Sheikh Khalid bin Faisal Al Qassimi and Xavier Panseri of Abu Dhabi Racing and Peugeot Middle East moved up to 7th overall after finishing 4th on SS10. The challenge for the Abu Dhabi Racing driver was negotiating the narrow tracks in the canyons, but Sheikh Khalid eventually tackled the section to come up with an excellent result at the end of the day.

Sheikh Khalid said: "We started the day with two sections to tackle. At about 70km we caught the car ahead of us and when we came to the Rios it was quite narrow, so navigation was difficult. We found a track which was part of the road-book and we drove about 9km and realised we had missed the track far away from the waypoint. We had to go back so we lost what we gained."

"Then I pushed hard in the second section where I finished 4th overall. It was a good feel for me today although it was rough and difficult," he continued. "Wednesday stage will be a very difficult day. It will feature lots of dunes but also vegetation. Smart crews will get the navigation points right, but again as I said it will be a difficult day."

Photos: Abu Dhabi Racing

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