DOHA (Qatar): Defending FIA Middle East Rally Championship (MERC) champion Nasser Al Attiyah and WRC star Kris Meeke are top seeds on an international 18-car entry for next week’s Qatar International Rally with competitors from nine nations (subject to FIA approval) announced by the Qatar Motor and Motorcycle Federation (QMMF).
The opening round of 2021 MERC will go ahead under the strict Covid-19 protocols in force in Qatar and has also moved forward by one day in the calendar.
This year’s rally will be held under the chairmanship of QMMF President Abdulrahman Al Mannai, senior committee member Abdulrazaq Al Kuwari and the QMMF’s Executive Director Amro Al Hamad.
The QMMF will also run a national event behind the main MERC rally. Qatar’s Ahmed Allouh and Ahmed Al Mohannadi are two names to feature on the draft list.
The start ceremony will be at Katara on Friday evening (January 29), followed by two days of gravel action in the Qatar deserts on January 31 and 31.
The Qatari ace will be aiming for a record-breaking 15th win on his home event and a staggering 76th career MERC success.
A series of punctures cost the Qatari the possible chance of winning the Dakar Rally last week and he had to settle for second place in the overall standings.
Meeke drove a PH Sport Zephyr in the T3 category for lightweight prototype vehicles at the Dakar Rally and won the Prologue and final stage during a fraught debut in the dunes, where numerous niggles and technical issues cost him many hours and numerous time penalties.
He eventually reached the finish in 41st overall in the SSV section.
But Meeke’s speed and competitiveness in traditional special stage rallies is far more impressive and Al Attiyah will be hard pushed by the Ulsterman over the desert special stages.
