Dubai: Local and overseas drivers have begun registering for the Abu Dhabi Rally - the fourth round of the 2008 UAE Rally Championship taking part between April 18-19.
Held under the patronage of General Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, the rally is being organised by the Emirates Motor Sports Federation (EMSF).
It is the second time in as many years that this round has been held in the capital, and enthusiasm is high with the participation of local champion Shaikh Khalid Al Qasimi of the BP-Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team.
The event officially begins this evening with the scrutiny of vehicles by Chief Scrutineer Terry Plant and his assistant Ali Al Mansouri at AAA Dubai from 6 pm.
Marina Mall, a prestigious shopping centre in Abu Dhabi, will then be the hub of activity beginning on the afternoon of April 18.
A 1.8-km course will start and finish in front of the mall where a specially designed arch will be erected.
Held over a two-day period, the rally will see the UAE's top drivers in action as well as drivers from overseas.
There will be a total of seven special stages, including a prologue stage, and eight road sections, covering a distance of 323 kilometres.
Bike Championship: Down to the wire
The race for the Superstock Bikes Championship has gone down to the wire with defending champion Abdulaziz Bakr Bin Laden snatching a slender three-point lead over challenger Rod 'Papa' Scott at the end of the seventh round held as part of the Grand Racing Weekend at Dubai Autodrome last week.
The UAE National Superstock and Stock Bikes Championship 2007-08 comes to an end later this month with the eighth and final round scheduled for April 25.
