BAKU, AZERBAIJAN – Abdullah Al-Rawahi and Ata Al-Hmoud were presented with their 2023 FIA Middle East Rally Championship titles at the official FIA Regional Championship Prizegiving in Baku on Saturday.
The Omani driver and his Jordanian co-driver made history as the first crew to share a championship title, after tying on points with multiple champion Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah and French co-driver Mathieu Baumel.
With two wins, two second places and one non-finish each, nothing in the FIA’s Regional Rally Sporting Regulations could separate the two crews, and a specially appointed FIA Commission decided the 2023 titles should be shared.
Driving an Autotek Motorsport Škoda Fabia Evo, Al-Rawahi and Al-Hmoud won the Oman International Rally, organised by the Oman Automobile Association, in January and took their first outright win at the Jordan Rally in May. After retiring in Qatar, they finished second to Al-Attiyah and Baumel in the final two rounds in Lebanon and Cyprus.
The 2024 FIA Middle East Rally Championship starts in Qatar on February 1–3.