Khalid Al Qassimi and Chris Patterson finished in third place at the Shiraz International Rally in their DS 3 RRC. The Abu Dhabi driver consolidated his second position in the Middle East Rally Championship standings after three rounds.
After making a very good start to the rally, which saw him hold second overall, Khalid Al Qassimi was caught out by the rain on SS3. “For our first appearance at the Shiraz International Rally, the DS 3 RRC was fantastic to drive on the quickest sections. It was a little trickier in the narrow, winding sections and there were quite a lot of those.”
Third at the start of the second leg, Khalid Al Qassimi went on the offensive in an attempt to improve his position. His efforts came to nothing, however, as three stages were cancelled.
“It’s a shame, but the weather had made the roads impassable. The circumstances went against us and what was already a short rally was made even shorter. Ultimately, we have to be pleased with our result.”
Third in the final standings, Khalid Al Qassimi and Chris Patterson claimed their third podium finish this season. Their next competitive outing will be in the World Rally Championship. They will be competing at Rally de Portugal (21-24 May) for the Citroën Total Abu Dhabi World Rally Team in a “new look” DS 3 WRC.
FINAL PROVISIONAL STANDINGS
1. Nasser Al-Attiyah / Matthieu Baumel (Ford Fiesta RRC) 1:52:56.2
2. Abdulaziz Al Kuwari / Marshall Clarke (Ford Fiesta RRC) +27.0
3. Khalid Al Qassimi / Chris Patterson (DS 3 RRC) +1:27.7
4. Khalid Al Suwaidi / John Higgins (Ford Fiesta RRC) +7:00.9
5. Khalifa Saleh Al-Attiyah / Abdulla Adil Hussain (Ford Fiesta RRC) +10:06.3
6. Salah Bin Eidan / Oslaj Vili (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9) +14:10.7
7. Rashed Al Naimi / Nicola Arena (Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X) +30:46.6
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