Abu Dhabi: The Citroen Total Abu Dhabi World Rally Team enjoyed a fruitful weekend at the Rally de Espana and now head into the final event of the World Rally Championship (WRC) series in second place in the constructors’ standings.
In Salou, Spain, Mads Ostberg paced himself perfectly on the final leg to ensure he held on to fourth place overall, just ahead of Dani Sordo. That earned the Norwegian 12 championship points and took him from seventh to fifth in the drivers’ championship.
“It has been a very good weekend,” Ostberg said. “This fourth place is an important result for the team and for me. We were competitive on gravel and we held our position on tarmac. I’m really pleased to finish fourth overall.”
Teammate Kris Meeke recorded three second-fastest times on the final day, with only the punctures he picked up at the start of the rally preventing him from scoring heavily again. He added two points to his tally with second place in the power stage.
He said: “I’m very proud of my performance during this rally. It’s just a shame that we weren’t able to be in the fight to score big points. The double puncture at the start of the rally, with only one spare tyre on board, has proven very costly.
“But we had the chance to rejoin the race. We had to refocus and the times were very encouraging. It was important to show that we were on the pace with a few second places on the stages. That will also be useful for the future.”
Meanwhile, another Abu Dhabi Racing driver, Mohammad Al Mutaiwe’e, enjoyed competing alone in the WRC3 category in his DS3 R3.
“Yes, I was alone in the WRC3 category in Rally Spain but I won the experience! I have learned a lot in four days and I will keep working on improving myself with the support of Abu Dhabi Racing. I hope one day to see myself competing in the WRC category,” he said.
“I would like to thank Shaikh Khalid Bin Faisal Al Qasimi, Chairman of Abu Dhabi Racing, for giving me this opportunity.”
