Attiyah made a perfect start to the UAE Desert Challenge Monday in his bid to become the first Arab driver for 15 years to win the spectacular event. Giving a competitive debut to the new BMW X3, the reigning FIA Middle East rally champion dominated the Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority Special Stage 1, grabbing a lead of over 18 minutes from Russian Leonid Novitskyi in another BMW X3. Partnered by top Swedish lady co-driver Tina Thorner in a car which has been built for the Dakar Rally in South America in January, Al-Attiyah immediately underlined his intentions to score a double triumph in the UAE. He is seeking to become the first Arab since fellow-Qatari Saeed Al-Hajri in 1993 to taste victory in the event, knowing that a win will install him as the overall drivers' champion in the FIA World Cup for Cross Country Rallies, of which the Desert Challenge is the final round. At the end of the first leg, with four more demanding days of desert driving to follow, Poland's Krzysztof Holowczyc in a Nissan Navara was almost ten minutes further adrift in third place, ahead of the UAE's Yahya Alhelei and New Zealander Glen Reid, both driving Nissan Patrols. Japan's Jun Mitsuhashi completed the top six in a Toyota Land Cruiser. Spain's Marc Coma is attempting to complete a hat trick of successive bikes victories in the Desert Challenge, but he was second best on the day to KTM teammate Cyril Despres, of France, a four-time winner of the event, who grabbed a 1 min 30 secs lead. UAE-based James West, stepping up to one of the big bikes in his attempt to build on his fourth place last year on a 450cc machine, was third fastest on the day ahead of the Spanish duo, Gerard Farres and Jordi Viladoms, and Chilean rider Francisco Lopez.
