SHEIKH KHALID AL QASSIMI AND CYRIL DESPRES FINISHED SEVENTH AND TENTH RESPECTIVELY
THE EVENT WAS WON BY STÉPHANE PETERHANSEL
ABU DHABI, January 21: Abu Dhabi Racing secured two top 10 finishes in the Dakar Rally 2021, which recently came to a conclusion in Saudi Arabia.
The 43rd edition of the rally raid was staged over a 14-day period in Saudi Arabia, which was hosting the event for the second time in its history.
The event started and ended in Jeddah, giving competitors the opportunity to drive through the desert and along the Red Sea, with other destinations on the route including Riyadh, Al Qaisumah and Sakaka.
It was a solid showing from Abu Dhabi Racing, with drivers Sheikh Khalid Al Qassimi and Cyril Despres finishing seventh and tenth overall respectively.
Behind the wheel of a Peugeot 3008 DKR, Al Qassimi was alongside his French co-driver Xavier Panseri and recorded an overall finish time of 48H 01′ 42”.
His Abu Dhabi Racing team-mate, Frenchman Despres, who was partnered by co-driver Michael Horn, registered a time of 49H 19′ 20”.
Depres has a rich pedigree in the Dakar Rally having previously won the event on five separate occasions, in 2005, 2007, 2010, 2012 and, most recently, 2013.
Meanwhile, there was a fifth-place finish for Bahrain Raid Xtreme’s Nani Roma, who finished with a time of 47H 49′ 59”, while his team-mate Sebastien Loeb was forced to withdraw at Stage 8.
This year’s Dakar Rally was won by Frenchman Stéphane Peterhansel, who was racing for X-Raid MINI JCW Team, and completed the event in a time of 44H 28′ 11”.
Competitors in this year’s event drove a total distance of 7,646 kilometres over the course of the 12 separate stages.
About Abu Dhabi Racing
Abu Dhabi Racing is an Abu Dhabi-based company in the UAE working on a number of initiatives designed to bolster the Emirates’ presence in global Motorsport.
Representing the UAE’s capital, Abu Dhabi, in the FIA World Rally Championship partnering with eight-time FIA World Rally Championship-winning manufacturer Citroën under the banner of Citroën Total Abu Dhabi World Rally Team, Abu Dhabi Racing is now a formidable name in the world of Motorsport.
One of the primary objectives of Abu Dhabi Racing is to increase Emirati participation in various global Motorsport disciplines, including off-road and circuit-based events with Daman Speed Academy and the Abu Dhabi Racing Junior Rally Programme.
The highlight of 2017 was victory for Abu Dhabi Racing Chairman Sheikh Khalid Bin Faisal Al Qassimi at the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge, a round of the FIA World Cup for Cross-Country Rallies. Added to this is the excellent progress being made by Daman Speed Academy and the Abu Dhabi Racing Junior Rally Programme drivers.