Abu Dhabi to Hold Non-Championship S2000 Round in the 2010 WRC

Following their sponsorship deal with Ford World Rally Team, Abu Dhabi was expected to make the next step into getting more involved into the World Rally Championship action, namely securing a round of their own in the series. And everything seems to be going ahead as planned for the Arab officials, as the FIA recently confirmed Abu Dhabi as a non-championship event for S2000 cars.

What that news translates into is that the International Automobile Federation is keeping a close eye on Abu Dhabi and will closely supervise the 2010 round, before giving their potential go-ahead for an official WRC event.

The non-championship round was scheduled for December next year, with the FIA making sure its official date will not interfere with events in the WRC or the Middle East Rally Championship (both will have ended by that date).

EAU rally driver Khalid al Qassimi will likely compete in the aforementioned event as an official Ford driver, probably at the wheel of the Ford Fiesta S2000 car recently launched by Stobart/Ford.

“While sponsorship of the Ford team and the inclusion of Al-Qassimi in the outfit's ranks have proven successful, staging a round of the off-road series in the UAE was always the long-term plan,” said Sheikh Sultan bin Tahnoon al Nahyan, chairman of the Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority (ADTA), in an interview with UAE newspaper The National.

“This is a major leap forward in Abu Dhabi's motorsport ambitions. We are confident we have the right experience, pedigree, determination and skills to deliver a unique and highly successful round of the WRC, and that our 2011 ambitions can be fully realized,” added the ADTA official.

The round will include stages in the Al-Ain and Qasr-al-Sarab, in the Liwa Desert.