Saturday 16 / November / 2024
POLAND: Omani racer Abdullah Al Zubair after putting in a strong performance clinched the second place in Baja Poland, the ninth round of FIA cross-country rally championship in a Can Am car with his co-driver Faisal Al Raisi.
The race which was held over three days and consisting of seven stages including a special stage ended successfully for the Omani racer wherein he finished ahead of the champion of the during the last leg which was a 10km stage.
Abdullah Al Zubair who had finished the rally second in the group (UTV) a first ever podium finish in Europe has now secured the 10th place among 49 cars that entered the rally.
The first day saw Al Zubair start from position 31 only to finish the 7km stage in 19th place.
Entering the second day of the rally in 21st place the longest stage held in Drawko over 220km, Al Zubair showed his driving skills in his Can Am but he had to stop twice due to a technical problem with his gear box which effected his results and as an outcome finished late at the finish point.
Al Zubair’s co-driver Faisal Al Raisi did an excellent job in navigating as most of the drivers found the stage very difficult and had to withdraw from the rally due to technical problems. The same stage which had to be repeated for the second time in the afternoon saw the Omani driver improve his timing.
After finishing three stages, Abdullah Al Zubair was on par with the leader of the group Merilov from Poland, but when the results were declared at the end of the stage Al Zubair came second in the group and 12th fastest in the rally.
After finishing the rally on the podium for the first time, Abdullah Al Zubair expressed his happiness at coming second which was only his second time racing in Europe.
