Australian rugby legend Tim Horan got to grips with the World Rally Championship as he took the co-driver’s seat in Abu Dhabi’s Khaled Al Qassimi’s BP Ford Abu Dhabi World Rally Team Ford Focus. Al Qassimi took Horan for the ride of his life on a couple of laps of the opening ‘Shakedown’ stage of the Repco Rally Australia in Murwillumbah on the Gold Coast. At speeds topping over 180kph, Horan was spun around the dusty gravel tracks by the Emirati rally ace, in what was a high-speed precursor to this weekend’s Tri-Nations match between the Wallabies and South Africa up the coast in Brisbane.

Horan’s Repco Rally Australia ‘Shakedown’ gig drew in Australian fans, eager to see the rugby icon experience the high octane thrills. With 80 caps for his country, including being the 1999 Rugby World Cup ‘player of the tournament’, Horan is accustomed to big occasions, but he conceded that being Al Qassimi’s passenger is not for the faint hearted: “It was an amazing experience to be in the car alongside Khaled, you realise how good he is and you place your trust in his ability and just enjoy the experience.”

Before taking to the co-driver’s seat, Horan got some last minute tips from Al Qassimi’s co-driver Michael Orr: “Michael took me through his role as a co-driver, letting me know exactly what to expect from the lower seat position and how it would feel during the high speed testing session. It was fantastic to get an insight from him into the importance of his role and how vital a co-driver’s pace notes are during a rally, it’s all about team work”, commented Horan.

Al Qassimi was impressed with Horan’s calmness under pressure: “It was great to have Tim in the passenger seat, to have one of the greatest Australian rugby players in the car with me and to personally give him a completely different sporting experience was a thrill for me as well”.