Qatari Adel Abdulla hoping for second successive T2 victory in Spain’s Baja Aragon

Teruel, Spain: Defending FIA World Cup T2 champion Adel Abdulla resumes his challenge in the FIA World Cup for Cross-Country Rallies at this weekend’s Baja Aragon in the baking heat and choking dust of central Spain.

The Nissan Patrol driver is not able to retain his overall T2 title this season after missing the last round in Italy and suffering misfortune at earlier rounds of the series.

 But the Qatari is confident that he can benefit from the support given by Saleh Al Hamad Al Mana Co. (Nissan Qatar), Ooredoo and the Qatar Motor and Motorcycle Federation (QMMF), for his QX Rally Team Nissan to achieve a second successive win in Europe’s most popular Baja. Adel finished more than 24 minutes ahead of Spaniard Josep Sole and 47 minutes in front of Cesar Sequiera last year on his way to the prestigious FIA T2 title.

“We are back in the race again, here in Aragon in Spain,” said Adel Abdulla. “Everybody knows this is the most important race of its kind in Europe. I really hope that we can win the event (T2) as we did last year. It is an important race for us and I hope I can give the gift of the win back to my country and our Emir HH Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.

“I have my old co-driver, Nasser Al Kuwari, back with me so we are an all-Qatari team for this race. We did the Qatar Cross-Country Rally together in 2016 and we worked well together. I would also like to thank my sponsors, the Qatar Motor and Motorcycle Federation, Nissan Qatar’s Saleh Al Hamad Al Mana Co, Ooredoo and the Government of Qatar for their support.”

This year’s Spanish round of the FIA World Cup features revised special stages in the remote rural areas around the town of Teruel.

Teams will tackle a super special stage of 9.6km on Friday evening (July 21) and then two longer selective sections of 216.80km and 139.20km on Saturday. The competitive action draws to a close with a single stage of 178.70km on Sunday (July 23).

FIA T2 Cross-Country Rally World Cup  – positions after round 6:

1. Yasir Saeidan (KSA)                   215pts

2. Mansoor Al-Helai (UAE)              91pts

3. Adel Abdulla (QAT)                     86pts

4. Ahmed Al-Shegawi (KSA)          46pts

5. Mohammed Al-Harqan (QAT)     30pts

6. Ahmed Al-Malki (KSA)                 27pts

7. Marat Abykayev (KAZ)                 26pts