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Rally Kuwait 2010
Date : 5 Mar - 6 Mar 2010
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With more than 30 drivers vying for top honours in round two of the regional rally series this weekend, Al Qassimi - who who is backed by Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority (ADTA) and is a member of the BP-Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team – is hoping to live up to his ‘race favourite’ status in the Northern Gulf state.
The 2004 MERC champion, Al Qassimi – who overcame early teething problems with his new Ford Fiesta S 2000, to show its potential in a desert 
rallying environment – was full of praise for the Kuwait showcase. Several new stages and modified sections have been introduced to the 252.24kms route this year to make it more competitive and more challenging than previously.
“I love coming back to compete with Team Abu Dhabi in the Kuwait Rally and I am really excited with the route changes,” he said. “Last year the participants faced a few problems which we communicated to the organizers and as result we can see some important changes favouring Kuwait as one of the best rounds of the 2010 FIA Middle East Rally Championship,” added the UAE national.
And the Emirati star is hoping to put behind him the disappointment of the 
Qatar round where he failed to cross the finishing line despite putting in a top-class display and recording several fastest stage times in January. He is looking to boost Team Abu Dhabi’s chances with a victory in Kuwait.
“Everybody wants to win, but no one knows how the race will go. In the Qatar International Rally, I was in the lead and could not finish the race because of a jammed wheel on the last two laps.. I'm hoping to avoid problems and clinch top honours and get my season off with a win for Team Abu Dhabi,” added Al Qassimi, who finished 13th place in the World Rally Championship’s opening event,Rally Sweden, last month.
Team Abu Dhabi is one of the key pillars of the emirate’s rally programme, which culminates this year with the staging of Rally Abu Dhabi. Debuting in the emirate as a WRC candidature event, Rally Abu Dhabi is being developed with the aim of becoming an official WRC event in 2011, subject to the inaugural event’s success.
"Team Abu Dhabi and Khalid continue to fly the flag for the emirate regionally and internationally and we wish them all the luck over the coming few days in Kuwait. It is great to see how motorsports, especially rally, has grown in the Middle East and we looking forward to welcoming many of these top-class drivers to the UAE capital later this year,” said Ahmed Hussein, Deputy Director General, ADTA.