“I have never wanted to be like everyone else”
En bref
- After a three years absence, one of the most talented drivers of the Middle-East returns to the Dakar.
- A family member of the royal house of Al Qassimi who rule the emirates of Sharjah and Ras Al Kaimah in the UAE, Sheikh Khalid decided early on that he wanted to build a career in motorsports.
- A four-time Middle-East champion in rally, he then went on to compete at the highest level in WRC. Founder and owner of the Abu Dhabi Racing team, the next step was cross-country rallying and of course the Dakar.
- His debut was unfortunately unhappy in 2017 when he had to withdraw during the 11th stage. His second experience was much more successful: a fine 6th place at the wheel of a Peugeot 3008 DKR. Although his first Dakar in Saudi Arabia ended in flames, his second experience allowed him to climb once again into the Top 10 (7th).
- While his last experience on the Dakar, in 2023, was in a Mini prepared by X-Raid, he will this time be part of the SVR team driving a Toyota Hilux. At his side, the 52-year-old will have his compatriot Khalid Alkendi.
- Khalid Al Kendi is one of the busiest men in the Middle-East when it comes to motorsports. A professional codriver, the Emirati started with regular rallies before specializing in cross-country events.
- His first appearance on the Dakar was back in South America when he managed to finish the event three consecutive times alongside Abdulla Al Heraiz in the T2 class. He then moved to the trucks category and was part of Ales Loprais’ crew on Saudi soil.
- Since then, Al Kendi has competed in all sorts of events in the Middle-East and Europe. For his sixth Dakar, he returns in the cockpit of his compatriot Sheikh Khalid Al Qassimi.
Ambition
S.A.S.: “I have never wanted to be like everyone else. I didn’t want to follow in the footsteps of anyone for that matter. I just wanted to be myself and I’ve always wanted to do something that made me proud no matter how difficult it was.
After I graduated, I began to work in the family business and later for the government, but I knew I wanted to do something more. I’m not the type of person who can just sit at a desk all day. I need to be out there; trying different things. When I came to the Dakar first, everything was new for me. I was coming from WRC and I had only done a few off-road rallies. It was a different world, a real apprenticeship and a lot of challenges.”
K.A.K.: “Khalid stopped racing for two years so we used the Baja Dubai as a preparation for the Dakar. It’s a rally that we won together in the past. We already did some testing in South Africa and in Dubai. Everything seems perfect with SVR, the best team with so much experience. We hope to get a good result.”
