Citroën Total Abu Dhabi WRT Second Overall In Italy

Citroën Total Abu Dhabi World Rally Team driver Sheikh Khalid Al Qassimi went up one better than his 2013 performance, finishing ninth overall at Rally Italia Sardegna and getting on the podium for winning the longest jump award at the end of a punishing three days in challenging conditions.

Sheikh Khalid, with Chris Patterson as his co-driver, adopted a cautious approach to the Sardinia event on the opening day last Friday, intent on bringing his Citroën DS3 WRC home safely after admittedly failing to finish on several occasions in the past.

But that did not prevent the Abu Dhabi native from winning the ‘Micky’s Jump’ award after clearing more than 35 metres on the notoriously challenging 59km Monte Lerno stage on Saturday afternoon.

The Citroën DS driver’s cautious approach on the narrow and rugged stages of Sardinia though paid dividends, with Sheikh Khalid finishing the first day in 10th overall among the WRC contenders.

ALQASSIMI_1

On the second day, Sheikh Khalid survived a scare of sorts after spinning out twice on the Monte Lerno stage and losing precious time, which also cost him a 10-second penalty for finishing the stage one minute late.

Despite this setback, Sheikh Khalid drove his Citroën DS3 WRC to ninth overall at the end of day two on Saturday; thanks to his team of technicians who tinkered with the setup of the car to adapt to the challenging conditions where rising temperatures were contributing to overheating engines.

Acknowledging the important role played by his technicians, Sheikh Khalid said: “I was happy with the setup of my car and was much more comfortable from the second half of day two.

“I would like to thank the team for the excellent job that they have done on the car which helped me finish one step higher than last year; but most importantly to have been able to get the mileage and finish the rally.

“And it was great to win the longest jump award and be there on the podium at the end of the rally. All in all, it was a satisfying campaign in Sardinia.”

MADS OSTBERG

Meanwhile, Citroën Total Abu Dhabi lead driver Mads Østberg protected his overnight position and finished second overall to bring home valuable points for the team in the manufacturers’ championship.

Apart from scoring points for the team, the Norwegian has now moved up to third overall in the drivers’ standings with 66 points.