MEDIA INFORMATION
37th Dubai International Rally
FIA Middle East Rally Championship, round 8
November 19-21, 2015
For immediate release
Tuesday, November 17th, 2015
EMIRATI MANSOUR BIN JABR AIMS FOR GROUP N VICTORY IN DUBAI AND RACES IN MEMORY OF FALLEN UAE TROOPS IN YEMEN CONFLICT
· Bin Jabr teams up with Arif Yousef Mohammed in Group N Mitsubishi
· Dubai International Rally gets underway on Thursday evening
DUBAI (UAE): Emirati Mansour Bin Jabr is making his final preparations for a professional assault at this weekend’s 37th Dubai International Rally, the final round of the FIA Middle East Rally Championship.
His car has also been sign written in UAE army camouflage colours to show his strong support and empathy for Emirati troops who have lost their lives in the ongoing conflict in Yemen.
With support from the Bin Jabr Group, Mansour features on a strong entry list of 17 drivers for the three-day finale to the regional rallying season. He will drive a Tok Sport-prepared Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X in the Group N category and fellow Emirati Arif Yousef Mohammed will co-drive.
Bin Jaber took part in a local rally in Sharjah recently in a Subaru Impreza as a warm-up for this event and was lying third overall before mechanical problems intervened on the last stage. The Dubai outing will be the first for this new partnership, who are planning a full programme of Middle East events together in 2016.
A former member of the Abu Dhabi Junior Team, Bin Jabr drove a Ford Fiesta in six rallies in 2007 and 2008 and showed his potential in the two-wheel category on several occasions with podium finishes and the ‘Best Driver of the Year’ award in 2008. He then took part in several local events to further his experience.
Arif Yousef’s last event was a fine fifth overall and first in T2 in Baja Kuwait with the Saudi driver Ahmed Shegawi, with whom he will tackle the Dakar in the T4 category in January. He has also co-driven for the likes of Qatar’s Mubarak Al-Hajri and Sheikh Hamed Bin Eid Al-Thani in the past.
“My time as a member of the Abu Dhabi Junior Team was successful and very enjoyable,” said Bin Jabr. “I took part in local and regional rallies and a round of the WRC. For the Dubai Rally, we wanted a car with top end speed and I have chosen the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X. The goal in Dubai is to deliver a strong performance and go for the victory in the Group N category. I am confident I can do that. This rally is very important to me.
“I am also taking part in this rally to remember the UAE troops who have lost their lives in the conflict in Yemen and the colour scheme of our car has been changed to army print camouflage to reflect this. This is something I feel very strongly about.”
Main competition in the Group N category will come from the recently crowned champion Salah Bin Eidan of Kuwait, the Lebanese veteran driver Michel Saleh and Kuwait’s Meshari Al-Thafiri.
The Dubai International Rally is organised by the ATC UAE and has been the traditional final round of the Middle East series for many years. It will run under the patronage of H.H. Sheikh Ahmad Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, president of the UAE National Olympic Committee.
Based at the Dubai Men’s College for a sixth year, the rally begins with a ceremonial start on Thursday evening (November 19) at 19.30hrs.
The competitive action will take place on Friday and Saturday over 12 timed special stages in the remote deserts areas to the south of Dubai in remote parts of the neighbouring Sharjah emirate.
Ends