Young Chosen drivers were Left- Mohamed Al Mutawa and Mohamed Al Ali
Dec 9th, Abu Dhabi – After an intense three-day selection procedure, Citroën and Abu Dhabi have chosen the talented young drivers who will take part in next season’s Middle East Rally Championship in two Citroën DS3 R3s.
Mohammed Al Mutawaa and Mohammed Al Ali topped a pool of thirteen candidates from across the United Arab Emirates, after a series of specific tests held at the Yas Marina Circuit.
The stakes were high for the thirteen candidates chosen to take part in the young driver selection event organised by Citroën Racing, Abu Dhabi Racing and the Yas Marina Circuit. Starting at 9am on Friday, the instructors, drivers and judges met up at the circuit for preparations and a briefing session. The drivers then headed out onto the tarmac for their first opportunity to get a feel for the Citroën DS3 Racing on a mixed surface, combining dry and wet sections. On Saturday, the day began with a physical training session before the start of the first few warm-up laps. The selection procedure started for real in the afternoon with a timed lap on a difficulty one circuit with a rolling start. The judges were thus able to select the six drivers who would continue to the next stage of the tests.
Drivers took part in fitness and general knowledge tests
After a final session made up of a series of general knowledge tests on motorsport, physical tests and two timed laps of the circuit with difficulty ratings of two and three from a standing start, Mohammed Al Mutawaa and Mohammed Al Ali were chosen as the two winners. Each of the two winners will drive a Citroën DS3 R3 to compete in the six rounds of the 2013 Middle East.
“The young driver selection event has proven to be a very rewarding and interesting experience” commented a delighted Marek Nawarecki, Customer Racing Manager for Citroën Racing.
“We were pleasantly surprised by the friendly atmosphere and strong team spirit that developed between the competitors during the event. They all wanted to help each other out and share experiences. Although they all have different backgrounds, varying from karting and track racing to cross country rallying, whilst some were just beginners, everyone listened attentively to the advice given throughout the three days and were very willing to share their experiences with the others. There is no doubt that next season will be a very useful learning experience for the two winners taking part in the championship.”
