Al Ketbi eyes Qatar rally championship win

Dubai: The UAE's Rashid Al Ketbi will kick-start his campaign for the Middle East Rally Championship at the wheel of a re-branded Skoda Fabia S2000 in the 2010 Qtel Qatar International Rally.

He will be competing as part of the Fazza3 Team under the main sponsorship of Dubai Crown Prince Shaikh Hamdan Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum tomorrow. Speaking ahead of his departure for Doha, Al Ketbi said: "This is a truly all-Emirati team — the driver, co-driver and the entire crew; the first time an all-Emirati team in the true sense that will be competing in a rally overseas.

"I wish to thank Shaikh Hamdan who is the main sponsor of my team and our goal will be to go all out for victory," Al Ketbi added.

The car, driven competitively for the first time at the 2009 Dubai International Rally last December, was re-branded barely a week ago following confirmation of the main sponsor for the Fazza3 Team. Al Ketbi struggled to complete special stage one (SS1) of the Dubai Rally when his brand new Skoda Fabia S2000 overheated, then recovered. The car had been delivered straight from the Skoda factory in the Czech Republic just days before the rally.

The UAE has a strong presence in this season-opener with as many as nine cars flying the country's flag.