The serene sand dunes of Abu Dhabi will explode into life this week as the 2011 Desert Challenge returns to the capital for the 21st edition of the annual cross-country rally spectacular
As the FIM Cross Country Rallies World Championship season-opener and the second round of the FIA Cross Country Rally World Cup, the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge now consists of four categories: cars, bikes, quads and trucks. Formerly known as the UAE Desert Challenge, it is renowned across the rally world as a gruelling test that identifies the world’s best racers.
“Tough competition is part and parcel of the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge, and that is why we continue to attract the world’s best racers every year,” said Mohammed Ben Sulayem, FIA Vice-president and Chairman of the Desert Challenge Organising Committee.
“Competitors come here in a bid to conquer Abu Dhabi’s Western Region, with its huge sand dunes and punishing terrain. Motorsport fans assemble from across the UAE and wider Middle East to witness the terrific show of power by man and machine as they seek to tame the fearsome wilds of the Empty Quarter, which we know as Rub Al Khali,” added Sulayem, who launched the event in 1991.
The first part of the Desert Challenge starts today with the competitors going through two long days of documentation and scrutineering as they determine the best routes for the five days of gruelling rally action which will take them across the entire Emirate as they traverse the Rub Al Khali, the Moreeb area and Liwa desert.
The Super Special Stage on Saturday (2nd April) will determine the starting order for the competitors, as well as marking the official start of the event, and then battle will commence, culminating in the final leg on 7th April as they race from Liwa to Abu Dhabi before the ceremonial finish and prize-giving.
This year, cross-country rally legends Leonid Novitskiy, Marc Coma and Stéphane Peterhansel will headline a world-class line-up of 99 competitors from 32 countries.
The reigning FIA World Cup for Cross Country Rallies champion Novitskiy is looking to defend his title after winning last year’s car category and says he is confident of defending his crown.
“The Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge is one of the world’s most testing rallies and winning it last year was a massive achievement for me,” said Team X-Raid’s Novitskiy, who will drive a BMW X3.
“The sand-based nature of the event means I must take a completely different approach to others races, where significant passes are run on gravel.”
Racing alongside Novitskiy for Team X-Raid will be Peterhansel, one of the most successful drivers to compete in the legendary Dakar rally with an impressive record of nine wins in both car and motorcycle categories.
Meanwhile, in the bike category, Spain’s reigning 2010 FIM Cross Country Rallies world champion Coma is looking to complete a hat-trick of Abu Dhabi victories on his KTM 450.
For more information, visit
www.abudhabidesertchallenge.com
Jon Muller
What’s new for 2011
The organisers have unveiled two major developments that will raise the international profile of the rally and its venue – the beautiful Western Region of Al Gharbia.
This year, the endurance race base will be housed at a greatly enhanced bivouac next to the stunning Qasr Al Sarab Desert Resort, offering a unique contrast between the harshness of endurance rallying and the comfort of one the Emirate’s most luxurious hotels.
The second development is a unique agreement that has been signed between the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge and Eurosport, which means that for the first time a global television audience can follow all the action as it happens.
Keep on trucking
Kamaz-Master, the most successful truck team in the rallying world, is making a welcome return to this year’s Desert Challenge, for the first time since 2008. The Russian team has an unparalleled record in the competition having recorded ten victories in previous campaigns and is determined to add another title this time around.
“Kamaz-Master’s return to the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge will give spectators something incredible to remember,” said Mohammed Ben Sulayem. “The sight of these massive 12-tonne trucks bounding across the spectacular, rolling Liwa dunes is truly unlike anything else. Kamaz-Master are the very best at what they do, and the team’s presence reflects the calibre of the competitors participating in this year’s Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge.”
The team races 4x4 sport-trucks that are powered by 17.2-litre V8 turbo-diesel engines, producing more than 700bhp. This enables them to reach top speeds of at least 165 km/h on any terrain. Kamaz-Master claims that these trucks can be operated in the most extreme conditions, from temperatures of -30°C to 50°C and the trucks are so tough that the Russian army uses fortified versions of them for cargo transport to inhospitable locations.
Jon Muller
