Emirati ace Sheikh Khalid Al Qassimi will participate at the BP-Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team in Finland this weekend, at the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC).

He will be participating alongside his team mates Mikko Hirvonen and Jari-Matti Latvala, a statement said.

Abu Dhabi’s Flying Finn, Hirvonen, who smashed last year’s event to clinch his first win on home soil, is also keen to recreate his good Scandinavian form, a statement said.

“I’m really hoping to win in my home city again,” said Hirvonen. "Last year’s victory was very special for me, I made my childhood dream come true and I want to repeat it. The team is working very hard and it would be awesome to reward them with a victory in Finland.”

Rally Finland has undergone a complete overhaul in the last 12 months, with organisers packing the 310.05 kms of action into just two days – making it one of the shortest and fastest events in WRC history, the statement said.

"Finland is an amazing rally and a challenge for every professional driver,” said Al Qassimi.

“I feel very confident in my driving, so hopefully I will be able to grab some more championship points. This event is really fast, and there is no room for error, so it could be one of the toughest races we have ever done.”

“To see how far we have come in a relatively short time speaks volumes about our commitment to motorsport, both domestically and internationally,” said Ahmed Hussein, deputy director general, Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority.

“What is increasingly encouraging is the development of our grass-roots programmes, which have seen more young Emiratis become involved in the sport,” he added.

The Rally Finland action gets underway on July 29 with an opening Super Special Stage in Jyvaskyla. – TradeArabia News Service