UAE rally driver Shaikh Khalid Al Qasimi has high hopes for Portugal

Abu Dhabi: The UAE’s Shaikh Khalid Al Qasimi is aiming for an error-free passage through the Rally de Portugal over the next three days as he looks to score his first points in this year’s World Rally Championship.

Accompanied by British co-driver Scott Martin in his Abu Dhabi Citroen Total World Rally Team DS3 WRC, Al Qasimi is seeking a top-ten finish in the fourth round of the 2013 WRC calendar, with his history in the event suggesting that is a realistic target.

The Emirati driver, who is contesting only his second WRC event after a 15-month gap, finished eighth in Portugal in 2009 and ninth in 2010, and is looking for a similar result after qualifying joint-ninth on Thursday ahead of the start of the rally proper on Friday morning.

After completing a two-day recce of the route, much of it in the rain, Al Qasimi said: “The stages are very technical and very fast, with a lot of blind crests. You have to be very precise and pick the right racing line.

“If there are some light showers it’s no problem, but if there is heavy rain you have to make adjustments in your notes because you need to back off and your braking points change.

“The qualifying stage is difficult because there are a lot of loose rocks. I remember it was used as a special stage in previous years and there were quite a few accidents. You need to be fast to get the best position on the road, but at the same time you don’t want to damage your car.

“Portugal is an event that I know reasonably well,” added Al Qasimi, who is contesting nine WRC rounds this season in addition to a full programme in the FIA Middle East Rally Championship, in which he lies second following two rounds in Qatar and Kuwait.

“After two rallies in the Middle East in the DS3 RRC, I am starting to find some rhythm. So I think I can fight for a place in the points. But to do that, I’ll need to avoid making any mistakes.”

While the twisting gravel roads of Portugal provide a thorough examination, with stages alternating between fast portions and tight, narrow sections, Al Qasimi is much more at home in the event than he was in February in the ice and snow of Sweden, where temperatures plunged to 15 degrees below freezing.

On the eve of Rally de Portugal, Al Qasimi took part in the launch of the new Citroen DS3 R5 and the Citroen Top Driver series, which kicks off this weekend. This sees nine crews doing battle in four rounds in their DS3 R3s, with the aim of securing a seat in a DS3 R5 for six events in the 2014 WRC2 series.

Meanwhile, the Citroen Total Abu Dhabi World Rally Team will be looking to increase its lead in the WRC manufacturers’ championship, although the pairings of Mikko Hirvonen and Jarmo Lehtinen, and Dani Sordo and Carlos del Barrio, are also hoping to make an impact on the drivers’ title race in Portugal.

Friday’s leg will be something of a marathon, with four stages to be run without a service halt, followed by a long road section to Lisbon for a 3.27km evening super special stage. The crews then set off in the opposite direction, returning to where they started, to complete a 665km, 14-hour long journey.