Al-Attiyah in talks for fourth Volkswagen WRC seat
Qatari rally driver Nasser Al-Attiyah has revealed he is in talks for a seat at Volkswagen's WRC outfit for the last six rounds of the 2016 season.
Photo by: Red Bull Content Pool
Although he has been racing in WRC events since 2004, Al-Attiyah only drove a World Rally Car for the 2012 and 2013 seasons, taking a best finish of fourth in Rally Portugal.
He then went on to win both the 2014 and 2015 editions of WRC2, amassing seven wins in the process.
The multiple Dakar Rally winner and two-time WRC2 champion told Motorsport.com that will not return to the series this year as he concentrates on preparing for the men's skeet competition in the 2016 Summer Olympics.
After competing at Rio, he wants to compete in WRC with Volkswagen in the main class, getting the seat through Qatar Holding, which has 17 percent share in the VW Group.
"I’ve spoken to Volkswagen, regarding a drive in the Polo R WRC car under their management," revealed Al-Attiyah to Motorsport.com.
"I want to race with its second team, which includes Andreas Mikkelsen. If I get the approval, I’ll start competing from Rally Germany and will do six rounds, until the end of the season.
"And if I don’t get the green light, then, I won’t be interested in competing in WRC2, as I’ll keep the budget that I have for next year," he added.
The 45-year-old said, should the deal not happen, he will continue racing in Middle East Rally Championship, where he won the season opener on home soil, and cross-country events.
"I’ll continue competing in cross-country rallies this year, in addition to the Middle East Rally Championship," he said.
Additional reporting by Khodr Rawi
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