Al Qasimi keeps advantage over Al Attiyah in Jordan

Dead Sea, Jordan: Team Abu Dhabi driver Shaikh Khalid Al Qasimi and co-driver Michael Orr provided spectators their fair share of thrills yesterday during the first stages of the third round of the FIA Middle East Rally Championship (MERC) in Jordan.

The Emirati ace took the rally by storm, winning all but one of the morning's stages and retaining a slender lead at the head of the pack to keep a 30-second advantage over his nearest rival for the MERC Championship, Nasser Al Attiyah.

Having won the rally in 2007 and grown up rallying in desert conditions, Al Qasimi has the experience and capability to deliver despite the tough landscape.

Joining Al Qasimi in the Jordanian desert are his four Emirati team mates, Bader Al Jabri, Majid Al Shamsi, Sultan Al Amri and Khalil Al Shaikh, all flying the flag for Abu Dhabi and hoping to provide the emirate with impressive results of its own. The four young drivers have earned their places in Team Abu Dhabi through their performances in Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority's (ADTA) Junior Driver Development Programme, designed to nurture Emirati talent and create the next rally champion. After a tough morning in the rocky desert, all four turned in solid performances that placed Al Jabri 9th, Al Shamsi 11th, Al Amri 17 and Al Shaikh 18.

"This impressive start to the rally is a sign of how hard the Team Abu Dhabi juniors have been working on the development of their skills and techniques. To see them recording fast times and approaching each stage with such maturity is a credit to both the Development Programme, and their fans," commented Ahmad Hussain, deputy director general of ADTA.

"ADTA looks forward to seeing how they improve across the rest of the season and providing Team Abu Dhabi fans with some home champions when Rally Abu Dhabi is run at the end of the year."

Meanwhile, defending world champion Sebastien Loeb of France took the lead in the Jordan Rally after two days.

The Citroen driver won four of Friday's six stages in the third round of the FIA World Rally Championship to take a commanding 24.6-second advantage into the final day.

Positions after SS13 - end of day two (WRC):

1. Sébastien Loeb (F)/Daniel Elena (F) Citroën C4 WRC 2h 41m 06.7s

2. Sébastien Ogier (F)/Julien Ingrassia (F) Citroën C4 WRC 2h 41m 31.3s

3. Jari-Matti Latvala (FIN)/Miikka Anttila (FIN) Ford Focus RS WRC 09 2h 41m 34.4s

4. Petter Solberg (N)/Phil Mills (GB) Citroën C4 WRC 2h 41m 49.9s

5. Dani Sordo (E)/Marc Marti (E) Citroën C4 WRC 2h 41m 55.5s

Positions after SS5 of 6 (SS8-12):

1. Shaikh Khalid Al Qasimi (UAE)/Michael Orr (GB) Ford Fiesta S2000 1h 06m 00.0s

2. Janne Touhino (FIN)/Markku Tuohino (FIN) Ford Fiesta S2000 1h 07m 53.9s

3. Yazeed Al-Rajhi (KSA)/Matthieu Baumel (F) Peugeot 207 S2000 1h 08m 13.6s

4. Misfer Al-Marri (QA)/Nicola Arena (I) Subaru Impreza 1h 08m 14.1s

5. Khalid Al-Suwaidi (QA)/Nick Beech (GB) Subaru Impreza 1h 10m 05.3s