Abu Dhabi The 2012 Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge from March 30 to April 6 is set to feature an even more varied line-up than ever before. Participants of some 35 different nationalities and a record number of women competitors already signed up to tackle the towering dunes and spectacular terrain of the formidable Liwa desert.
With the registration deadline for the 22nd edition of one of the world's toughest and most popular cross-country rallies hours away, the Automobile and Touring Club of the UAE (ATCUAE), organiser of the race, has confirmed entries from across six continents.
Mohammad Bin Sulayem, ATCUAE president and founder of the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge, said: "The Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge is a must for all serious rally drivers and riders. It is renowned for testing participants and their machines, to their absolute limits, giving them a chance to really prove themselves in front of their peers. That is why, in its 22nd year, it continues to attract such a strong line-up of entrants from around the world."
In a significant development for the race, 2012 sees a marked increase in entrants from South America, with competitors from Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Venezuela and Uruguay already confirmed.
Extremely popular
By attracting a growing number of entrants from a continent where rallying is extremely popular, the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge will further spread the fame of the spectacular Western Region of Al Gharbia.
Among the contestants battling it out across the breathtaking dunes and stunning scenery of the Rub Al Khali (Empty Quarter), there will once again be a strong contingent from right across the Middle East. Notably, the UAE's entrants include two of the region's most famous rally drivers — Shaikh Abdullah Al Qasimi and the 2004 FIA World Cup champion Khalifa Al Mutaiwei.
Al Mutaiwei, who recently announced his return to international cross-country rallying after an eight-year absence, will race with the celebrated German X-raid team. Shaikh Abdullah will take on the Desert Challenge in a Powertech Buggy, having claimed podium places for the past two years in the Middle East Rally Championship.
The number of women participants this year rises to six. Desert Challenge regular and UAE resident, Sheila Hutton-Barker will again compete in a Nissan Patrol as co-driver to her husband Ian. The Briton will be joined by contestants from Brazil, Bulgaria, the US and Italy, including the most experienced female quad biker in the field, Camelia Liparoti.
