The Liberty Damas Rally Team trio will start as the hot favourites at the Sharjah Rally 2005 which gets under way in front of Sharjah City Centre today.
Mohammad Al Qadi, the Clerk of the Course, has already finalised the 2.25km Prologue route to be held this evening.
Action will get under way at 5.30pm with a bike show, followed by a fireworks display and the Prologue stage for the spectators at 7.30pm.
"I can foresee a very good tussle brewing up between some of the best drivers in the country," Qadi related.
The Liberty Damas threesome of Ahmad Bin Souqat, Obaid Al Hathboor and Yahya Bel Hilli are expected to be among the frontrunners at this rally.
"The route for the prologue is exactly the same as the one at the Umm Al Quwain Spring Rally," Al Qadi said.
"There are a lot of curves and turns to make it dramatic and pleasing to the spectators," he added.
However, it is not going to be easy for the Liberty Damas Team not with the likes of Shaikh Suhail Bin Khalifa Al Maktoum, Mobil 1 Nikon's Shaikh Abdullah Al Qasimi and Abdullah Bin Humaidan.
"One of the highlights of this rally is the presence of some very good drivers with some equally good cars," noted the Clerk of the Course.
"No doubt, the Liberty team will have an edge as they operate as a unit. But this rally can go anyone's way, because once you are out, you are left to yourself," Al Qadi noted.
Tomorrow, the drivers will start off at 10 am from the same venue to tackle some of the most harsh parts of the desert over nearly 315 kms covering six Special Stages and seven road sections.
The first of the drivers is expected at the finish line in front of Millennium Hotel, Sharjah by 5 pm tomorrow.
The Sharjah Rally, held under the patronage of Shaikh Sultan Bin Mohammad Bin Sultan Al Qasimi, Crown Prince and Deputy Ruler of Sharjah, has a prize purse of Dh120,000.
Organised by the Emirates Motor Sport Federation, the rally is co-sponsored by the Hamriyah Free Zone, the Departments of Seaports and Customs, Mobil and Powerhouse.
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