selection procedure, Citron and Abu Dhabi have chosen the talented young drivers who will take part in next seasons Middle East Rally Championship in two Citron DS3 R3s.
Mohammed Al Mutawaa and Mohammed Al Ali topped a pool of thirteen candidates from across the United Arab Emirates, after a seriesof specific tests held at the Yas Marina Circuit.
The stakes were high for the thirteen candidates chosen to take part in the young driver selection event organised byCitron Racing, Abu Dhabi Racing and the Yas Marina Circuit. Starting at 9am on Friday, the instructors, drivers andjudges met up at the circuit for preparations and a briefing session. The drivers then headed out onto the tarmac fortheir first opportunity to get a feel for the Citron DS3 Racing on a mixed surface, combining dry and wet sections. OnSaturday, the day began with a physical training session before the start of the first few warm-up laps. The selectionprocedure started for real in the afternoon with a timed lap on a difficulty one circuit with a rolling start. The judgeswere thus able to select the six drivers who would continue to the next stage of the tests. After a final session made upof a series of general knowledge tests on motorsport, physical tests and two timed laps of the circuit with difficultyratings of two and three from a standing start, Mohammed Al Mutawaa and Mohammed Al Ali were chosen as the twowinners. Each of the two winners will drive a Citron DS3 R3 to compete in the six rounds of the 2013 Middle EastRally Championship (MERC).
The young driver selection event has proven to be a very rewarding and interesting experience commented adelighted Marek Nawarecki, Customer Racing Manager for Citron Racing. We were pleasantly surprised by thefriendly atmosphere and strong team spirit that developed between the competitors during the event. They all wantedto help each other out and share experiences. Although they all have different backgrounds, varying from karting andtrack racing to cross country rallying, whilst some were just beginners, everyone listened attentively to the advice giventhroughout the three days and were very willing to share their experiences with the others. There is no doubt that nextseason will be a very useful learning experience for the two winners taking part in the championship.
THE WINNERSMohammed Al Mutawaa20 years old (DOB: 2 December 1992)Nationality: EmiratiCurrently studying finance at the Zayed University in Dubai, Mohammed already hasquite a bit of experience in track racing. In 2007, he was selected from among 700young drivers to represent the United Arab Emirates in Europe by joining the AutosportAcademy, with which he competed for one season in Formula Renault 1.6 L. Initiallyentered in the Touring Car Championship in 2009/2010, he finished as runner-up inthe United Arab Emirates GT Championship (2010/2011) and also claimed secondplace in the Formula Gulf 1000 series. He has also achieved some strong results inkarting and is part of the prestigious FIA Institute Young Driver Excellence Academy.
I feel both honoured and very happy to have been selected. It is a great opportunity to start rally driving for such aprofessional team. Over the three days, I have learned a lot and have developed some new skills which will be veryuseful for me, going forward. I have also had the opportunity to work with the Citron team, who have given someexcellent advice. Although I have five years experience of competing in motorsport, particularly in track racing series, Iam now heading for a new challenge and Im going to be doing my utmost to produce some good performances nextseason!, revealed the young winner. And I really can't wait to drive the Citron DS3 R3!
Mohammed Al Ali23 years old (DOB: 23 January 1989)Nationality: EmiratiHolder of a degree in accounting, Mohammed is a beginner in motorsport but he stoodout during the selection procedure thanks to his fighting spirit and determination. Healso demonstrated an impressive ability to improve rapidly. In the background during thepreparations on Friday, he proved to be one of fastest when the drivers completed theirfirst timed laps.
I never thought I would be one of the winners at this event. Of course, I was verydetermined to do well and I gave it my all to try and win. Above all, I have learned a lotduring the selection procedure. The advice given to us by the instructors was invaluable, and it helped me to improvequickly when driving the DS3 Racing. I cant wait to start the season!
FIA MIDDLE EAST RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP (MERC)25-26 January Qatar International Rally21-23 March Kuwait International Rally23-25 May Jordan Rally6-8 September Rally of Lebanon1-3 November Cyprus Rally2-4 December Dubai International Rally
