Abu Dhabi: Three months after Rally Sweden, the Abu Dhabi Total WRT team return to action in the World Rally Championship. Shaikh Khalid Bin Faisal Al Qasimi and Chris Patterson, Kris Meeke and Paul Nagle, and Stephane Lefebvre and Gabin Moreau will once again take to the gravel stages in the Porto region at Rally de Portugal.
A leg of the World Rally Championship when it began in 1973, Rally de Portugal quickly established itself as one of the legendary rounds, thanks both to the beauty of its stages and the enthusiasm of the fans. Since the rally returned to the Porto region last year, the Fafe stage has become one of the icons of the WRC.
Come Sunday morning, thousands of fans are expected to gather near the famous jump to cheer on the teams as they come out all guns blazing.
For the Abu Dhabi Total WRT team, this rally will be its first gravel round of the season. Up against drivers and teams that have acclimatised to gravel in Mexico and Argentina, the crews will have a tough job on their hands, even though they will enjoy a good starting position for the first two legs.
Although away from competitive action, Kris Meeke has kept himself busy. The Citroen Racing driver took part in recce at the overseas rounds but has above all been busy with the start of development work on the World Rally Car he will be driving in 2017.
Following seven days of testing in a significantly more powerful and efficient car, Meeke will have to start by finding his bearings again. A fourth-place finisher here in 2015, he will undoubtedly be one of the contenders for a podium spot like in Monte Carlo and Sweden.
