After a successful run at Volkswagen Polo R Cup India 2011, Pune's lad Oshan Kothadiya is all set to make his international debut in the Volkswagen Scirocco R-Cup 2012 in Germany.

"I'm delighted to announce Oshan Kothadiya's participation in Scirocco R-Cup 2012 and I am really pleased that he is selected for his first international series. Volkswagen Motorsport is committed to promoting Indian motorsport talent at an international level by giving promising drivers an opportunity to participate in Volkswagen Scirocco R-Cup. Oshan, third Indian to participate in Scirocco R-Cup, is an example of how much talent and scope Indian Motorsports has.", said Dr. John Chacko, Volkswagen Group Chief Representative India and President & Managing Director, Volkswagen India Private Limited.

One of the most beautifully-located hotels in the world is the scene for a unique day of racing on day three (Wednesday, April 4) of the competitive sections of the 2012 Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge. Covering a total of 420km of testing desert terrain, the Qasr Al Sarab leg is one of the toughest of the whole race.

In a move unique to the Desert Challenge, the luxurious Qasr Al Sarab Desert Resort by Anantara is the focal point for two separate stages on Leg 3, as it hosts both the finish of stage three and the start of stage four. From 09.40am, competitors will be flagged off at the start of stage four from the imposing entrance to the hotel, making it the perfect location for spectators to come and take in the atmosphere of one of the world's most prestigious rallies.

Competitors from the United Arab Emirates enjoyed a strong start on day one of this year's Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge. At the end of the 300km Nissan Patrol Leg 1, five of the nine podium places across the three categories had been filled by UAE nationals and residents. Khalifa Al-Mutaiwei marked his return to competitive racing in the UAE after eight years away from the sport with an impressive first day, finishing second in the car category behind early leader Jean-Louis Schlesser. Racing in the Team X-Raid Mini All4 Racing, Al-Mutaiwei nevertheless found himself battling the difficult terrain.

"I got stuck in the same place three times," said Al-Mutaiwei. "It was very sandy and I wanted to take a path to the left, but there was a motorcycle stuck there, so I got stuck myself and we had to dig ourselves out. This is where I lost the time, but I am not too unhappy - I still have the speed I had seven years ago."

If day one of the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge was an eye-opening introduction to the world's ultimate desert rally for many of the visiting competitors, then Leg 2 (Tuesday, April 3) will really push them to their limits, as the world-class field of drivers and riders heads deep into the famed Rub Al Khali, or Empty Quarter desert. The 434 kilometre long stage will test the competitors from over 30 countries to the max, as they get to grips with the towering sand dunes that help make the rally one of sport's most demanding competitions.

The second leg of the rally is again named after ADNOC (Abu Dhabi National Oil Company), the company that has played such a crucial role in the development of the Desert Challenge and motorsport in the UAE over the past 20 years. One of the world's leading oil companies, ADNOC is also integrally involved with the development of the Western Region of Al Gharbia, through which most of the rally passes.

Russian Boris Gadasin and Jacek Czachor from Poland set the early pace in the car and bike categories respectively at today's Super Special Stage of the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge. The 103 competitors from 35 nations were flagged off by Sheikh Sultan Bin Hamdan Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, from the Court of the Ruler's Representative of the Western Region, and Mohammed Ben Sulayem, founder of the Desert Challenge and president of rally organisers the Automobile and Touring Club of the UAE (ATCUAE).

The big guns laid down the gauntlet to any challengers in the car category, with Russian driver Boris Gadasin of G-Force Motorsport claiming first place, ahead of famous celebrated Emirati racer Khalifa Al-Mutaiwei in his MINI All4 Racing and fellow driver Ilya Kusnetsov from Team X-Raid. Frenchman Jean-Louis Schlesser, who finished third in the Desert Challenge last year, came in fourth in his Sonagol Schlesser buggy.

With the world's top rally drivers and riders now on the ground in Abu Dhabi, preparations are complete for the competitive stages of this year's Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge, which get underway today (Monday, April 2) with Leg 1 – the Nissan Patrol stage - of the rally.

Departing at 09.00 from outside the city of Abu Dhabi, a truly international field of 120 cars, bikes and quads from some 35 nations will cover 300 kilometres of testing desert terrain as the first day sees the pre-rally excitement replaced by the exciting, yet daunting reality of the challenges that lie ahead. The day will end with the racers arriving at the rally's bivouac base camp, located adjacent to the luxurious Qasr Al Sarab Desert Resort by Anantara.