Why young Abu
Dhabi drivers
have bright
futures in
rallying

In Mohammed Al-Mutawaa and Mohammed Al-Ali, Citroen is about to start nurturing the next generation after the Emiratis were chosen to drive a pair of Citroen DS3 R3s in next year’s FIA Middle East Rally Championship following a three-day selection event at Abu Dhabi’s Yas Marina race circuit.

Twenty-year-old Al-Mutawaa, currently studying finance at university in Dubai, has previous circuit racing experience and is part of the FIA Institute Young Driver Excellence Academy training programme.

“I feel both honoured and very happy to have been selected,” he said. “It is a great opportunity to start rally driving for such a professional team. Over the three days, I have learned a lot and have developed some new skills. I have also had the opportunity to work with the Citroen team as I head for a new challenge. I’m going to be doing my utmost to produce some good performances.”

In contrast to Al-Mutawaa, Al-Ali is a motorsport novice. “I never thought I would be one of the winners at this event,” said the 23-year-old, who has an accountancy degree. “Of course, I was very determined to do well and I gave it my all to try and win. Above all, I have learned a lot during the selection procedure. The advice given to us by the instructors was invaluable, and it helped me to improve quickly when driving the DS3 Racing.”