Qatar’s Adel Abdulla knows he must seriously challenge for T2 victory at this week’s Rally Kazakhstan if he is to have any chance of regaining the FIA T2 World Championship he won in a Nissan Patrol in 2016.
A cruel late mechanical problem at last month’s Manateq Qatar Cross-Country Rally meant he crossed the final stage finish minutes after the time control had officially closed, and the Qatari now trails T2 series leader Ahmed Al-Shegawi by 56 points.
Abdulla and navigator Nasser Al-Kuwari held a huge lead in Qatar until that delay, which cost them 50 vital points and handed their rival an extra 14. The event was so tough that no other driver scored points, and Russia’s Yuliya Khegay-Migunova remains third, 27 points behind Abdulla.
Qatar was a blow to the push for the championship. We lost out on the win on the last day with the mechanical problem and now we are 56 points behind. We need to forget about that now and focus on this race in Kazakhstan. My target is to win T2 here and do my best for the team, my country and my sponsors.
Adel Abdulla
Kazakhstan is going to be the longest race until now, just under 1,900 kilometres of special stages. It is going to be tough for six days. We had good experience here last year. This may be an advantage for us in this race. The target is to win and close the gap. There are still several rounds to go and we need to focus on this race and the other rallies. I still think we can do it.
Adel Abdulla
Rally Kazakhstan counts for the FIA World Cup for a second season and has drawn a strong entry, especially in T2, where Al-Shegawi and Abdulla face Kazakh pair Marat Abykayev and Kirill Chernenkov and Russia’s Konstantin Ivanov.
Abdulla’s bid to win back the FIA T2 title is supported by the Qatar Motor and Motorcycle Federation (QMMF), Ooredoo Qatar and Nissan Qatar.
The route
The rally runs over a revised route of six demanding selective sections and around 1,900km of competition, starting with a 280.35km timed section from Aktau City to a Caspian Sea resort in Kenderly on May 28.
The rally is based there for three nights as crews tackle stages of 414.12km, 327.47km and 398.57km, before returning to Aktau City. The final two stages of 298.04km and 148.52km head north from the city, the last running along the Caspian Sea shoreline before the ceremonial finish on June 2.