LUSAIL (Qatar): The countdown has begun for this weekend’s Qatar International Rally, the second round of the FIA Middle East Rally Championship (MERC), organised by the Qatar Motor and Motorcycle Federation (QMMF).
Eight drivers joined QMMF Executive Director Amro Al-Hamad at the official pre-event press conference held at the Lusail International Circuit on Tuesday evening.
Championship contenders in attendance
Championship leader Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah and former title-holder Abdullah Al-Rawahi headlined the driver line-up, alongside Qatar’s Nasser Khalifa Al-Atya, Mohammed Al-Marri and Rashid Al-Mohannadi.
They were joined by Jordan’s current FIA MERC2 leader Shaker Jweihan, Kuwaiti rival Jassim Al-Muqahwi, and Saudi Arabia’s promising young driver Hamza Bakhashab.
QMMF honours Al-Attiyah’s Dakar triumph
At the conclusion of the press conference, QMMF President Abdulrahman Al-Mannai presented a celebratory cake to Al-Attiyah to mark the Qatari star’s recent sixth victory in the Dakar Rally.
A win this weekend would mark Al-Attiyah’s fourth international victory in as many weeks, following successes at Dakar, the opening MERC round in Oman, and last weekend’s Saudi Baja, round one of the FIA World Baja Cup.
Al-Attiyah confident ahead of home event
Al-Attiyah spent much of Tuesday morning in the Lusail service park with his Autotek team, finalising car set-up, unveiling a new Škoda livery and fitting in-car cameras.
“It has been a fantastic start to the year,” he said. “We’ve had three very good performances — Dakar, Oman and Saudi Baja — and we are leading three different championships. Now it’s my home event in Qatar.”
He welcomed the rally’s compact format, with all key elements based at Lusail, including the start, podium, service park, Qualifying Stage and Shakedown.
“We really pushed for the Qualifying Stage for a long time,” he added. “Now you can choose your start position to an extent. The Shakedown is also very important now.”
Al-Rawahi aims to close gap
Oman’s Abdullah Al-Rawahi, runner-up at the opening round in his home country less than two weeks ago, is optimistic heading into the weekend.
“I am happy to be here. I wasn’t sure if I was going to make it,” he said. “Budget-wise it is quite tough, but I think we are better prepared this time with the set-up. We are getting closer and closer to Nasser every year. We will push from the beginning and see what we can do.”
Al-Marri begins new chapter in Rally2 Machinery
Young Qatari Mohammed Al-Marri steps into a Rally2 car this weekend after engine problems halted his progress in Oman.
“We had a disappointment in Oman after a strong start,” he said. “Now I will drive a Citroën in Rally2. It’s a new beginning. I will try to compete while learning the car. We’ve tested already and are improving every time. Hopefully, we can achieve a good result.”
Reconnaissance and scrutineering up next
On Wednesday, crews will carry out reconnaissance of the special stages in northern Qatar, while scrutineering checks will be conducted on competing vehicles at the Lusail International Circuit.
