Khalid Al Qassimi makes his first WRC appearance since Rally Sweden at the 2016 Rally Catalunya – Rally de España.
This is also Al Qassimi’s first WRC gravel outing since last year at this rally in 2015, where the Citroën driver finished fifteenth.
The United Arab Emirates driver has got back from the Rallye du Maroc, which leaves him with little preparation time for Rally Catalunya.
Al Qassimi will be completing a short test session on Monday in Salou to help him prepare for the only mixed surface rally of the season.
Al Qassimi said “It’s a year since I last competed on gravel! The test session organised on Monday will therefore be particularly important for me.
“I’ll need to get my bearings again, especially after competing in the Rally of Morocco, which was a fundamentally different experience, both in terms of the car and the pace notes! The gravel stages in Spain are also specific and that makes this rally a unique challenge in the season.
“I’m delighted to be back to Spain. There is always a special atmosphere here with the fans and I think that our team will be in the limelight after the announcements made by Citroën Racing this week. I wish Kris and Craig all the best and I hope they can secure further good results for the Abu Dhabi Total WRT.”
