Qatar’s Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah and stand-in Spanish co-driver Alba Sánchez González started their partnership in winning style, setting the fastest time of 3min 42.8sec on the opening super special of Oman Rally Sohar International on Thursday afternoon.
Chasing an 18th FIA Middle East Rally Championship title since 2003, the recent Dakar Rally winner threw his Autotek Volkswagen Polo GTI through the tight, dusty corners of the graded stage to lead Oman’s Hamed Al-Wahaibi and New Zealand co-driver Tony Sircombe by 3.3 seconds in their Motortune Škoda Fabia Evo.
Nine FIA crews and four Oman National Rally Championship cars left a revised ceremonial start at Nakhal before tackling the 3.90km super special, with rugged mountains on one side and the town of Nakhal on the other.
In sunny, slightly windy weather, defending Oman Rally champion Abdullah Al-Rawahi and Jordanian navigator Ata Al-Hmoud were third fastest in their Škoda Fabia, just 5.4 seconds behind his local rival, setting up a close fight for the podium.
Nasser Khalifa Al-Atya, with experienced Italian co-driver Giovanni Bernacchini, was fourth in a Ford Fiesta R5, and MERC debutant Petr Kačirek and Václav Kopáček were fifth in their Duck Racing Škoda Fabia.
MERC2
The stage ran in reverse order, so Jordan’s Issa Abu Jamous and Emad Juma were first in. Their 4min 15.3sec put them sixth overnight. Local crew Jarah Al-Touqi and Issa Al-Wardi were second fastest in MERC2 in their Subaru Impreza and seventh overall, with Oman’s Zakariya and Mohammed Al-Aamri eighth and Jordan’s Ihab Al-Shorafa and Yousef Juma ninth.
Oman’s Haitham Al-Hadidi and Saif Al-Hinai led the national rally running behind the main field.
Most of the action comes over 12 timed stages on Friday and Saturday, before the ceremonial finish and post-event press conference at Nakhal from 15.25hrs on Saturday.