Competitors from 18 countries set for Sealine desert challenge

FIA World Cup leader Vladimir Vasilyev and defending Dakar Rally champion Marc Coma will lead their respective car and motorcycle rivals from 18 countries into the start of the 2014 Sealine Cross-Country Rally at the Losail international circuit, north of Doha, today morning.

Ahead of a top class field entered in their respective rounds of the FIA World Cup for Cross-Country Rallies and the FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Championship are five days and 1,739.55km of punishing off-road competition through the deserts of Qatar.

Intense heat, wind and dust, coupled with tricky navigation and varied landscapes make this one of the most challenging events of its kind on the planet and a crucial test event for competitors keen to prepare for the next Dakar Rally.

Both car and motorcycle categories will not only feature the fight for individual glory, but also the battle between manufacturers for pride of place at the top of their respective championship classifications.

Mini takes on Toyota in the car category - through the X-raid and Overdrive Racing teams – and Team HRC Rally (Honda) lines up against the Red Bull KTM Factory Team in the two-wheel category.

Nasser bin Khalifa Al-Attiyah, President of Qatar Motor and Motorcycle Federation (QMMF) and FIA vice-president for sport MENA, held a minute’s silence during the motorcycle press conference for the Dubai-based British rider Cameron Waugh, who lost his life in an accident at the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge two weeks ago.

“Our entries have strength in depth and we look forward to five days of exciting competition on the challenging route that our team at the QMMF has devised,” Al Attiyah said.

Abdul Salam Abu-Issa, CEO of the sponsoring Salam International Group, joined Al Attiyah initially before leading quad and motorcycle riders took centre stage.

Front-running drivers in the car category, including Qatar’s Nasser Saleh Al Attiyah and Saudi Arabia’s Yazeed Al-Rajhi, were then presented to the international and local media.

The host nation will be hoping that the talented rider Mohammed Abu Issa is able to match and beat Polish rival Rafal Sonik in the quad category. Source: The Peninsula | Image: epfi