Dubai: The three Emiratis setting the pace in the Emirates Desert Championship will all come under pressure again on Friday, when another big line-up of drivers and riders tackle the third round of the national rally series.

Defending cars champion Ahmad Al Fahim carries a slender three-point lead into the short course event taking place in the Dubai desert at Lasaili, with the support of Skydive Dubai, with second round winner Ahmad Al Maqoodi among the chasing pack and looking for a second successive victory.

Leading the overall bikes category by a single point, multiple Arab motocross champion Mohammad Al Beloushi knows he cannot afford any mistakes if he is to give himself some more breathing space from Kuwaiti challenger Mohmmad Jaffar in second place.

While the UAE’s Humaid Al Mashghouni has an eight-point advantage over British rider Alex MacFarlane in the battle of the quads, he too could face a tough time when the third of six rounds of the Emirates Desert Championship gets under way at 9am.

Another action-packed event is on the cards, with 123 riders and drivers entered for the third round of the series, which is organised by the Automobile and Touring Club of the UAE (ATCUAE) and the Emirates Motor Sport Federation (EMSF), with TAG Heuer Middle East as the official timekeeper and founding partner.

“We have a lot of competition in the cars, bikes and quads and the championship is developing into a very interesting series, with everything to compete for as we reach the half way point,” said ATCUAE and EMSF President Mohammad Ben Sulayem.

“I would like to thank Skydive Dubai for their support in staging this round and we look forward to developing our working relationship with government and private entities to ensure that the championship continues to go from strength to strength.”

Joining the fiercely competitive bikes category are the father and son combination of Simon and Llewelyn Pavey who are familiar faces in the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge and stop off in Dubai en-route from Dakar Rally training in Australia.