Paul Jeffrey
Premium
Following on from the trend set by works Citroen driver Sebastian Loeb, Al-Attiyah's debut marks the second WRC Rally driver to compete in the premier FIA Touring Car series this year.
Winner of 11 FIA Middle East Rally Championship titles and a double winner of the Dakar Rally Al-Attiyah is not without pedigree. Having recently secured his second FIA World Cup for Cross Country Rallies championship this season the Qatari is currently in a rich vein of form and is looking forward to broadening his experiences in his home round of the WTCC.
Al-Attiyah told the official WTCC site the following about his upcoming WTCC debut:
“It will be real honour for me to represent my country, Qatar, when it hosts the FIA World Touring Car Championship for the first time,”
“Qatar has successfully staged MotoGP events for a number of years and securing an FIA world championship will only enhance the country’s reputation as a sporting destination. I was proud when I learned the WTCC would be coming to Qatar but I’m even more proud to say that I will be part of the action, even though I will have plenty to learn and get used to because I have not done much circuit racing and never in a front-wheel-drive car.
“While I want to be competitive, my objectives will be different to my rivals: I’m an ambassador for Middle East motorsport and I’ll be doing all I can to further highlight Qatar’s position on the motorsport map.”
“Qatar has successfully staged MotoGP events for a number of years and securing an FIA world championship will only enhance the country’s reputation as a sporting destination. I was proud when I learned the WTCC would be coming to Qatar but I’m even more proud to say that I will be part of the action, even though I will have plenty to learn and get used to because I have not done much circuit racing and never in a front-wheel-drive car.
“While I want to be competitive, my objectives will be different to my rivals: I’m an ambassador for Middle East motorsport and I’ll be doing all I can to further highlight Qatar’s position on the motorsport map.”
Following the recent announcement of Volvo returning to the championship for the 2016 racing season this latest good news story is another shot in the arm for a series fighting its way back to front of the Touring car grid after several growing pains following major regulation changes prior to the 2014 season.
How do you think Nasser Al-Attiyah will fair in his WTCC debut? Do you think it is a good thing to see guest drivers or just a marketing ploy? Leave your thoughts in the comments section below!
Last edited by a moderator:
