Killian Duffy’s rich vein of form on the world rally stage continued at the weekend when the Claremorris based Crossmolina man co-drove Abdulaziz Al-Kuwari from Qatar to third place overall on the Kuwait International Rally, round 2 of the FIA Middle East Rally Championship. The Ford Fiesta crew put in another huge performance to consolidate their podium position in the series, and comes hot on the heels of their victory on the opening round of the WRC2 series in Mexico two weeks ago. Competing against world championship regulars Nasser Al-Attiyah from Qatar and the UAE’s Sheikh Khalid Al-Qassimi, Al-Kuwari and Duffy set third fastest time on the opening test of the two day event despite two overshoots. By stage three they were up to second overall, but slow punctures on stages four and six put them back into third position. Nonetheless with only sixteen seconds between them and Khalid Al-Qassimi, second place was still very much up for grabs at the end of the opening day. Taking eight second back on the opening three tests of day 2, the challenge of the Qatari / Irish team in the Seashore Qatar Rally Team Fiesta for second was looking strong. However a puncture on stage 11 cost 1 minute and 30 seconds, and when the car subsequently lapsed into two wheel drive mode, any chance of overtaking Al-Qassimi had gone. Despite this Killian was pleased with their week-end’s rallying. “Third place is a good finish for the championship, and we showed that our pace is improving every event”. It’s back to Europe next up for the busy Mayo co-driver as he and Al-Kuwari prepare for the second round of the WRC2 series in Portugal in April.
Continued here:
Podium for Killian Duffy in Kuwait
