MERCJORDAN RALLY (9-11/05/2013)
The FIA Middle East Rally Championship (MERC) will reach the half-way point of the season after Rally Jordan, contested on the banks of the Dead Sea. Runner-up in Qatar and Kuwait, Khalid Al-Qassimi and Scott Martin will be determined to keep improving in the DS3 RRC of the Abu Dhabi Citron World Rally Team.
Having been part of the WRC calendar on two occasions, Rally Jordans superb organisation makes it one of the Middle East Rally Championships unmissable rounds. Winding through the desert-like valley overlooking the Dead Sea, the stages are renowned for being difficult, especially due to the large rocks that line the roads that were specially created for the event.
Khalid Al-Qassimi has already enjoyed success in these stunningly beautiful surroundings, winning the rally in 2007. More recently, the Abu Dhabi driver also finished in the points in 2008 and 2011 when the event featured on the WRC calendar. This isnt really one of my favourite rallies. As the roads were built specifically for the rally, they dont see much use outside of the event, and therefore tend to be covered by a layer of dust, explained Khalid. There will be a lot of sweeping here, especially as we dont have the same system for determining the running order as in the WRC. The fastest drivers go first. Its a rally where you need to take some risks to go fast and it isnt always easy to find the right level of aggression.
Runner-up in the first two rounds of the season, Khalid Al-Qassimi also lies second in the championship standings, 14 points behind the leader. In Jordan, he aims to keep improving: The season has started pretty well, but we need a bit more luck to win. We have also been working very hard with the entire team to adapt the DS3 RRC to the road surfaces encountered in the Middle East.
In order to prepare fully for this event, Khalid and his co-driver Scott Martin will be taking part in testing on Monday: The DS3 RRC is a very sensitive car and we have a few ideas about how we can improve the set-up. I hope well find some good solutions, so we can really challenge in the first few stages.
The two young Emirati drivers selected by Abu Dhabi Racing and Citron Racing will continue to add to their rallying experience. Competing in Citron DS3 R3s, Mohamed Al Sahlawi/Alan Harryman and Mohammed Al Mutawaa/Stephen McCauley will be aiming to win the two-wheel drive category.
Rally Jordan will be held over two days, with sixteen stages providing a total of 256km of timed sections. Racing gets underway on Friday, 10 May at 8.00am (GMT+3), finishing on Saturday at 5.00pm local time.
