The Pakistan-born opening batter got more votes than superstar Shaheen Afridi as he became the first UAE player to win the ICC award
Qatar’s Nasser Saleh Al Attiyah, Spaniard Joan Barreda and the host nation’s Mohammed Abu Issa stole the limelight by setting the fastest times in the third 411.76km selective section of the Sealine Cross-Country Rally through the Qatar desert on Wednesday.
Al Attiyah duly extended his advantage to 39min 38sec in the car category, Honda rider Barreda managed to slip 1min 19sec ahead of KTM’s Marc Coma in the motorcycle section and Qatar’s Abu Issa increased his lead in the quads after Poland’s Rafal Sonik hit trouble.
Al Attiyah had no fear of opening the stage for the cars and he and French navigator Matthieu Baumel controlled their pace masterfully to record a third successive stage win, despite erring on the side of caution at a tricky navigational point.
Brazilians Reinaldo Varela and Gustavo Gugelmin were second in an Overdrive Toyota Hilux and the third quickest time for Mini driver Vladimir Vasilyev enabled the Russian to snatch second overall after Yazeed Al-Rajhi hit trouble.
“It was a good day and good navigation,” said Al Attiyah. “But there was one place where Matthieu and I were not sure and we decided to stop and make sure we had the correct track. Maybe it cost us around nine minutes, because there was a track to the left and it was not easy at all.”
Al Rajhi was carrying three spare tyres in his Toyota and he punctured for a fourth time before the dunes at the end of the stage and tried to finish on the rim. He tried to block the rear differential to prevent excess wear, but the resultant damage broke the rear axle and the Saudi was stranded at the foot of the dunes near the finish with a hefty amount of time penalties to follow.
Joan Barreda caught overall leader Marc Coma early in the day’s selective section and the leading group of four motorcycle riders reached the finish together, with Barreda clocking the quickest time of 4hr 53min 43sec.
The Pakistan-born opening batter got more votes than superstar Shaheen Afridi as he became the first UAE player to win the ICC award
Emaar Development’s sales backlog has increased to Dh65.7 billion
The former US president and Republican presidential candidate has pleaded not guilty and denies any sexual encounter with Stormy Daniels
Maritime India Vision 2030 envisions investment of Rs1.25 trillion
The project aims at turning Dubai into a pedestrian-, environment- and family-friendly city
Book your tickets for amazing musical experiences, featuring international artists and local talent
Reynolds and Lively have maintained a level of privacy, choosing not to disclose the sex of their children until birth
Visitors at the ongoing 23rd Airport Show have seen a detailed preview of how the world’s largest airport would look