Saeed Thani, the Abu Dhabi classic car enthusiast, making his competitive debut in the Rally Al Khaleej, has given himself fresh hope of scoring a debut victory in the event.
Thani admitted he had a lot to learn about classic car rallying after an elementary mistake saw a first special stage victory slip from his grasp.
However, he proved to be a quick learner by winning the second special stage in Liwa on Thursday in his 1960 Ford Thunderbird, before taking fifth place later in the day.
Thani climbed to third position overall. He won the second stage, ahead of Germany's Hans Werner Wirth and co-driver Dr Ursula Schmitt in a 1955 Jaguar XK 140.
Results
Second special stage: 1. Saeed Thani/ Thani Saeed Thani (UAE) Ford Thurderbird 0.32secs; 2. Hans Werner Werth/Dr Ursula Schmitt (Ger) Jaguar XK 140 0.43secs; 3. Willi Mayer/Christina Mayer(Ger) BMW Coupe 3.0 CS 0.51secs.
Third special stage: 1. Hans Werner Werth/Dr Ursula Schmitt (Ger) Jaguar XK 140 0.09secs; 2. Dietr Krauschmidt/Bernd Freund (Ger) AC Cobra 0.14secs; 3. Peter Bockemuehl/Martina Bockemuehl Mercedes Benz 350SL 0.51secs.
