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The third leg of this year’s Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge will today (Tuesday, April 5) see the 101-strong field undertake an itinerary unique in the event’s 21-year history, as two separate stages start and finish at the stunning Qasr Al Sarab Desert Resort by Anantara.
Following on the Abu Dhabi city-based Super Special stage on Saturday, the specially-organised visit to Qasr Al Sarab - a luxury five-star resort lying deep in the Western Region area of Liwa Desert - will again allow spectators to get up-close to the riders and racers in one of the world’s most gruelling cross-country rallies.
“Coming up with new ideas is the lifeblood of any event, so this addition to the event underlines why our partnership with the Qasr Al Sarab Desert Resort by Anantara is such an important initiative,” said Mohammed Ben Sulayem, Vice-president of the FIA and president of the Automobile and Touring Club of the UAE (ATCUAE). “Tourism is extremely important to the Western Region and everyone will benefit from the use of sport as a tool to drive it - particularly when we are based next to such a spectacular hotel.”
Named Qasr Al Sarab, the double-stage Leg 3 evidences the evolving nature of the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge. With long distance rallies traditionally being reserved for the most dedicated of fans and competitors, this year’s event – as part of the organisers’ strategy to twin sport and tourism - dovetails rugged landscapes with luxurious urban and rural getaways.
The first, two-and-half hour pass begins at 7:00am, just off the edge of the E65 road at Tharwaniyah. From there, competitors will tear through 170km of spectacular, red dunes in the Liwa Desert, including the iconic Tal Moreeb – the UAE’s largest dune.
Drivers and riders will then have just over an hour to regroup and refuel, before heading up to the starting point of stage two - the Arabian fort-inspired entrance of Qasr Al Sarab Desert Resort.
Fans and hotel guests will have the opportunity to mingle with the world-class field before it sets off on the second pass – a 175km voyage that takes in the Ramlat Ar Rabbad desert and the Al Qasr Desert Recreation Centre at Humeem Gatch before ending at the event’s bivouac desert base at approximately 1:00pm.
The Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge is one of the world’s top cross-country rallies and continually attracts some of the most famous rally drivers and riders from across the globe. It continues until April 7, and this year a landmark partnership with Eurosport TV will see daily global broadcasts of all the action.
The event is organised by the ATCUAE under the title sponsorship of ADTA, and is held under the patronage of HH Sheikh Hamdan Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the Ruler’s Representative in the Western Region. It is backed by a high-profile line-up of sponsors and supporters that includes Al Gharbia, ADNOC, Rotana - Yas Island, Al Ain Water, TAG Heuer, Explorer and Nissan – the all-terrain Nissan Patrol, dubbed ‘The Hero of All Terrain’, is the official vehicle of the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge.
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