|
Young UAE driver Mohammed Al Mutawaa says he is thrilled to get an early chance on the World Rally Championship stage with Abu Dhabi Racing, and plans to make the most of his experience in Germany this weekend.
“It’s like a dream to be honest - I never thought that my fifth ever rally would be a WRC event,” said Al Mutawaa, who starts Rallye Deutschland tomorrow (Thursday) alongside regular co-driver, Stephen McAuley, in an Abu Dhabi Citroën DS3 R3 2WD.
“Not many people get this kind of opportunity. Abu Dhabi Racing has motivated me to push myself more and more, and I’m very grateful for the chance I’ve been given.”
Al Mutawaa says he owes a special debt to Sheikh Khalid Al Qassimi, the chairman and driving force behind Abu Dhabi Racing, “for helping me to get where I am.”
After impressive results in karting and circuit racing, Al Mutawaa moved into rallying this year, winning a place in the Abu Dhabi Racing team for the FIA Middle East Rally Championship at a Citroën selection programme in the UAE capital.
He made his rallying debut in the opening Middle East round in Qatar in January before contesting the Kuwait and Jordan rallies, as well as a gravel event in France, and now faces the challenge of switching to asphalt surfaces.
“This is my first tarmac rally and we still haven’t done any testing, so I will have to wait until the shakedown to see how the car reacts,” said Al Mutawaa after a day of route checking yesterday.
“But during the recce, I was able to understand the surface better. Tarmac has more grip than gravel, and for me the biggest challenge is to try to stay focused, and not drive like I’m on a circuit, because the tarmac isn’t as good, and in some areas there’s mud and gravel.”
“My main aim, as always, is to finish the rally with the least amount of mistakes, and gain as much experience as I can. It’s only my first year in rallying and I need to build myself up one step at a time.”
Al Mutawaa gets his WRC opening after Abu Dhabi Racing changed its 2013 programme for logistical reasons amid initial doubts over the Lebanon and Cyprus rounds of this year’s Middle East Championship.
He will be joined by young Emirati team-mate Mohammed Al Sahlawi - also recruited via the Citroën selection programme in Abu Dhabi last November - for October’s penultimate WRC round in Spain.
With Al Qassimi returning to WRC action in his Abu Dhabi Citroën Total DS3, Rallye Deutschland has its ceremonial start in Cologne tomorrow (Thursday), with the first two special stages following and 14 more over the next three days leading to the finish on Sunday afternoon.
|
New
Review
Abu Dhabi International Airport - 41°F
