Abu Dhabi: Citroën Total Abu Dhabi World Rally Team driver Shaikh Khalid Al Qasimi and co-driver Chris Patterson are hoping to strike the right balance at Rally d’Italia Sardegna and improve upon their 2013 points finish.
The sixth round of the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) takes place from Thursday to Sunday with the opening night start ceremony and super special stage in the Italian south coastal town of Cagliari running over a new-look 1.3-kilometre route.
Al Qasimi collected one point in Italy last year after finishing tenth overall, but admits the Sardegna-based event has always been a huge challenge which has forced him to withdraw on a couple of occasions in the past. “Rally d’Italia Sardegna is fast and narrow with no room for errors because of the bushes, trees and rocks right on the edge,” Shaikh Khalid said ahead of his departure for Italy.
“I withdrew more than one time from this rally because I was trying to push a little bit too much,” recalled the Citroën DS3 WRC driver.
But Shaikh Khalid is now looking to draw on his past experience, adding: “Therefore, I have to find the right balance; we [Chris and I] want to be both fast and cautions at the same time.”
The Abu Dhabi native foresees the biggest challenge to be the 59.13-kilometre Monte Lerno stage on Saturday, June 7, “as it will be a true test of our endurance”.
Revealing that he would be testing this week in order to find the best set-up for the DS3 WRC, Shaikh Khalid noted that the choice of tyres would play a crucial role in Sardegna.
“The tyres should be hard compound because of the terrain and the heat,” the DS3 driver said of the temperature that is expected to be in excess of 30C, making it uncomfortable inside the car and exerting higher than normal stress on the engine and transmission.
Nevertheless, Shaikh Khalid, who is only doing a limited WRC campaign this year, says he is looking forward to the challenges that lie ahead over the coming weekend in Italy.
The Rally d’Italia Sardegna will cover a total distance of approximately 1,400 kilometres, of which 365 kilometres will be the competitive distance, run over 17 special stages.
