Dubai: Citroen Total Abu Dhabi’s Shaikh Khalid Al Qasimi looks to continue his strong start to the Middle East Rally Championship (Merc) in round three of the event in Jordan from Thursday to Saturday.
Shaikh Khalid and co-driver Chris Patterson are second in the standings following the opening rounds in Qatar and Kuwait and will hope to narrow the gap on first.
“Rally Jordan enjoys a unique persona with an international zest and tenacious participants,” said Shaikh Khalid. “I look forward to compete with the intention to reap as many points as possible, and vie to battle for the top three ranks, as usual.
“Many factors have to be taken into account in Jordan, specifically the high temperature, which could negatively impact the tyres performance, and although Jordan consists of 20 relatively short stages, it comes packed with challenges. We will perform enough tests prior to the Rally and adjust the cars settings to best commensurate with the rally’s terrain, which sees a mix of gravel and slippery surfaces.”
The Jordan Rally will also see five participants going for the Abu Dhabi Racing Citroen Middle East Trophy for rookie drivers. Saeed Bin Touq, Juma Al Falasi and Mansoor Belhelai compete in Jordan for the first time, while Mohammad Al Motawaa and Mohammad Al Sahlawi return having won the rookie category in Jordan last year.
