LUSAIL (Qatar): The modern and bustling Lusail Boulevard will host the start of the 50th anniversary running of the Qatar International Rally on thursday evening.
Twenty-eight crews and competitors from 19 nations are expected to cross the start podium from 18.00hrs onwards, before tackling a short special stage of 4.36km at the LCSC Karting Academy. The Qatar Motor and Motorcycle Federation (QMMF) has then laid on a further six gravel special stages through the northern desert and they will be repeated twice over Friday and Saturday.
Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah arrives at the start of his home rally with an eight-point lead in the FIA Middle East Rally Championship after his recent win in Oman. The Qatari will be bidding to rewrite his own history with an 18th win at the rally since 2003, while his new Spanish co-driver Candido Carrera will be aiming for win number two in a Škoda Fabia RS Rally 2.
There is strength in depth throughout a quality field of drivers with seven crews entered in Rally 2 cars. Abdulaziz Al-Kuwari is the defending regional champion but began the defence of his title in disappointing fashion with a cruel late retirement in Oman. That was left the Qatari and his Irish co-driver Lorcan Moore without a point to show for their efforts after the first run in a new Citroën C3.
Abdullah Al-Rawahi celebrated his 28th birthday on Wednesday but there is nothing the joint 2023 MERC champion would like more than to earn a large haul of championship points in Qatar. He and Jordanian co-driver Ata Al-Hmoud won four stages in Oman two weeks ago but a suspension breakage cost the Omani dearly and he languishes in seventh place in the Drivers’ Championship after round one.
Saudi driver Rakan Al-Rashed made an impressive return to the MERC in Oman and shadowed Al-Attiyah to the finish to snatch second place in his Toyota GR Yaris Rally 2. He and Portuguese co-driver Hugo Magalhães (winner of the event with Rashid Al-Naimi in 2017) will be hoping for another podium finish this weekend.
Veteran Nasser Khalifa Al-Atya won the event back in 1993 and is chasing both MERC points and the inaugural Masters MERC Championship this year. The Qatari started the season superbly with a podium finish with Ziad Chehab and already has a six-point lead over Ibrahim Al-Muhanna in the new Masters section.
Norwegian star Mads Østberg has entered the event for a fourth successive season in a bid to upstage the local contingent. On his debut in 2022, he led before suffering a cruel water leak after an impact and he went on to finish second in 2023 and 2024 behind Al-Attiyah and Pierre-Louis Loubet. This year he again wheels out a Škoda Fabia RS Rally 2 and teams up with Romania’s Sergiu Itu for the first time at this event. Like several of his rivals, Mads carried out a shakedown test, near Lusail, on Tuesday.
Denis Krotov and Yury Kulikov complete the line-up of Rally 2 machines in their Škoda Fabia RS. Better known for his exploits in cross-country rallying, Krotov was in Qatar last November and won the International Baja in a Mini JCW Rally 3.0i. He also finished fourth overall at the Jordan Rally last year with Kulikov.
A high rate of attrition affected crews running in the FIA MERC2 category in Oman recently but Abdullah Al-Zubair emerged relatively unscathed and leads the way by six points from fellow countryman Zakariya Al-Aamri after round one.
In Qatar, the Omani faces competition from Mohammed Al-Atteya, Lebanon’s Ahmad Khaled and Jad Al-Anwar, Kuwait’s Jassim Al-Muqahwi, India’s Mohammed Mansoor Parol and the Jordanian duo of Shadi Shaban and Ihab Al-Shorafa. The Italian trio of Simone Temeroli, Stefano Marrini and Christiano Gabbarrini are also entered in the group but are not registered for MERC points.
A fine fourth place on his debut in a new Peugeot 208 Rally 4 has given Rashid Al-Muhannadi a six-point lead over defending champion Shadi El-Fakih in the FIA MERC4 Championship. The Qatari again teams up with Irishman Gary Mcelhinney on an event where he is joined by Mohammed Al-Marri and Saad Al-Harqan.
They will be making their competition debuts in a pair of 208 Rally 4s, as reward for winning through the recent Qatar Motorsports Academy Stars selection process at Lusail. The young rookies will be co-driven by the experienced French duo of Yannick Roche and Pierre Delorme, as they make their first steps into international rallying at the start of a potential full programme of regional events this season.
Indian driver Payyaakkal ‘Saneem’ Panikkaveettil has also entered a Ford Fiesta in the Rally 4 category with his co-driver Musa Sherif.
Rounding off the entry are four SSVs: Ibrahim Al-Muhanna holds eighth in the Drivers’ Championship after Oman and Yosra Jazzar is 10th. They drive a pair of Can-Am Maverick X3s alongside the Italian duo of Mirko Carrara and Marco Marotta, although the two Europeans are not registered for the MERC.
The 50th anniversary rally is being 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.
Tomorrow (Thursday), several leading drivers will attend the pre-event press conference on the start podium at Lusail Boulevard from 17.30hrs before the ceremonial start takes centre stage at 18.00hrs.
Competitors will then tackle the opening timed super special stage at the LCSC Karting Academy, near the service park, from 19.15hrs.
2025 Qatar International Rally – updated entry list:
1. Abdulaziz Al-Kuwari (QAT)/Lorcan Moore (IRL) Citroën C3 Rally 2
2. Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah (QAT)/Candido Carrera (ESP) Škoda Fabia RS Rally 2
3. Abdullah Al-Rawahi (OMA)/Ata Al-Hmoud (JOR) Škoda Fabia RS Rally 2
4. Mads Østberg (NOR)/Sergiu Itu (ROU) Škoda Fabia R5 Rally 2*
5. Rakan Al-Rashed (KSA)/Hugo Magalhães (POR) Toyota GR Yaris Rally 2
6. Nasser Khalifa Al-Attiyah (QAT)/Ziad Chehab (LBN) Ford Fiesta Mk II Rally 2
7. Denis Krotov (KGZ)/Yury Kulikov (CYP) Škoda Fabia R5 Rally 2
9. Rashid Al-Muhannadi (QAT)/Gary McElhinney (IRL) Peugeot 208 Rally 4
10. Shadi Shaban (JOR)/Samer Issa (JOR) Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX
11. Abdullah Al-Zubair (OMA)/Taha Al-Zadjali (OMA) Subaru Impreza
12. Mohammed Al-Atteya (QAT)/Savvas Laos (CYP) Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X*
14. Ihab Al-Shurafa (JOR)/Ahmad Jankhout (JOR) Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X
15. Ahmad Khaled (LBN)/Samer Sfeir (LBN) Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X
16. Zakariya Al-Aamri (OMA)/Mohammed Al-Mazroui (OMA) Subaru Impreza N14
17. Jassim Al-Muqahwi (KUW)/Suleiman Al-Helal (KUW) Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X
18. Jad Al-Aawar (LBN)/Vicken Kanledjian (LBN) Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X
19. Mohamed Mansoor Parol (IND)/Lenin Joseph (IND) Subaru Impreza
20. Simone Temeroli (SMR)/Davide Simoncini (SMR) Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX*
21. Stefano Marrini (ITA)/Silvio Valentini (ITA) Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX*
22. Christiano Gabbarrini (ITA)/Alessandro Forni (ITA) Subaru Impreza WRX STi*
23. Shadi El Fakih (LBN)/Joseph Kmeid (LBN) Renault Clio
24. Payyaakkal ‘Saneem’ Panikkaveettil (IND)/Musa Sherif (IND) Ford Fiesta Rally 2
25. Mohammed Al-Marri (QAT)/Yannick Roche (FRA) Peugeot 208 Rally 4
26. Saad Al-Harqan (QAT)/Pierre Delorme (FRA) Peugeot 208 Rally 4
27. Ibrahim Al-Muhanna (KSA)/Hani Al-Noumesi (KSA) Can-Am Maverick X3 (T4
28. Yosra Jazzar (KSA)/Faisal Al-Suwayh (KSA) Can-Am Maverick X3 (T4)
29. Mirko Carrara (ITA)/Stefano Tiraboschi (ITA) Can-Am Maverick X3 (T4)*
30. Marco Marotta (ITA)/Lorenzo Rossi (ITA) Yamaha YXZ 1000R (T4)*
*denotes not registered for the MERC
2025 FIA Middle East Rally Championship – positions after round 1:
Drivers
1. Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah (QAT) 35pts
2. Rakan Al-Rashed (KSA) 27pts
3. Nasser Khalifa Al-Atya (QAT) 23pts
4. Rashid Al-Muhannadi (QAT) 19pts
5. Shadi Shaban (JOR) 17pts
6. Abdullah Al-Zubair (OMA) 16pts
7. Abdullah Al-Rawahi (OMN) 15pts
8. Ibrahim Al-Muhanna (KSA) 13pts
9. Shadi El-Fakih (LBN) 9pts
10. Yosra Jazzar (KSA) 7pts
11. Zakariya Al-Aamri (OMA) 5pts
Co-drivers
1. Candido Carrera (ESP) 35pts
2. Hugo Magalhães (POR) 27pts
3. Ziad Chebab (LBN) 23pts
4. Gary Mcelhinney (IRL) 19pts
5. Samer Issa (JOR) 17pts
6. Taha Al-Zadjali (OMA) 16pts
7. Ata Al-Hmoud (JOR) 15pts
8. Ali Hassan Obaid (UAE) 13pts
9. Joseph Kmeid (LBN) 9pts
10. Faisal Al-Suwayh (KSA) 7pts
11. Mohamed Al-Mazroui (OMA) 5pts
FIA MERC2
Drivers
1. Abdullah Al-Zubair (OMA) 30pts
2. Zakariya Al-Aamri (OMA) 24pts
Co-drivers
1. Taha Al-Zadjali (OMA) 30pts
2. Mohamed Al-Mazroui (OMA) 24pts
FIA MERC4
Drivers
1. Rashid Al-Muhannadi (QAT) 30pts
2. Shadi El-Fakih (LBN) 24pts
Co-drivers
1. Gary Mcelhinney (IRL) 30pts
2. Joseph Kmeid (LBN) 24pts
FIA Masters MERC Championship
Drivers
1. Nasser Khalifa Al-Atya (QAT) 30pts
2. Ibrahim Al-Muhanna (KSA) 24pts
Middle East Rally Championship
Regional RalliesMERC
SEASON 2025SportRallies1SportMiddle East Rally ChampionshipRalliesSEASON 2025Regional RalliesMERC00Wednesday, February 5, 2025 – 10:50amWednesday, February 5, 2025 – 10:50am
Source : Fia
