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Khalid Al Qassimi in the fight for victory and the title

PM Visit Dubai AirShow 2013- Leading the rally for the majority of the day, Khalid Al Qassimi and Chris Patterson (DS 3 RRC) ended the first leg in second position, 6.8 seconds off the pace.

- Despite picking up a penalty for a false start and a puncture, the Abu Dhabi driver is still in contention to win the rally and with it, the title of FIA Middle East Rally Champion.

- The DS3 R3s of Mohamed Al Mutawaa, Mohamed Al Sahlawi and Saeed Bintouq lead the two-wheel drive category and all feature in the top 10 of the overall standings.

After a ceremonial start organised with the Burj Khalifa - the tallest building in the world - forming the backdrop, the Dubai International Rally got underway this morning. Khalid Al Qassimi grabbed the early overall lead, winning SS1. The DS3 RRC driver repeated the feat on the next stage before tying for the fastest time on SS3! At the midway point, he topped the overall standings but his lead was a slender 5.5s due to a ten-second penalty for a false start on SS1.

"I really pushed to the limit on each corner," reported an out-of-breath Sheikh Khalid when he returned to the service park for the midday pause. "But I'm annoyed about the penalty, because I'm sure I didn't make a mistake. Either the timing system wasn't working properly or the Stewards positioned me too near to the unit, so that it was set off when I put the car in first gear. But we just have to accept it and stay focussed for the second loop."

Khalid Al Qassimi led the overall standings in the afternoon until the end of SS5, when he arrived at the control point with a puncture. The DS3 RRC ended day one in second place, just 6.8s behind the leader.

"In addition to the puncture, we know that I lost time in the sections where there was a lot of loose dirt," he explained. "We have made a lot of progress compared with last year, but that's still something we have to work on. The engineers think they can make further changes to the set-up, so we'll see tomorrow if we can fight to win the rally. In any case, I'm really pleased with my level of performance today. I pushed hard and took some risks, but that's what you have to do to win a championship."

After claiming five category wins on the day's six stages, Mohamed Al Mutawaa ended the leg in eighth place in the overall standings. The Abu Dhabi Racing - Citroën Middle East Trophy driver leads fellow category drivers Mohamed Al Sahlawi and Saeed Bintouq. Held up by several punctures, Mansoor Bel Helei lost more than ten minutes.

"Everything worked on the car so first of all, I'd like to thank the Citroën Racing and Abu Dhabi Racing teams," emphasized Mohamed Al Mutawaa. "It's always a challenge for us to compete with the four-wheel drive cars, but the DS3 R3 handled very well in the sand. I hope I can go on to secure another win tomorrow!"

The Dubai International Rally is set to conclude on Saturday, after a second leg featuring six stages. The finish is scheduled for 4.30pm at the World Trade Center.

Overall standings
1. Nasser Al-Attiyah / Giovanni Bernacchini (Ford Fiesta RRC) 59:10.3
2. Khalid Al Qassimi / Chris Patterson (DS3 RRC) 59:17.1
3. Abdulaziz Al Kuwari / Killian Duffy (Ford Fiesta RRC) 1:01:02.8
4. Khalid Al Suwaidi / John Higgins (Ford Fiesta RRC) 1:02:21.6
5. Abdullah Al Qassimi / Gaby Khoury (Ford Fiesta RRC) 1:02:42.9
6. Abdulla Al Kuwari / Enda Sherry (Ford Fiesta RRC) 1:05:13.8
7. Khalifa Saleh Al-Attiyah / Adhil H. Abdulla (Mitsubishi Lancer) 1:06:26.5
8. Mohammed Al Mutawaa / Stephen McAuley (DS3 R3) 1:08:51.8
9. Mohamed Al Sahlawi / Craig Parry (DS3 R3) 1:09:30.5
10. Saeed Bintowq / Allan Harryman (DS3 R3) 1:10:47.3