Mohamed Issa does Qatar proud

WITH Nasser Saleh Al Attiyah crashing out, it was left to Mohamed Issa Abu Issa to hold the Qatar flag flying at Abu Dhabi.

Continuing his successful and big transition from racing on a quad to being competitive in a car, Mohamed Issa parked his Mini All4 Racing on the podium, having finished a creditable third overall.

Mohamed Issa, who had previously won the event in a quad, has made a quick transition to cars since the beginning of the season.

After a dream Dakar debut in which he pulled off an incredible 10th-place finish, Mohamed Issa excelled in his first appearance at the World Cup, where he notched up a third place in the previous round in Dubai.

Now with another podium in Abu Dhabi, his confidence is high.

“It’s my first full season in the FIA Cross-County Rally World Cup for cars. I raced in a car for the first time at Dakar in January. In total, this was only my third rally in a car. I’m extremely happy with how the race went off,” said Mohamed Issa.

In a rally which saw plenty of twists and turns, Mohamed Issa and French co-driver Xavier Panseri held their nerve to finish third. 

As the three-leg Middle East swing heads to Qatar from April 17, Mohamed Issa wanted to continue his improvement.

“It’s a great pleasure to be out there racing at home. Nothing is easy in the car category and I’m learning everything from scratch. To finish on the podium in Abu Dhabi was an amazing experience and I hope to build on that,” he said.