The Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority has put its weight behind the UAE Desert Challenge which will see French star Stéphane Peterhansel chasing his third victory in the event in four years in November.
News of a new sponsorship boost for the final round of the FIA Cross Country Rally World Cup was delivered today by Mohammed Ben Sulayem, driving force behind the event, as the powerful Mitsubishi works team confirmed that Peterhansel will spearhead their two-car challenge in the UAE.
“The backing of the Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority is an important step which can only help to ensure the event continues to develop in the years ahead,” said Sulayem, chairman of the organising committee.
“The majority of the rally takes place in the Abu Dhabi Emirate and the nature of the event is that it shows off so much of our capital city, its modern facilities, and the unique desert landscape that surrounds it which combine to attract visitors.”
Peterhansel, the defending Dakar Rally champion, has been a regular visitor to the UAE since winning the bikes title in the 1996 Desert Challenge to underline his status as the world’s dominant endurance and off-road rider.
He switched from two to four wheels two years later and has not looked back. His Dakar victory last year made him only the second person in history, after Hubert Auriol, to win the event on both two and four wheels.
Peterhansel won the Desert Challenge in 2002 and 2003 and will be looking to return to the victory trail in the UAE from 10-14 November after mechanical problems dropped him to ninth in the event last year.
This year’s Desert Challenge is also sponsored by Nissan Middle East, with the Nissan Patrol the rally’s official car, and by Dubai Waterfront, an 81 million square metre development by major developers Nakheel.
Peterhansel and team-mate Joan 'Nani' Roma will both be driving new MPR12 versions of the Mitsubishi Pajero/Montero Evolution in the UAE after the Mitsubishi Motors Repsol carried out a gruelling two-week test and development session in Morocco recently.
"It was a very useful exercise for me," said Peterhansel. "I had a lot of time behind the wheel of the new car and there was not one technical problem. The improvements the team have made to the suspension and engine characteristics were really positive and the ride was more comfortable.”
Dubai will stage the traditional curtain-raiser for the 2005 UAE Desert Challenge, with the Prologue super special stage taking place on 9th November before the action switches to Abu Dhabi for the official start of the event the following morning.
The next four days will see a powerful line-up of cars, bikes and trucks tackling some of the most demanding and spectacular desert terrain in the Middle East before the survivors reach the finish line at Dubai International Marine Club on 14th November.
