A research study by the organisers of the 2014 Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge is aiming to reduce the threat of accidents to competitors in the event.
The findings are hoping to shed light on the effects of fatigue for drivers and riders competing in the international cross country rally event in April this year.
The research team has been assembled by the organisers of the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge, the Automobile & Touring Club of the UAE.
The results will be presented to the FIA, motorsport’s world governing body, and the FIM, the International Motorcycling Federation, as well other worldwide motorsport authorities.
Dr. Mohammed Ben Sulayem, President of the Automobile & Touring Club and FIA Vice-President, stressed just how important safety is to the organisers.
“Safety in the Desert Challenge is our No.1 priority, as it is for all rally organisers, and the extensive scientific research we are carrying out at this year’s event will examine much closer than ever before how fatigue affects riders contesting events of this nature,” he said.
“Our objective is to make the sport safer for all competitors by reducing the risk of accidents, and the report of the research team will be invaluable to the FIA and the FIM.”
The research team will be led by Dr. Tadhg MacIntyre, Lecturer In Sport, Exercise and Performance Psychology at the University of Limerick in Ireland.
Dr. MacIntyre, who was in the UAE last week for a sports psychology conference, outlined the aims of the research.
“The aim is to assess how tired competitors become during endurance events and how that relates to their response time, and make recommendations on acceptable levels of fatigue in order to reduce the chances of accidents and injury,” he said.
“It will improve the development of both driver assistive technology and interventions to reduce the incidence of accidents in both motor sport and in everyday settings.”
Dr. MacIntyre will link up with a 16-man team, who will follow the rally in helicopters and four-wheel drives through the deserts of the UAE’s Western Region of Al Garbia.
Taking place from April 3 to 10, the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge is the third round of the 2014 FIA World Cup for Cross Country Rallies, and the first round of the 2014 FIM Cross Country Rallies World Championship for bikes and quads.
It attracts most of the world’s top drivers and riders, and last year produced a double Spanish triumph, with Nani Roma taking the cars title and fellow-countryman Marc Coma winning the bikes category.
