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Hem arrow Nyhetsarkiv arrow UAE Desert Challenge 2008 arrow UAE Desert Challenge 25-31 okt 2008
UAE Desert Challenge 25-31 okt 2008
Skrivet av Redaktionen   
2008-11-01

UAE Desert Challenge gick av stapeln mellan den 25 och 31 oktober 2008,

klicka in och läs om den heta tävlingen i Dubai.

ISUZU DIESEL MISSION TEAM NEWSUAE DESERT CHALLENGE 

(October 25th-31st, 2008)

FIA World Cup for Cross-Country rallies, final round 

Leg 1: Abu-Dhabi to Moreeb Hill: liaison, 53.20km; special, 281.05km; liaison, 118.50km; total, 452.75 km.   

Monday, October 27th, 2008

 TEAM ISUZU DIESEL MISSION ENJOYS POSITIVE START ON OPENING LEG OF UAE DESERT CHALLENGE 

 

  • Par Wallentheim moves up to eighth overall in his Isuzu D-Max
  • Qatar’s Nasser Al-Attiyah holds commanding overall lead

 isuzu_l1-2a.jpg

 

 MOREEB HILL (UAE): Team Isuzu Diesel Mission enjoyed a positive start to their 2008 UAE Desert Challenge campaign after the first 281km desert section from Al-Dafrah to a finish deep inside the Abu Dhabi desert on Monday. 

 Australian Bruce Garland and co-driver Harry Suzuki had been running as high as 11th overall through the first passage control point, but stopped for around 30 minutes with overheating concerns before the second passage control. They eventually passed PC2 in 27th position and PC3 in 29th on the stage and reached the end of the section in 4h 05m 04s to hold a provisional 20th overall.  

Swedish team mates Par ‘Pelle’ Wallentheim and Dan-Olov Ohlsson maintained a steady pace in the second Isuzu D-Max and reached the finish of the stage in 3h 17m 43s to record the eighth fastest time and seal a similar position in the overall standings. Wallentheim was also unofficially fourth in the diesel category behind the leading factory BMW X3 CCs and a Japanese Toyota. 

“It has been quite an experience out there in the heat,” admitted Garland, tackling his first UAE Desert Challenge since 2005. “We could smell the paint warming up on the car, so we stopped for around 30 minutes to let everything cool down. Still, it is a great test for the Dakar and that is what we came here for. 

“The car is superb in the sand dunes and maybe we can push a little more tomorrow. Maybe I was a little too cautious today. I didn’t want to risk damaging the engine so early in the race.” 

Wallentheim was pleased with his progress: “We made a couple of small navigational mistakes early in the stage and that cost us a couple of minutes, but I am pleased with our performance. The car feels very strong and capable in the sand dunes and the heat is not really a problem for us. I would say that it was more of an issue on the Australian Safari than it has been here.” 

The rally caravan will spend Monday evening camped under the stars and a towering sand dune at the Moreeb Hill bivouac, near Liwa, deep inside the Abu Dhabi emirate.  

Qatar’s Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah led the stage from start to finish and held an overall lead of around 18 minutes over his Russian X-raid colleague Leonid Novitskiy.   

The UAE Desert Challenge crosses some of the remotest terrain on the planet, but both Garland and Suzuki have spent considerable time in similar regions of the world. 

“The charm of a rally of this nature is the fact that it is adventurous,” enthuses Garland. “It is the ultimate challenge of man and machine to push for the limits. It also teaches you to respect Mother Nature. The deserts have a funny affect on your soul. You know it is a dangerous place, but it also has its own beauty and you have to respect it or it will kill you. Nothing is more fulfilling than the sense of accomplishment you get when you finish an event like this, especially when you have a good position.” 

The Isuzu Diesel Mission has been built for strength and endurance and Garland has been impressed with his mount over the first two days of the UAE Desert Challenge.  

“I have noticed three obvious things,” admits the Australian. “First of all the car is very durable. We do not really have any major problems with it at all. The maintenance is very simple; our mechanics have an easy time with the D-Max.  

“Secondly, the fuel economy is excellent. I noticed that the car consumes between 80 and 100 litres less that a gasoline-engined vehicle. As a result of this, we do not need such a large fuel tank and can reduce the total weight of the car for better performance. 

“The final thing is the engine temperature and that is critical on events like this one. Rally drivers do not turn the air conditioner on, because they need to feed all the power to the engine, so the cabin is very hot because of the heat of the engine.  

“For a diesel car, the engine temperature of the D-Max is not as high as a gasoline car, which makes it easier for me and Harry to concentrate on the race. This is because a diesel engine can transform heat from the combustion process into power at a higher ratio that a gasoline unit.”
 

Tomorrow (Tuesday) is one of the most difficult sections of the UAE Desert Challenge, although it is the shortest leg of the event. A liaison section of 81.15km will take teams to the start of a 296.75km selective through the remote Rub Al-Khali and this winds its way back to finish near the Moreeb Hill bivouac.

 There will be four passage controls at the 70.30km, 131.90km, 160.80km and 229km points in a total route of 377.90km. 

Crews will tackle two further loop stages around the Moreeb bivouac on Wednesday and Thursday, each selective section crossing a wide range of treacherous sand dunes, gatch roads, gravel trails and winding Bedouin sand flats through the Rub Al Khali or Empty Quarter – one of the remotest places on earth near the frontier with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The event finishes in Dubai on Friday, October 31st.

2008 UAE Desert Challenge - positions on leg 1 (unofficial):

1. Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah (QA)/Tina Thörner (S) BMW X3 CC                   `         2h 27m 15s

2. Leonid Novitskiy (RUS)/Oleg Tyupenkin (RUS) BMW X3 CC                             2h 45m 12s

3. Krzysztof Holowczyc (PL)/Jean-Marc Fortin (B) Nissan Navara                         2h 55m 14s 

8. Par Wallentheim (S)/Dan-Olov Ohlsson (S) Isuzu D-Max                   3h 17m 43s, 4th diesel

20. Bruce Garland (AUS)/Harry Suzuki (J) Isuzu D-Max                         4h 05m 04s    

 2008 UAE Desert Challenge - positions after leg 1 (unofficial):

1. Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah (QA)/Tina Thörner (S) BMW X3 CC                             2h 29m 29s

2. Leonid Novitskiy (RUS)/Oleg Tyupenkin (RUS) BMW X3 CC                             2h 47m 40s

3. Krzysztof Holowczyc (PL)/Jean-Marc Fortin (B) Nissan Navara                         2h 57m 30s

4. Yayha Al-Helai (UAE)/Khalid Al-Kendi (UAE) Nissan Patrol                              3h 03m 51s   

5. Glen Reid (UAE)/Haydn Walker (UAE) Nissan                                                3h 09m 54s

6. Laurent Rosso (F)/Fabian Lurquin (B) Nissan Pathfinder                                  3h 13m 48s

7. Jun Mitsuhashi (J)/Akira Muira (J) Toyota Land Cruiser                                    3h 16m 15s

8. Par Wallentheim (S)/Dan-Olov Ohlsson (S) Isuzu D-Max                    3h 20m 27s, 4th diesel

20. Bruce Garland (AUS)/Harry Suzuki (J) Isuzu D-Max                          4h 07m 36s 

 

 

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ISUZU DIESEL MISSION TEAM NEWSUAE DESERT CHALLENGE

(October 25th-31st, 2008)

FIA World Cup for Cross-Country rallies, final round 

Leg 2: Moreeb Hill to Moreeb Hill: liaison, 81.15km; special, 296.75km; liaison, 0km; total, 377.90 km.  

Tuesday, October 28th, 2008 MAJOR DELAYS FOR TEAM ISUZU DIESEL MISSION ON SECOND LEG OF UAE DESERT CHALLENGE 

  • Qatar’s Nasser Al-Attiyah extends overall lead on leg two

 

MOREEB HILL (UAE): Team Isuzu Diesel Mission endured major delays on the punishing 296.75km second leg of the UAE Desert Challenge on Tuesday, but both Isuzu D-Max drivers are confident that they can continue the test and development programme on Wednesday.  

Bruce Garland and co-driver Harry Suzuki started well, but succumbed to the treacherous soft sand after the first passage control, where team mates Par ‘Pelle’ Wallentheim and Dan-Olov Ohlsson also lost over two and a half hours.  

Garland was stuck in the soft sand and pushed the sentinel safety button on his D-Max to warn other vehicles that he was stationery. But another following vehicle was already on the ridge of a nearby sand dune and slithered into the side of the D-Max, the impact damaging Garland’s fuel system.  

The Australian was unable to continue, but Wallentheim eventually resumed along the stage and reached the second passage control, only for event officials to take his time card on the grounds that it was late in the afternoon and they did not want vehicles out on the stage after dark for safety reasons.  

Both crew members returned to the Moreeb Hill bivouac without their cars, but ‘Pelle’ returned with his mechanics to repair and collect his D-Max on Tuesday evening and Garland is hopeful that his will be repaired by the team overnight and both crews will restart at the rear of the field on Wednesday. 

 “It was a bit of a shocker for us today,” said a disappointed Garland. “We were running well, then we got stuck and then we had this problem at the sand dune. Both of us wanted to carry on, but event officials were reluctant to let us do that under the circumstances, so we will use the next three days to test and develop the car for the Dakar.” 

The two Isuzu D-Max entries began the second leg in eighth and 20th positions on the road, with the earlier stage start of 08.51hrs for the first car benefiting all the entrants in terms of slightly cooler outside temperatures than they had faced with the later start from Abu Dhabi on Monday.  

The pair were classified fourth and sixth in the diesel category and determined to climb up the leader board through the tricky sand dunes and along the treacherous sandy trails that defined leg two.

Garland was the first of the Isuzu D-Max drivers to pass PC1, after Wallentheim had dropped around 25 minutes in the sand.  

They were running 17th and 25th on the stage before their serious delays. Both drivers will incur substantial time penalties before the restart from Moreeb Hill on Wednesday. The second leg was won by Qatar’s Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah, who extended his overall advantage over Russian Leonid Novitskiy to over 95 minutes with three days remaining.  

Garland is enjoying competing against many of Europe and the Middle East’s top drivers during this week’s UAE Desert Challenge. “I think that the confrontation with the European teams is what we were looking forward to the most. We also wanted to test our D-Max in the extreme heat of the Middle East. We knew it would be very challenging and it proved so yesterday and today.” 

There are numerous forms of motor sporting disciplines run under the auspices of the FIA, but rallying is sub-divided into two basic categories. There is the FIA World Rally Championship for modified passenger cars and cross-country rallies, such as the Australian Safari and the UAE Desert Challenge for four-wheel drive and SUV cars. 

“The main difference is that for speed rallies like the WRC, drivers are able to practice on the actual course,” explains Garland. “There is a lot of information available about the tracks and the rally teams can study and prepare for the race.  

“Cross-country rally officials do not give this information out about the track and the route to any competitors in advance. Each night, officials will give out information on the route for the following day, so competitors have no chance to practice at all. The key to success in cross-country rallies is the experience of the driver and the navigator, with the performance of the car and preparation to face all kinds of terrain.” 

Tomorrow (Wednesday) is the second of the loop sections through the sand dunes and Bedouin trails around Moreeb Hill and offers a selective section of 340.60km in a total route of 394.34km. After a 54.30km run out to the stage start, there will be four passage controls at the 74.12km, 167.55km, 225.52km and 284km points, before teams return for a third night at Moreeb Hill. The event finishes in Dubai on Friday, October 31st

2008 UAE Desert Challenge - positions on leg 2 (unofficial):

1. Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah (QA)/Tina Thörner (S) BMW X3 CC (3.0-litre diesel - 1.2)               4h 08m 27s

2. Yayha Al-Helai (UAE)/Khalid Al-Kendi (UAE) Nissan Patrol (4.0 V6 gasoline - 2.1)             5h 18m 07s

3. Leonid Novitskiy (RUS)/Oleg Tyupenkin (RUS) BMW X3 CC (3.0-litre diesel - 1.2)          5h 25m 17s 

*TBA. Par Wallentheim (S)/Dan-Olov Ohlsson (S) Isuzu D-Max (3-0 litre diesel – 1.2)                   TBA

*TBA. Bruce Garland (AUS)/Harry Suzuki (J) Isuzu D-Max (3.0-litre diesel – 1.2)                           TBA 

* Times not available at time of closing for press, pending imposing of time penalties 

2008 UAE Desert Challenge - positions after leg 2 (unofficial):

1. Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah (QA)/Tina Thörner (S) BMW X3 CC (3.0-litre diesel - 1.2)               6h 37m 56s

2. Leonid Novitskiy (RUS)/Oleg Tyupenkin (RUS) BMW X3 CC (3.0-litre diesel - 1.2)              8h 12m 57s

3. Yayha Al-Helai (UAE)/Khalid Al-Kendi (UAE) Nissan Patrol (4.0 V6 gasoline - 2.1)             8h 21m 58s 

*TBA. Par Wallentheim (S)/Dan-Olov Ohlsson (S) Isuzu D-Max (3-0 litre diesel – 1.2)                   TBA

*TBA. Bruce Garland (AUS)/Harry Suzuki (J) Isuzu D-Max (3.0-litre diesel – 1.2)                           TBA 

* Times not available at time of closing for press, pending imposing of time penalties

 

 

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ISUZU DIESEL MISSION TEAM NEWSUAE DESERT CHALLENGE

(October 25th-31st, 2008)

FIA World Cup for Cross-Country rallies, final round Leg 3: Moreeb Hill to Moreeb Hill: liaison, 54.34km; special, 340.00km; liaison, 0km; total, 394.34 km.  

October 29th, 2008 TEAM ISUZU DIESEL MISSION BACK ON TRACK AFTER POSITIVE THIRD LEG OF UAE DESERT CHALLENGE 

  • Bruce Garland sets seventh fastest time in new Isuzu D-Max
  • Qatar’s Nasser Al-Attiyah extends overall lead after leg three

 

MOREEB HILL (UAE): Team Isuzu Diesel Mission enjoyed a much better third day of the UAE Desert Challenge across the Arabian Desert’s Empty Quarter on Wednesday. They eventually set the seventh and 11th fastest times on the day’s daunting 340 km desert section and moved up to 14th and 15th overall. 

After a dramatic second leg, Australian driver Bruce Garland and co-driver Harry Suzuki were permitted to restart just behind the leading pack of cars out of the 34 survivors and they set about making up lost time from the outset across the treacherous sand dunes, although they did get stuck in soft sand on one occasion and lost a couple of minutes.  

Swedish team mates Par Wallentheim and Dan-Olov Ohlsson also ran well on Wednesday, but they got stuck twice in the soft sand.   

“No-one ran into the side of us today so it was a much better day,” joked Garland, who had taken the start after the mechanics had worked throughout the night to repair the bodywork, fuel lines and fuel system on the damaged D-Max.  

“We did get stuck in one place for a few minutes in the bowl of a dune, but we have some new ramps and it was not a problem. It was a useful test for us today for the Dakar, in terms of checking temperatures and reliability, and we had a good finish on the stage. We want more of the same tomorrow.”

 “Today’s stage was actually more difficult than the one where we had problems on Tuesday, but we had a much better run,” said Wallentheim, who, like Garland, benefited from sterling work by the team’s mechanics throughout the night. “I got stuck a couple of times in the dunes, but the car was fine. We had no problems with the temperatures.” 

Qatar’s Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah began the day with a 95-minute over his Russian colleague Leonid Novitskiy and extended his overall lead to 2h 51m 50s over the UAE’s Yayha Al-Helai, when Leonid Novitskiy was delayed with engine problems. 

Both D-Max crews were given heavy time penalties for missing the full route on Tuesday, but they were permitted to restart on Wednesday morning from 21st and 25th positions on the road and held 20th and 22nd in the general classification. 

But Garland put in an early morning charge and managed to reach the first control as the 10th car on the stage, having passed several struggling rivals in the desert. Wallentheim was running 15th and they both maintained a good pace through the second passage control.  

Garland and Wallenstheim reached the third passage control in 10th and 13th places on the stage and they were running as the eighth and 14th drivers through PC4, before reaching the finish in good time. 

Despite some setbacks early in the event, Garland is delighted with the performance of the D-Max. “I have experienced first hand the good performance of the D-Max now. I know how much potential it has. It is evident that diesel engine technology has improved a lot over the years.  

“It will not be surprising to me if more and more cross-country rally drivers choose to compete with diesel cars. I even think that we will see a diesel model competing at the highest level in speed rallies like the WRC in the near future.” 

Second day problems on this year’s UAE Desert Challenge have emphasised the importance of having good backing for the crews. “The driver and navigator are only part of the team,” adds Garland. Most of the mechanics and engineers have been with us since the beginning. They are my mates and we do a lot together and that makes us a very strong and determined team. A teams has the same aim and we strive to achieve those goals together.” 

Tomorrow (Thursday) is the penultimate day of this year’s event and the day’s route consists of a short 6.50km run out to the start of the 314.95km special and a 122.20 road section back to the bivouac after another punishing day’s action in the sand dunes and across the treacherous soft sand that makes this event such a unique and arduous challenge.

2008 UAE Desert Challenge - positions on leg 3 (unofficial):    

1. Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah (QA)/Tina Thörner (S) BMW X3 CC (3.0-litre diesel - 1.2)               4h 40m 41s

2. Yayha Al-Helai (UAE)/Khalid Al-Kendi (UAE) Nissan Patrol (4.0 gasoline -2.1)                    5h 48m 29s

3. Krzysztof Holowczyc (PL)/Jean-Marc Fortin (B) Nissan Navara (3.5 V6 gasoline – 1.1)      5h 58m 09s 

7. Bruce Garland (AUS)/Harry Suzuki (J) Isuzu D-Max (3.0-litre diesel – 1.2)                        6h 26m 36s

11. Par Wallentheim (S)/Dan-Olov Ohlsson (S) Isuzu D-Max (3-0 litre diesel – 1.2)              7h 07m 41s  

 

2008 UAE Desert Challenge - positions after leg 3 (unofficial): 

1. Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah (QA)/Tina Thörner (S) BMW X3 CC (3.0-litre diesel - 1.2)              11h 18m 37s

2. Yayha Al-Helai (UAE)/Khalid Al-Kendi (UAE) Nissan Patrol (4.0 gasoline - 2.1)                 14h 10m 27s

3. Laurent Rosso (F)/Fabian Lurquin (B) Nissan Pathfinder  (3.5 gasoline – 2.1)                  15h 2605s 

14. Par Wallentheim (S)/Dan-Olov Ohlsson (S) Isuzu D-Max (3.0-litre diesel - 1.2)           ´ 22h 28m 08s

15. Bruce Garland (AUS)/Harry Suzuki (J) Isuzu D-Max (3.0-litre diesel-1.2)                  22h34m12s         

 

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ISUZU DIESEL MISSION TEAM NEWS

UAE DESERT CHALLENGE (October 25th-31st, 2008)

 

FIA World Cup for Cross-Country rallies, final round  Leg 4: Moreeb Hill to Moreeb Hill: liaison, 6.50km; special, 314.95km; liaison, 122.20km; total, 443.65 km.

Thursday, October 30th, 2008 

 

TEAM ISUZU DIESEL MISSION’S WALLENTHEIM CLIMBS UP UAE DESERT CHALLENGE LEADER BOARD  

  • Bruce Garland sidelined with head gasket woes
  • Qatar’s Nasser Al-Attiyah extends lead to over three hours
 MOREEB HILL (UAE): Par Wallentheim and Dan-Olov Ohlsson maintained Team Isuzu Diesel Mission’s UAE Desert Challenge bid after a punishing fourth leg across the Arabian desert, deep in the Empty Quarter of the Abu Dhabi emirate, on Thursday.  

 

The Swedish pair brought their D-Max to the finish of the grueling 314.95km selective section in ninth position, but team mates Bruce Garland and co-driver Harry Suzuki were sidelined with head gasket-related problems early in the stage. 

“I think the damage was done yesterday,” said Garland. “We stopped in a sand bowl in the dunes and then we got going again and struggled along for a while, but there was no way we would make the finish of the stage. So we decided to call it a day and return to the bivouac. We hope to repair the car tonight and have a little push to the finish on Friday.” 

Qatar’s Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah again cruised to an emphatic stage win and extended his overall advantage for the X-raid team over the UAE’s Yayha Al-Helai.  

 

Both Isuzus restarted from eighth and 12th positions on the road this morning. Wallentheim held 13th in the general classification, but additional time penalties imposed overnight had knocked Garland down to 29th in the overall standings.  

 

The Swede started well and held 10th through PC1 and ninth through PC2, but Garland stopped with overheating problems before the first passage control at 78.58km. The Australian suspected that the head gasket had failed and there were anxious moments in the Isuzu Diesel Mission camp before the crew decided to continue. He reached PC1in just under three hours after dropping around 90 minutes to his rivals, but the decision was taken to return to Moreeb Hill. 

Wallentheim was classified 14th through the third PC and ninth after the final passage control, as he made steady progress towards the finish to clinch an eventual ninth position. 

 

isuzu-l4-8.jpg

Garland is keen to praise the development progress of diesel engines for cross-country competition. “In the past, the perception of the diesel engine was that it could produce high torque at low revs, but would have lower power at higher revs than a gasoline engine. After I drove the D-Max, I realised that the old belief is no longer true.  

 

“The D-Max engine delivers substantial power, even at high engine revs and is similar to the gasoline cars that I have driven. It really is an eye opener to see diesel cars nowadays delivering similar performance figures to gasoline cars.” 

 

But Garland admits that he did have reservations about driving the diesel car at the outset. “Most of the competitors in events like the Australian Safari drive large gasoline-engined cars, most of them as large as six-liters. I did have some uneasiness at first, but that gradually disappeared when I began to test drive the car. 

“The D-Max surprised everyone, especially in the tight, technical stages. We were only banking on being competitive over the extremely fast sections, but we did have a feeling that we could beat the gasoline cars before the race, especially if it rained. The D-Max is much quicker in muddy sections and soft sand where the torque makes it easy and fast to drive. We have now experienced sandy conditions here on the Desert Challenge.” 

Tomorrow (Friday) is the final leg of the 2008 UAE Desert Challenge and surviving teams will tackle two selective sections of 118.60km and 166.25km in a total route of 528.03km. The opening competitive stage starts at the same place as the finish of leg one and PC2 on leg four, while the final stage finishes near the endurance horse stables at Al-Asaili.  

 

It is the longest leg of the entire event and draws to a conclusion with the ceremonial finish at the Dubai International Marine Club from 4pm.

 

2008 UAE Desert Challenge - positions on leg 4 (unofficial):     

1. Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah (QA)/Tina Thörner (S) BMW X3 CC (3.0-liter diesel - 1.2)                4h 00m 49s

2. Leonid Novitskiy (RUS)/Oleg Tyupenkin (RUS) BMW X3 CC (3.0-liter diesel – 1.2)              4h 02m 45s

3. Krzysztof Holowczyc (PL)/Jean-Marc Fortin (B) Nissan Navara (3.5 V6 gasoline – 1.1)        4h 29m 29s 

9. Par Wallentheim (S)/Dan-Olov Ohlsson (S) Isuzu D-Max (3-0 liter diesel – 1.2)                 5h 29m 01s

DNF. Bruce Garland (AUS)/Harry Suzuki (J) Isuzu D-Max (3.0-liter diesel – 1.2)  DNF 

 

2008 UAE Desert Challenge - positions after leg 4 (unofficial): 

1. Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah (QA)/Tina Thörner (S) BMW X3 CC (3.0-liter diesel - 1.2)               15h 19m 26s

2. Yayha Al-Helai (UAE)/Khalid Al-Kendi (UAE) Nissan Patrol (4.0-liter  gasoline - 2.1)          19h 09m 02s

3. Krzysztof Holowczyc (PL)/Jean-Marc Fortin (B) Nissan Navara (3.5 V6 gasoline – 1.1)       20h 20m48s 

12. Par Wallentheim (S)/Dan-Olov Ohlsson (S) Isuzu D-Max (3.0-litre diesel - 1.2)       27h 57m 09s

*TBA. Bruce Garland (AUS)/Harry Suzuki (J) Isuzu D-Max (3.0-litre diesel – 1.2)          TBA 

* not available at time of closing for press        

 

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UAE DESERT CHALLENGE (October 25th-31st, 2008)

FIA World Cup for Cross-Country rallies, final round 

Leg 5: Moreeb Hill to Mina Seyahi: liaison, 118.50km; special, 118.60km;  liaison, 77.80km; special, 166.25km; liaison, 46.88km; total, 528.03 km. 

Friday, October 31st, 2008 

TEAM ISUZU DIESEL MISSION FIFTH AND SIXTH FASTEST ON FINAL SELECTIVE SECTIONS OF UAE DESERT CHALLENGE 

  • Isuzu D-Max crews complete UAE Desert Challenge on high note
  • Qatar’s Nasser Al-Attiyah cruises to UAE Desert Challenge win

MINA SEYAHI (UAE): Team Isuzu Diesel Mission’s Par Wallentheim and Dan-Olov Ohlsson set the fifth and seventh fastest times on Friday’s final two selective sections of the UAE Desert Challenge to end the event on a positive note, after an action-packed six-day test and development session in the deserts of the United Arab Emirates.  

Australian Bruce Garland and Harru Suzuki began the final leg behind their colleagues on the road and continued to gain vital experience in punishing conditions by setting the 19th and 15th fastest times on the two shorter desert stages. Time penalties for delays earlier in the week had pushed the two Isuzu D-Max crews out of contention for the podium.  

Qatar’s Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah won every stage of the event this year and clinched the FIA World Cup for the first time by becoming the first Arab driver to win the UAE Desert Challenge since 1993.  

Wallenthem and Garland started the first of Friday’s two special stages from ninth and 27th positions on the road, but the Swede was handed further time penalties on Thursday evening and they pushed him down to 22nd overall. Two days of delays had dropped Garland to 26th place.  

The Swede was in inspired form over the opening special, which began at the same location as the finish of the first leg on Monday. He set the fifth fastest time in the D-Max, even beating the UAE’s Yayha Al-Helai, who lay second in the general classification. Garland was 21st quickest through the passage control and reached the end in 19th position.  

Wallentheim was again into a front-running pace through the final stage and was running as the third quickest driver after the PC, but eventually finished the section in sixth place after stopping for a few minutes with technical problems. Garland was 17th at the PC and finished the stage in 15th.  

Garland is keen to emphasise the advantage of running a diesel-engined racer. “I feel that diesel cars will have greater performance when the circumstances to win relies more on car durability and reliability. For example, in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, where the car needs to run for 24 hours with minimum service time, diesel cars dominated by taking first to sixth positions. Our good result on the Australian Safari Rally was another example of this trait coming to the fore.”

 The Garland Motorsport team is sponsored by the Isuzu Diesel Mission and Bridgestone and will continue its preparations for January’s Dakar Rally over the coming weeks. “Sometimes a private team faces difficulties in terms of budgets to compete, compared with the factory teams,” admits Garland.  “I guess, under the circumstances, a successful private team over more than a decade, like us, needs strong unity within the team members. Now we can look ahead to the Dakar Rally and what a great adventure that is going to be.”

2008 UAE Desert Challenge - positions on stage 5:                    

1. Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah (QA)/Tina Thörner (S) BMW X3 CC (3.0-liter diesel - 1.2)               1h 11m 13s

2. Ali Matar (UAE)/Mohab Mahrous (UAE) Nissan Patrol (4.0-liter gasoline – 1.1)                    1h 24m 41s

3. Krzysztof Holowczyc (PL)/Jean-Marc Fortin (B) Nissan Navara (3.5 V6 gasoline – 1.1)      1h 25m 01s

                     

5. Par Wallentheim (S)/Dan-Olov Ohlsson (S) Isuzu D-Max (3-0 liter diesel – 1.2)                1h 25m 46s

21. Bruce Garland (AUS)/Harry Suzuki (J) Isuzu D-Max (3.0-liter diesel – 1.2)                   1h 42m 43s 

 

2008 UAE Desert Challenge - positions on stage 6:                    

1. Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah (QA)/Tina Thörner (S) BMW X3 CC (3.0-liter diesel - 1.2)               1h 52m 07s

2. Krzysztof Holowczyc (PL)/Jean-Marc Fortin (B) Nissan Navara (3.5 V6 gasoline – 1.1)      2h 04m 25s

3. Yayha Al-Helai (UAE)/Khalid Al-Kendi (UAE) Nissan Patrol (4.0-liter  gasoline - 2.1)          2h 15m 03s 

 

7. Par Wallentheim (S)/Dan-Olov Ohlsson (S) Isuzu D-Max (3-0 liter diesel – 1.2)               2h 27m 22s

18. Bruce Garland (AUS)/Harry Suzuki (J) Isuzu D-Max (3.0-liter diesel – 1.2)   2h             2h 47m 31s 

 

 

2008 UAE Desert Challenge – final positions after leg 5 (unofficial):                  

1. Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah (QA)/Tina Thörner (S) BMW X3 CC (3.0-liter diesel - 1.2)              18h 22m 46s

2. Yayha Al-Helai (UAE)/Khalid Al-Kendi (UAE) Nissan Patrol (4.0-liter  gasoline - 2.1)         22h 50m 31s

3. Krzysztof Holowczyc (PL)/Jean-Marc Fortin (B) Nissan Navara (3.5 V6 gasoline – 1.1)     23h 50m 14s 

 

21. Par Wallentheim (S)/Dan-Olov Ohlsson (S) Isuzu D-Max (3.0-litre diesel - 1.2)              49h 35m 17s

26. Bruce Garland (AUS)/Harry Suzuki (J) Isuzu D-Max (3.0-litre diesel – 1.2)                       85h 49m 26s

 

 

 

 

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ISUZU DIESEL MISSION TEAM NEWS SUMMARY

UAE DESERT CHALLENGE (October 25th-31st, 2008) 

TEAM ISUZU DIESEL MISSION COMPLETES

PUNISHING 2008 UAE DESERT CHALLENGE

  • Useful test and development session for Isuzu D-Max teams

 MINA SEYAHI (UAE): Team Isuzu Diesel Mission entered the punishing six-day UAE Desert Challenge to further test and develop the exciting new Isuzu D-Max over some of the world’s harshest desert terrain.  

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Bruce Garland and Harry Suzuki were joined by Pär Wallentheim and Dan-Olov Ohlsson in a pair of powerful diesel-engined cars and the game plan was to assertain competitiveness and reliability before a full assault at the Dakar Rally in South America in January.  

 

The UAE Desert Challenge is the traditional final round of the prestigious FIA World Cup and is renowned for its high desert temperatures, treacherous sand dunes, fast sand flats and a high rate of attrition.  

Both Garland and Wallentheim realised that it would not be easy to achieve a good result in the new car, but they started positively over the opening two kilometre super special stage at Jebel Ali, near Dubai.  

They held fifth and 10th positions in the overall standings and headed into the first desert section from Al-Dafrah to a finish in the remote southern section of Abu Dhabi in confident mood.  

Garland was running as high as 11th overall during that opening stage, but he was forced to stop when the engine temperature began to climb. It was a precautionary measure by the Australian, but it dropped him to 20th overall at the end of the day.  

Wallentheim maintained a steady pace through the first of the dunes and recorded the eighth fastest time and arrive at the overnight camp site at Moreeb Hill as the fourth diesel runner in the general classification.  

But it only takes one bad day to ruin a good result on the UAE Desert Challenge and leg two proved to be the most disappointing of them all for the two D-Max drivers.  

Both started well, but Wallentheim got stuck in the soft sand for over two and a half hours and was joined by Garland, who found himself at the bottom of a sand bowl.  

The Australian activated his Sentinel warning system to alert other drivers that he was out of view in the dunes, but one rival competitor was already on the crest of a dune and slithered into the side of the D-Max, the impact causing bodywork damage and serious damage to the fuel lines and fuel system. 

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Wallentheim eventually resumed, but was running late on the road and event officials refused to let him continue on safety grounds when he reached the next checkpoint. Both teams returned to the Moreeb Hill bivouac without their cars and team mechanics and engineers worked throughout the night and into the early morning to return and repair the two Isuzus in time for the start of leg three.  

The pair set the seventh and 11th fastest time on the third leg – the second of three daunting loops through the sand dunes of the Rub Al Khali – but they were later handed time penalties that pushed them down the leader board from a potential 14th and 15th overall.  

Time penalties had ruined the possibility of a top result, but testing and development and the learning curve for the Dakar Rally continued unabated. Wallentheim reached the finish of leg four in an excellent ninth position, but Bruce Garland was sidelined with head gasket-related problems early in the stage and collected another fistful of time penalties.  

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It was just a case of going through the motions and reaching the finish now for the two crews, but Wallentheim left his best performance of the week to the penultimate special stage on the final morning. The Swede set the fifth fastest time, as Garland was 19th heading into the closing 166km special and the finish at the Dubai International Marine Club in Dubai.  

 

Wallentheim was running as high as third place across those final kilometres, but eventually slipped to sixth position, while Garland and Suzuki completed their UAE Desert Challenge campaign with the 15th fastest time on the final stage.



Final positions after leg 5 (unofficial):

1. Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah (QA)/Tina Thörner (S) BMW X3 CC                   18h 22m 46s

2. Yayha Al-Helai (UAE)/Khalid Al-Kendi (UAE) Nissan Patrol                    22h 50m 31s

3. Krzysztof Holowczyc (PL)/Jean-Marc Fortin (B) Nissan Navara              23h 50m 14s

4. Joseph Rosso (F)/Jean-Marie Lurquin (B) Nissan Pathfinder                   26h 35m 39s

5. Abdullah Al-Herais (UAE)/Haleem Bin Zayed (UAE) Nissan Patrol          27h 05m 39s

6. Ali Al-Shawi (UAE)/Yayha Al-Amri (UAE) Nissan Patrol                         27h 38m 29s

7. Aurelijus Petraitis (LT)/Antanas Juknevicius (LT) Oscar                          27h 56m 23s 

 

21. Par Wallentheim (S)/Dan-Olov Ohlsson (S) Isuzu D-Max                                   49h 35m 17s

26. Bruce Garland (AUS)/Harry Suzuki (J) Isuzu D-Max                                            85h 49m 26s

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