Abu Dhabi: Abu Dhabi Racing’s Shaikh Khalid Al Qasimi teamed up with French navigator Edouard Boulanger to finish in ninth place in the gruelling Baja Spain Aragon, round six of the FIA World Cup for Cross-Country Rallies at the weekend.
In his second outing with Overdrive Racing, Shaikh Khalid overcame co-driver sickness to reach the finish in Teruel in ninth after climbing three places with an impressive run through the final stage.
Overdrive also saw the Brazilian pairing of Reinaldo Varela and Gustavo Gugelmin claim a solid fourth overall, while Marek Dabrowski and Jacek Czachor finished eighth in the second of the V8-powered Toyotas.
The retirement of Qatar’s Nasser Saleh Al Attiyah on the second of Saturday’s special stages meant the top of the points standings for the FIA World Cup for Cross-Country Rallies stayed the same. Vladimir Vasilyev was forced to miss out on competing after undergoing a heart procedure, so the Russian Toyota driver maintains a 21-point lead.
“It was not an easy weekend and the technical regulations as they are make it even more difficult,” said Overdrive team director Jean-Marc Fortin. “But Reinaldo drove a very professional race and his speed over some of the technical sections was impressive. Shaikh Khalid also drove very well on his first ever Baja and reached the finish without problems. It was a good learning rally for him and that bodes well for the future.”
