February 4, 2016 – Nasser Al-Attiyah and his fellow countryman Abdulaziz Al-Kuwari will compete in the Qatar International Rally this weekend onboard a pair of Skoda Fabia R5s.
The Fabia R5 proved a successful car from the outset when it was introduced last year, scoring four WRC 2 victories in Poland, Finland, Germany and Spain, two podium finishes in Portugal and one podium in Italy and France, thus finishing in the top 3 in all the seven rounds it contested.
This weekend, however, the Fabia R5 will make its maiden appearance in the Qatar International Rally, an event previously dominated by the Ford Fiesta RRC and Fiesta S2000 between 2010 and 2015, which makes the Fiesta R5 the safer weapon of choice for the Qatari event.
Moreover, M-Sport introduced major upgrades to the Fiesta R5 for 2016, including gains of 32 bhp and 56 Nm of torque, which represents “the single best development step in any engine designed and built by the British firm”, according to M-Sport.
The upgraded Fiesta R5 Evo delivered a WRC 2 triumph on its debut in Rally Monte Carlo 2016, with Elfyn Evans taking the win from Skoda Fabia R5 privateer Armin Kremen; the pair were separated by only 2.9 seconds at the finish line.
So, with a brilliant record in the Middle East Rally Championship in general and the Qatar International Rally in particular, and now with a seemingly working upgrade for 2016, it looks like the Fiesta R5 has moved up a level and could give the Fabia R5 a run for its money this year, which leaves us wondering, should Al-Attiyah and Al-Kuwari have remained with Ford or was the Skoda, which both agree is a great car to drive, the right choice?
Al-Attiyah’s had some promising results in the car with fourth in Rally Deutschland and third in Rally Spain, but he crashed out early from Rally of Lebanon, while Al-Kuwari is set to compete in the Fabia for the first time this weekend. It’s too early to judge their decisions, but we’ll have a slightly better idea on Saturday when the Qatar International Rally comes to a conclusion.
Note that the event starts today with a 2.27-km Super Special Stage; this will be followed by six special stages tomorrow, and an additional six on Saturday.
