Abu Dhabi: Two Omani rally stars are gearing up to take on one of the world's toughest cross-country rallies, the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge, which take place from April 1 to 7.
Nizar Al Shanfari and Ahmad Al Hajiri will fly the flag for the sultanate as they fight their way across some of the harshest and most visually stunning terrain in the Middle East.
"Omani participation is very important for the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge," said Mohammad Bin Sulayem, FIA vice-president and chairman of the Desert Challenge Organising Committee.
"The Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge is one of our region's most important motorsport events and we want our fellow GCC countries to be as proud of it as we are in the UAE.
"We invite our Omani competitors to treat the UAE as a second home, and we hope their intimate knowledge of Gulf geography will help them achieve great results for their countries and this region."
Local knowledge will play a big part for driver Al Shanfari, who is a seasoned rally competitor, having a real name for himself over the years in the FIA Middle East Rally Championship (MERC).
In the 1999 MERC season, he finished first in class and second overall, and repeated the feat the following year. After shifting his focus to cross-country rallying, he has participated in the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge four times, with a second place in the T1 class in 2004 being the highlight.
This year, Al Shanfari is determined to do even better, and has been preparing for the extremely demanding Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge for the past nine months. He will take some of the tallest dunes in the world in a Dutch-built Fast and Speed T1 buggy alongside his Qatari co-pilot, Nasr Al Kuwari, who also has a wealth of experience in MERC.
"It's a great feeling to know that I'm one of only two Omani participants at the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge," said Al Shanfari.
