Ahead of the challenge, which will see him cris-cross through three South American countries from January 2-14 in some of the most demanding terrains, Sheikh Khaled tested for four days in the Liwa and Dubai Deserts behind the wheel of the Peugeot 2008 DKR run by PH Sport.
Sheikh Khalid will be the official ‘Peugeot Sport’ driver and they will offer their technical support to his car during the Rally. He had also successfully tested the 2008 DKR last September ahead of his Rally Morocco cross-country participation the following month.
Speaking about his Liwa test and his first participation at the Dakar, Sheikh Khalid said: “The test was very important as I have never done the Dakar before and also have low mileage with the Peugeot 2008 DKR, but this is just part of the many challenges.
“All the mileage that I have put in over the Liwa test has helped build confidence and gauge how I drive the car in multi changing terrain although it is more sand and more dunes here and to deal with it was very, very difficult.
“I was also trying to build a good understanding with my new co-driver (Pascal Maimon) and we wanted to understand what we wanted from each other, but this will be further refined during the actual event.
“The car itself has a lot of potential but we had to drive and treat it differently in the sand and dunes without taking too many risks as had we stopped, we might have got stuck. The 2008 DKR is a new challenge and a huge learning curve for me.”
Sheikh Khalid said the support of PH Sport and Peugeot will be a big factor during the rally.
“I’m going to South America with my friends and team, all of who have huge motorsport experience and background,” he added.
“For us, it will be about enjoying the event. Sure there is bound to be stress, but we will hope not to stress to the limit because the aim is also to put in the mileage.
“I have not driven in high altitude areas before, so I did some training wearing a high altitude mask but it will still be one of the many challenges for me.
“As it is the first time for me and the team at the Dakar, it will be very important to learn the terrain, not make too many mistakes and bring the car home safe on January 14.”
Run over approximately 9,000km, the world’s most famous and challenging endurance cross-country race will start in Asuncion in Paraguay, have a rest day in La Paz in Bolivia, with the finale in Buenos Aires in Argentina.
With the addition of Paraguay, the Dakar will visit the 29th country in its 39-year-old history.
