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Qatar’s Nasser Saleh al-Attiyah is hoping to continue the form that he showed when he won the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge a fortnight ago. That win gave al-Attiyah a great start to the defence of his FIA Cross Country Rally World Cup title and now he will be looking for a memorable win on home soil at the Sealine Cross Country Rally which starts today.
In the Abu Dhabi rally, al-Attiyah and his co-driver Mathieu Baumel, proved the winning capability of the Toyota Hilux and the duo will be looking to do a double here.
Here’s what Qatar’s rally legend had to say about his home event.
Can you tell us about the switch to Toyota? Is it better than the Mini?
Both cars are good. This time I went with the Toyota. The win in Abu Dhabi was a good result for me
You are the clear favourite going into this event. What are your expectations?
We need to respect all the drivers. I will work hard to win this race. I have lots of experience. I have won the first race in Abu Dhabi and now leading the championship is very nice. I think it will not be easy for everybody but I will do my best to win.
A lot of focus is on the navigation aspect here in the Sealine Rally. How important will that prove to be?
Navigation is very difficult but the driver and the navigator need to work together to at least not get lost. I think the QMMF and the people who make the route have done a good job.
Has the switch from Mini to Toyota affected you in any way?
The switch from Mini to Toyota hasn’t affected me at all. I am a professional driver. I got an offer from Toyota to drive. Now I showed that we can win with the Toyota. We won the first race. I hope to win here and after if I get offer from Toyota I can continue. If I cannot get the offer what I need, also the Mini now want me to drive and offer me a really good contract. But I will decide on the basis of what’s good for me and my country.
Going with Toyota to the Dakar is definitely on the cards. If Toyota accepts my contract then I will go with them. If not then I will look at other offers including Mini.
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