Ireland World Rally Team's driver Shaun Gallagher is being called upon this weekend to lend a hand to the UAE's two most promising young rally drivers.
Majid Al Shamsi and Khalid Al Sheikh, as part of the UAE's Junior Driver Development Programme (JDDP), will travel to the forests of Wales tomorrow as they take part in the Swansea Bay Rally. And Gallagher, currently second in the Junior World Rally Championship (JWRC), will give the Emirati duo a tutorial in driving on the unfamiliar terrain beforehand.
Ron Cremen, team manager of JDDP, is keen for his team to continue improving after impressing in Lebanon. He said: "This will be an exciting test for Majid and Khalid.
"They both performed very well in the MERC [Middle East Rally Championship] round in Lebanon recently – their first round on asphalt – but competing in the Welsh forests around Swansea will be a completely new proposition for them.
"However, Shaun's expertise should ease the transition," added Cremen.
Shaun has years of experience in similar conditions after competing in the Irish Championship and JWRC.
"He'll give the guys a few pointers on how to handle the car in unfamiliar terrain."
The JDDP is a rally training initiative backed by the Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority and designed to unearth talent in the UAE capital.
Meanwhile, at the annual Goodwood Festival of Speed, rally legend and former world champion Björn Waldegård and BP-Ford Abu Dhabi's Mikko Hirvonen entertained the crowds as part of the celebrations marking the 40th anniversary of the Ford Escort. Waldegård won the WRC title in 1979.