Omani rally driver Hamed Al-Wahaibi has finished testing and recce of the demanding stages and is counting down to this weekend’s Oregon Trail Rally in the north-west USA.
The 53-year-old and New Zealand co-driver Tony Sircombe are delighted with their preparations and how quickly they have adapted to the McKenna Motorsport Ford Fiesta R5.
The test was really, really good. I didn’t drive in the wet for so long but it didn’t feel like that. It felt quite natural. We got the car working. It’s my first time in the Ford Fiesta R5. I really felt comfortable in the car. It’s easy to drive and the team has been fantastic. We had a good base set-up to start with and we developed that a tiny bit more.
Hamed Al-Wahaibi
We did a lot of work on the diffs on Tuesday to find the best solution to get the car turning in better in these conditions. We are expecting it to rain. So the rally itself should be similar to the test conditions. The rally stages are really fast, flowing and run through open countryside and different to the test stage we chose.
Hamed Al-Wahaibi
There is one stage with some tarmac in it and one super special stage that runs around the Raceway that we were not able to recce, just once during the parade lap. That will not be a problem. In general, everything is looking good and we are excited and happy to start this rally.
Hamed Al-Wahaibi
We had a perfect test in the new car in what were tricky weather conditions. But it gave us confidence that the car and our handling is right on and balanced and it will be a good starting point for the rally.
Tony Sircombe
On Friday evening (US Western time, GMT -7), Al-Wahaibi joins the parade at Portland International Raceway before a super special stage. The action then moves to Goldendale in Washington State on Saturday morning for the first full day on gravel.
He runs the Ford with logistical support from Asyad Express and Sandan Development LLC. His rivals include six-time National Champion and Freestyle Motocross legend Travis Pastrana, recent Lake Superior Rally winner Ken Block, mountain biking star Brandon Semenuk and Kyle Tilley, 2021 Daytona 24 Hours winner, 2021 Asian Le Mans champion and NASCAR Cup driver.