Abdullah Al-Rawahi has a great chance to become the first local winner of Oman Rally Sohar International this weekend.
The event has been in and out of the FIA Middle East Rally Championship since 1984, and the nearest an Omani of sorts has come to winning was when Oman-based Lebanese driver Tony Georgiou won with the late Tom Steele in 1992.
Omani drivers have reached the podium before, but Al-Rawahi has a real chance to make history when the 12-stage event starts on Friday morning. He drives his new Škoda Fabia Evo, run by SRT with support from Ken Skidmore and members of his Autotek team.
Former MERC runner-up and veteran Nasser Khalifa Al-Atya is the main threat. The Qatari drives a Ford Fiesta R5 with experienced Italian co-driver Giovanni Bernacchini.
Seven FIA crews and four Oman National Championship teams left the ceremonial start at Al-Qurum on Thursday afternoon.
Notable absentees
Seventeen-time regional champion Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah was one of four international drivers on the original entry but will not start. The Qatari secured his latest title when November’s Kuwait rally was cancelled; despite his Volkswagen being destroyed by fire in Cyprus, he clinched the crown with a round to spare.
While Al-Attiyah prepares for next week’s FIA World Cup finale in Saudi Arabia, co-driver Matthieu Baumel is racing historic cars at a circuit event in Dubai this weekend.
Kuwait’s Meshari Al-Thefiri, already 2021 MERC2 champion, also misses Oman to prepare for a T4 challenge in Saudi Arabia next week.
Lebanon’s Ahmad Khaled and Henry Kahy are also absent, so a finish will be enough for Jordan’s Asem Aref to secure the MERC3 title.
Friday
Crews tackle three gravel stages twice, starting at 09.33hrs with the first run through Al-Khoud. The Misfah and Saal stages follow before a lunchtime service, and the three are repeated in the afternoon.