Oman’s Faisal, Hamed finish second and third in Ras Al Khaimah Rally

Muscat: Oman rallyists Faisal Al Rashdi and Hamed Al Qasimi won the second and third places respectively in the Group N competition of the Ras Al Khaimah Rally during the last weekend.
According to information received here, the event, which is the third round of the UAE National Rally Championship, saw Faisal Al Rashdi and co-pilot Waleed Al Rashdi clinch the second place while Hamed Al Qasimi and co-driver Mohammed Al Mazroui settled for the third place.
Interestingly, Fasail and Waleed also finished fourth in the fourth overall standings while Hamed and Mohamed were fifth overall.
The event was won by Sheikh Abdullah Al Qasimi in Ford Fiesta S2000 ahead of Rashid Al Kitbi in Ford S2000 and Sheikh Mohamed Al Qasmi in Subaru N12, the latter two finishing second and third respectively.
Faisal Al Rashidi completed the rally in total time of one hour, nine minutes and 44 seconds while Hamed Al Qasimi clocked 1:13:03 despite some drawbacks in the second stage, when both drivers were jolted by punctures.
Hamed lost more than seven minutes and Faisal lost five minutes. However, the duo recovered well the remaining stages to finish second and third in their group.
With some family members and rally enthusiasts from back home, including Oman Automobile Association official Younis Al Balushi and rally driver Khalid Soomar, travelling to Ras Al Khaimah, the Omani teams had a memorable outing.
A delighted Faial Al Rasidi said: “We are happy to finish the rally in the second place in our group. Thanks to the organisers for all their effort and support to the Omani drivers.”
“We are looking forward for the fourth round in October in Sharjah. Hopefully we will get better support from the sponsors and the government organisations.”
Hamed Al Qasimi, meanwhile, added: “Frankly that we need a lot of support from everyone in Oman as we represent the Sultanate in this championship. We spent a lot of money from our own pockets and it is difficult to understand why we don’t get any support from the government or private sector.”