In the past two years the title tussles between Sebastien Loeb and Mikko Hirvonen have answered a supposedly unanswerable conundrum: what happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object?
With six consecutive world rally championships, Loeb's breathtaking force has delivered repeated ripostes to Hirvonen's dogged challenges. For all his resolve and determination, the stubborn Finn has always been shunted aside by the Frenchman.
As the rivals prepare to collide again in today's opening leg of Rally Jordan, the third round of both the World and Middle East Rally Championships, another battle is shaping up.
This time, however, there is no clear favourite. With one win apiece, the series' championship-chasing rivals are separated by six points.
Having won in Jordan two years ago, BP Ford Abu Dhabi's Hirvonen, whose engine wilted in Ford's annual show of high-altitude timidity in Mexico last time out, is eager to make amends in the Dead Sea valley - some 420metres below sea level.
"We've analysed the reasons why we weren't as competitive as we had hoped in Mexico and tried a few options during our test in Sardinia this week," said Hirvonen. "I'm confident we'll be fully competitive in Jordan."
Loeb, the Citroen driver, agreed. "We dominated in Mexico but we can't relax as I know that our rivals will be back at their very best," he said.
"Another victory would be a big boost for us but it's not going to be an easy rally."
In the lunar surroundings of the Dead Sea valley, where both drivers have raced only once, a degree of unknown awaits. Minimal vegetation and markers - roadside objects drivers and co-drivers use for pace notes - compound the difficulties.
"It's the most difficult rally of the year on which to make pace notes," Hirvonen said. "There are no trees or bushes in the desert to use as sight lines so the notes must be pin-point accurate."
The rocky desert stages - several of which are man-made - throw up plenty of problems, according to Hirvonen's Ford teammate Jari-Matti Latvala.
"There is no natural flow to the roads so they are difficult to follow," he said.
"The roads were built with rocks as a base and they are visible on the side of the track.
"In corners where it's possible to take a cut, these stones are dragged out by the cars and it's easy to damage the suspension by hitting a rock while trying to save a second or two."
The starting order could prove crucial to who stands on top of the podium on Saturday. Loeb's win in Mexico sees him tackle today's stages first, while Hirvonen, running fourth, will benefit from a trio of Citroens sweeping clear the road debris.
Despite this possible advantage Hirvonen remained cautious. "It's fast and high-speed sections are punctuated by small crests," he said. "The rhythm can suddenly change and you come over a crest to find a series of hairpin bends."
The lines are drawn and for this round only, they are in the sand.
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Company Profile:
Name: The Protein Bakeshop
Date of start: 2013
Founders: Rashi Chowdhary and Saad Umerani
Based: Dubai
Size, number of employees: 12
Funding/investors: $400,000 (2018)
Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
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UAE players with central contracts
Rohan Mustafa, Ashfaq Ahmed, Chirag Suri, Rameez Shahzad, Shaiman Anwar, Adnan Mufti, Mohammed Usman, Ghulam Shabbir, Ahmed Raza, Qadeer Ahmed, Amir Hayat, Mohammed Naveed and Imran Haider.
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The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
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Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
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MATCH INFO
Uefa Champioons League semi-final:
First leg: Liverpool 5 Roma 2
Second leg: Wednesday, May 2, Stadio Olimpico, Rome
TV: BeIN Sports, 10.45pm (UAE)
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Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
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1.45pm: Maiden Dh75,000 1,200m
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Cryopreservation: A timeline
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A Cat, A Man, and Two Women
Junichiro Tamizaki
Translated by Paul McCarthy
Daunt Books
Results
Men's finals
45kg:Duc Le Hoang (VIE) beat Zolfi Amirhossein (IRI) points 29-28. 48kg: Naruephon Chittra (THA) beat Joseph Vanlalhruaia (IND) TKO round 2.
51kg: Sakchai Chamchit (THA) beat Salam Al Suwaid (IRQ) TKO round 1. 54kg: Veerasak Senanue (THA) beat Huynh Hoang Phi (VIE) 30-25.
57kg: Almaz Sarsembekov (KAZ) beat Tak Chuen Suen (MAC) RSC round 3. 60kg: Yerkanat Ospan (KAZ) beat Ibrahim Bilal (UAE) 30-27.
63.5kg: Abil Galiyev (KAZ) beat Nouredine Samir (UAE) 29-28. 67kg: Narin Wonglakhon (THA) beat Mohammed Mardi (UAE) 29-28.
71kg: Amine El Moatassime (UAE) w/o Shaker Al Tekreeti (IRQ). 75kg: Youssef Abboud (LBN) w/o Ayoob Saki (IRI).
81kg: Ilyass Habibali (UAE) beat Khaled Tarraf (LBN) 29-28. 86kg: Ali Takaloo (IRI) beat Emil Umayev (KAZ) 30-27.
91kg: Hamid Reza Kordabadi (IRI) beat Mohamad Osaily (LBN) RSC round 1. 91-plus kg: Mohammadrezapoor Shirmohammad (IRI) beat Abdulla Hasan (IRQ) 30-27.
Women's finals
45kg: Somruethai Siripathum (THA) beat Ha Huu Huynh (VIE) 30-27. 48kg: Thanawan Thongduang (THA) beat Colleen Saddi (PHI) 30-27.
51kg: Wansawang Srila Or (THA) beat Thuy Phuong Trieu (VIE) 29-28. 54kg: Ruchira Wongsriwo (THA) beat Zeinab Khatoun (LBN) 30-26.
57kg: Sara Idriss (LBN) beat Zahra Nasiri Bargh (IRI) 30-27. 60kg: Kaewrudee Kamtakrapoom (THA) beat Sedigheh Hajivand (IRI) TKO round 2.
63.5kg: Nadiya Moghaddam (IRI) w/o Reem Al Issa (JOR).
Election pledges on migration
CDU: "Now is the time to control the German borders and enforce strict border rejections"
SPD: "Border closures and blanket rejections at internal borders contradict the spirit of a common area of freedom"
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, (Leon banned).
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
