Mohammed Ben Sulayem returns to the scene of his first FIA Middle East Rally Championship triumph tomorrow hoping for a UAE success in the three-day Rally Oman 2007.
Sulayem clinched the first of his 14 Middle East titles in 1986 with victory in Oman where a win this week for Sheikh Khalid Al Qassimi and Team Abu Dhabi will boost their bid to bring the regional crown back to the UAE.
The President of the Emirates Automobile and Touring Club has travelled to the Sultanate to support an eight-car UAE challenge in the second round of this year’s FIA Middle East series, which gets underway from the Intercontinental Hotel in Muscat at 4pm on Wednesday,
Sheikh Khalid lies second in the championship behind Nasser Saleh Al-Atiiyah after finishing runner-up to Qatar’s defending champion in the opening round in Doha at the wheel of his Team Abu Dhabi Subaru Impreza.
Sheikh Khalid’s brother, Sheikh Abdullah Al-Qassimi, will be looking to build on his third place finish in Qatar. The other UAE contenders in a line-up of 33 drivers from nine countries are Khalifa Al-Mehairi, Musaed Al-Murar, Yayha Al-Amri and Ron Oakeley in four Subarus, and Sadiq Fadhel and Michael Ziegler in a pair of Mitsubishis
Rally Oman 2
“I’m going to Oman to support the UAE drivers, the event and the championship as a whole,” said Sulayem. “I have many great memories of the Oman Rally, especially my win there in 1986, and it’s always a pleasure to go back to Muscat.
“Naturally, I’d like to see the UAE drivers doing well, and it would be good for the championship if Khalid can win this week to some pressure on Nasser and set up close battle for the title this season.”
