– Saudi Arabia’s Seaidan and Frenchman Chabot to drive Overdrive Toyotas
Overdrive Racing’s Nasser Saleh Al-Attiuah faces a crucial test of his nerve when he takes part in Rally Kazakhstan, round five of the FIA World Cup for Cross-Country Rallies – a series that he has won for the last three years. The event takes place from May 27th to June 2nd.
The decision to miss two rounds of this year’s championship in the United Arab Emirates was exacerbated by a cruel non-finish at his home Qatar Cross-Country Rally last month and the Doha-based driver finds himself languishing in eighth position in the Drivers’ Championship standings and, more importantly, 114 points behind Polish series leader Jakub Przygonski.
Al-Attiyah and French navigator Matthieu Baumel won the first four stages in Qatar until a technical issue cost them a potential victory and the two-time Dakar winner knows the enormity of the task awaiting him if he is to win the FIA World Cup for a fifth time this year. The duo did, however, claim victory in Kazakhstan’s inaugural round of the series last year.
« I made a calculated decision not to go to the UAE and I guess success hinged this season on winning in Qatar,