Belhelei and Patterson win T2 class on debut

dubai — Abu Dhabi Racing (ADR) Junior Rally Programme driver Mansour Belhelei and navigator Chris Patterson won the T2 class at the just concluded Dubai International Baja, Round 2 of the FIA World Cup for Cross Country Rallies, and the pair are now looking forward to the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge, which is also a round of the FIA World Cup for Cross Country Rallies.

Considering the fact that this was the first Baja for both Belhelei and Patterson and coupled with being behind the wheel of a Toyota Prado for the first time, it was a fantastic result for the pair in the T2 class competing against some of the best in the business.

Belhelei said: “At the outset, I would like to thank Abu Dhabi Racing and Chairman Sheikh Khalid bin Faisal Al Qassimi for giving me this opportunity and having faith in my skills behind the wheel of a car that I was not entirely familiar with.

There were numerous challenges as we were the first to start Mansour Belhelei

“Having said that, Day 1 went very well; it was very demanding where lots of skill and concentration was required. There were numerous challenges as we were the first to start and had to take a different line than those taken by the more powerful T1 cars.

“The new lines we took were suitable to the nature and power of our Toyota Prado and the strategy eventually proved to be very successful and we took the lead at the end of the day.

“On the second day the priority was to protect our lead and also ensure that we brought back our car home safely. I slowed down on the pace a bit but pushed a little where needed knowing that those at the back would be driving hard to catch up with us.