Abu Dhabi: A perfect day’s racing on the ultra-fast roads of Rally Finland left the Citroen Total World Abu Dhabi Team pair of Kris Meeke and Paul Nagle top of the overall standings on Friday.
At the end of the opening leg, the British-Irish crew led the rally by 18.1 seconds. With Craig Breen and Scott Martin also fighting for a place on the podium, the Abu Dhabi Total WRT had a very positive day.
In the third car entered by the Abu Dhabi Total WRT, Shaikh Al Qasimi and Chris Patterson ended the day in 23rd place after adopting a consistent and safe pace.
Meeke said later: “I’m really surprised to have led throughout this first leg and to finish with a 20-second lead. My aim is still the same: do the best job possible.”
“It’s been a fantastic day for us,” Al Qasimi added. “We tried to steer clear of the worst of the trouble and we had a strategy that enabled us to start with a good rhythm.
“The car worked just as I wanted it to and we were a lot quicker than last year on the same stages. I even felt that I could have gone even quicker still.”
