DOHA: Qatari rally legend Nasser Saleh Al Attiyah tops the entry list for the 2026 Qatar International Rally, the second round of this year’s Middle East Rally Championship (MERC), set to take place from February 4–7.
A competitive field of 22 cars representing 12 countries will take on the event, organized under the umbrella of the FIA (Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile). The Qatar Rally follows last weekend’s season-opening round in Oman.
Al Attiyah arrives in Doha in top form after securing a commanding victory in Sohar, alongside his Spanish co-driver Candido Carrera, just four days ago. He will face stiff competition, most notably from Oman’s Abdullah Al Rawahi, the 2023 Middle East champion driving a Škoda Fabia RS, and Qatar’s own Abdulaziz Al Kuwari, the reigning 2024 Middle East champion and winner of the Qatar Rally in 2012.
The Rally2 category will feature five cars, including Mohammed Al Marri, one of Qatar’s rising stars, who steps up from Rally4 to Rally2 for the first time behind the wheel of a Citroën C3. Completing the Rally2 lineup is Nasser Khalifa Al Attiyah, the reigning World Masters champion, driving a Ford Fiesta.
The event promises intense competition across categories, with six crews battling for the MERC2 title, six cars in MERC4, one Rally5 entry, and four SSV competitors.
In MERC2, attention will be on Jordan’s Shaker Juhaian, fresh from his championship victory in Oman. Juhaian, partnered by Mustafa Juma in a Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 10, will face challenges from Sami Fleifel (Jordan), Jassim Al Maqahwi (Kuwait), Zakaria Al Amri (Oman), Mohammed Mansour Parul (India), and Charbel Chibli (Lebanon).
The Qatar Motor and Motorcycle Federation’s “Qatar Academy Stars” program, launched two years ago, continues to bear fruit. Al Marri is one of its standout success stories, while academy member Rashid Al Muhannadi looks to defend his MERC4 title alongside Irish co-driver Gary McElhenney in a Peugeot 208.
Al Muhannadi will be challenged by experienced competitors Ahmed Al Kuwari, Khalifa Saleh Al Attiyah, and Nouf Al Suwaidi, as well as the duo of Ahmed Al Muhannadi and Taha Al Zajali. Indian driver Payakal Pankavitel, co-driven by Musa Sharif, will attempt to break Peugeot’s dominance in MERC4 driving a Ford Fiesta.
The SSV category will also be closely contested, with Mohammed Al Attiyah teaming up with Mirko Carrara in a Can-Am Maverick, while Italians Mario Marotta and Cristiano Gabarini compete in a Yamaha RS1000 YXZ under the Kadhi Racing Team banner.
In Rally5, the Lebanese duo Shadi Al Faqih and Joseph Kmeid return in a Renault Clio RS Rally5 after overcoming fuel pump issues in the opening round in Amman. Meanwhile, Jordanian Sheikh Bader Al Fayez will miss the Qatar Rally due to engine problems, and Ehab Al Shurafa was forced to retire in Oman following a traffic accident.
The Qatar International Rally is held under the chairmanship of Abdulrahman Al Mannai, President of the Qatar Rally Federation, with Abdulrazzaq Al Kuwari, member of the Supreme Committee, and Amr Al Hamad, the Federation’s Executive Director.
