Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah, the most successful driver in Middle East motorsport history, heads the entry for next weekend’s Jordan Rally, round two of the FIA Middle East Rally Championship.
The series leader and 13-time Jordan winner arrives fresh from a narrow win at the Andalucia Rally in Spain. Here he and French co-driver Matthieu Baumel return to their trusty Volkswagen Polo GTi, run on Middle East rallies by Autotek Motorsport.
The challengers
Of 13 FIA entries, Al-Attiyah faces three other Rally2 drivers. His cousin and former FIA vice-president Nasser Khalifa Al-Atya drives a Ford Fiesta with Al-Attiyah’s former navigator Giovanni Bernacchini, while Hamed Al-Wahaibi (Škoda Fabia) returns in a two-car Omani team with young Abdullah Al-Rawahi in another Ford Fiesta.
Six crews are entered in Group NR4 for MERC2 points. Kuwait’s Meshari Al-Thefiri, the multiple defending champion, is favourite in his Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X. His rivals include Jordanians Shabi Shaban and Ihab Al-Shourafa, Lebanese youngster Alex El-Feghali and compatriots Ahmed Khaled and Shadi El-Fakih.
Henry Kahy returns to extend his remarkable run in MERC3 for two-wheel-drive cars, partnering Carlos Hanna in his trusty Škoda, and local driver Asem Aref is entered in a small Renault Clio RS.
Talented Saudi off-road specialist Saleh Al-Saif completes the entry in a Can-Am Maverick X3. FIA T4 cars may contest gravel rounds of the regional series this season, and Al-Saif finished sixth in the Qatar opener and leads that category.
The rally is based at the Movenpick Resort and Spa Dead Sea, with full Covid-19 protocols, including proof of a negative test (valid for 48 hours) before access to the service park.