Costa Daurada, Spain: Shaikh Khalid Al Qasimi, the third member of the BP-Ford World Rally Team, along with Finnish duo Marcus Gronholm and Mikko Hirvonen, kept improving with each attempt in yesterday's Shakedown stage ahead of the Spanish Rally.
Shaikh Khalid started with a timing of 2mins 57.5 secs on the 3.98 km Tivissa to La Serra d'Almos asphalt stage watched by thousands of rally fans. However, he improved with every try and registered 2:51.3, 2:48.0 and 2:45.1, the last giving him the right to start from 15th place.
"The shakedown stage is always useful for drivers as it gives us the opportunity to work closely with the team mechanics in fine tuning the car and settings for the next three days of rallying," said Shaikh Khalid.
Shaikh Khalid is starting his third rally of the 2007 season as part of the Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority's unique partnership with reigning WRC manufacturers' champions BP-Ford World Rally Team, and the UAE ace has been buoyed by the support from fans in the UAE as he prepares for the Tarmac test in Catalunya.
"Sealed surface rallies are different from the mainly loose surface events in the Middle East, and the loose gravel at the edge of the roads can make high speed corners extremely treacherous, which is why accurate pace notes are essential.
"This will be a huge examination of my credentials, but I am confident. I have had so many messages of support from my friends, family and fans in the UAE that I am determined to have a good event and help maintain the amazing impact this Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority-backed initiative has had on rally in the UAE.
"This shakedown stage isn't that representative of the conditions we can expect during competition, and the recent bad weather - which is expected to turn - made the car quite twitchy on the damp surface.
"That said, we're trying different techniques in our pace notes and we're ready for the weekend."
