Nasser al-Attiyah (second left), Mohamed Abu Isa (second right), Sebastian Husseini (right) and Qatar Motor and Motorcycle Federation president Nasser Khalifa al-Attiyah (third right) during the press conference yesterday.

By Mikhil Bhat/Doha

The 2014 Dakar Rally had everything in it for the competitors from Qatar.

There was learning. Qatar’s sporting hero Nasser Saleh al-Attiyah was going to drive the Mini, something he had never done. Mohamed Abu Issa was preparing his quad and himself for a debut.

There was strategy. Keeping the cards close to their chest early on, Mini slowly picked up speed second week onwards to fulfill the goal of sweeping the podium.

There was sportsmanship. Abu Issa towed his teammate Sebastian Husseini 80km through the desert after the latter suffered a mechanical failure. Husseini eventually finished third and Abu Issa a spot behind.

There were setbacks. Al-Attiyah was handed a one-hour penalty, which robbed him the chance of winning Dakar second time.

There were team orders too. But al-Attiyah waves it off saying he “understands”.

And then at the end of it all, there was a celebration.

Yesterday, al-Attiyah, Abu Issa and Husseini gathered at The Gate Mall in Doha in celebration of their performances at the event, which took them through Argentina, Bolivia and Chile, with Salam International.

For Qatar, the Qatar Motor and Motorcycle Federation (QMMF) president Nasser Khalifa al-Attiyah said that the performance only reiterated that the country is a hotbed for motorsport talent. “We have someone like Nasser who is a great ambassador for Qatar worldwide. Now we have Mohamed. In Qatar we have a lot of talented drivers; all they need is to have better guidance. And the federation is there to help.”

Nasser Saleh al-Attiyah had not had much practice time in the Mini but he said he learned enough about the car by the second week and made a few changes which helped him gain places and even stage wins. “It fit well with the strategy of not showing our speed early on,” he said. He added: “And after the penalty, still managing to finish on the podium, we are happy. We knew it would be difficult to reach the first place.”

The 43-year-old did mention the team orders in his conversation but said that the team needed it. “I was leading by 33 minutes at one stage but had to wait 25 minutes to let the other driver to pass. But that’s okay, sometimes you must really respect the team orders. We are in motorsport. I am new in the team.”

He drew an analogy from his experience as a shooter. “Ahead of the last shooting world championship, I saw a young shooter from Qatar, who I thought will be able to do very well. So I pulled out to give him place in the team. The coaches were not happy about it because they are looking for results. But we must give chance to youngsters. Same thing happened at this year’s Dakar. I am part of the team. It would have been the first time in the history of Mini that they would have three cars on the podium. Every time they could only manage two cars. But I understand, that if I made a mistake, pushed too much, the other brand will be on the podium.”

Abu Issa was visibly ecstatic with his performance. “Sometimes in rallying, people make a lot of mistakes going into day five and day six. The stages are so long. Dakar is no five- or six-stage rally. I was hoping to finish in the top ten but then I stayed focussed and made less and less mistakes,” he said. “I had an injury in November in Morocco and I was in Dakar in January.”

With the impressive performance in Dakar behind them, both al-Attiyah and Abu Issa are looking at the future.

Abu Issa has set his sights on the world championship, where he finished second last year. “I was second last year, will be looking to win it this year.”

Al-Attiyah is looking forward to shooting at the Asian Games later this year. “It is my dream to win at the Asian Games again. I divide my time and give time for shooting. I must support my federation. This year is especially important because we must prepare well for the 2016 Games,” said the London Games bronze medallist.

For next year’s Dakar, apart from hoping that there are no team orders, al-Attiyah said, “Now we have enough data and information. I have a lot of practice in the Mini. I know the team now. I think we will be doing well.”