Khalid ready for Portugal assault

Abu Dhabi: Abu Dhabi's Emirati motorsports ace, Shaikh Khalid Al Qasimi, will make his FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) comeback at Rally Portugal this weekend.

Shaikh Khalid's return to the BP-Ford Abu Dhabi team comes as the record-breaking outfit looks to overturn a five-point deficit to lead the Manufacturers' Championship.

Shaikh Khalid who has spent the past three months chasing a second FIA Middle East Rally Championship (MERC) title has been plying his trade on the sweeping gravel and desert tracks synonymous with the Gulf region, something he hopes will put him in good stead for the notorious Rally de Portugal, running May 27-30 in the sun-kissed Algarve.

Having notched up a Championship points finish in Portugal last year, Shaikh Khalid is hoping to go one better and draw on his MERC expertise to tackle the fast open roads and winding technical sections of the 355.32km course. "Portugal has been good to me in the past — I hope it is again," said the 33-year-old Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority (ADTA)-backed driver.

"Last year I finished eighth and I am confident that I can either replicate or better that result this time round."

Rally de Portugal is the last of a cluster of five gravel rounds before the season switches to asphalt in July after the mid-season break, and BP-Ford Abu Dhabi and its "Flying Finns" — Mikko Hirvonen and Jari-Matti Latvala — know a top draw points haul is essential if they are to challenge Citroen Total for the coveted Manufacturers' Championship.

And Latvala who notched up his third competitive win in Rally New Zealand earlier this month is upbeat about his chances.

Latvala hoped to put his 2009 Rally de Portugal horror crash, which was watched more than 800,000 times on YouTube, behind him.

"I've developed a completely different attitude to my driving this season in my job as number two in the team," Latvala said.

"That role has helped me to understand the sport better.

"It's not only about being fastest, it's just as important for a driver to be consistent and finish rallies to fight for the title.

"It's working well, but I'm not 100 per cent there yet and I need to keep working," said the 25-year-old.

"The stage where I crashed out will be used again this year and when I drive through it during the recce I will slow down and take a quick look where we went off.

"I will be changing my pace notes for that corner! But I've put the crash behind me and I won't treat that stage any differently in the rally itself."

Abu Dhabi's lead driver, Hirvonen, is also eager to better last year's second-place finish as he sets his sights on navigating the gravel-laden Portuguese tracks, the Finn's speciality surface.