DEAD SEA, JORDAN – Special stage action at the Jordan Rally, round three of the 2023 FIA Middle East Rally Championship (MERC), starts in the Dead Sea and Jordan Valley on Friday morning.
Crews were flagged away from a spectacular ceremonial start at the Dead Sea Marriott Resort and Spa on Thursday evening, under the patronage of HRH Prince Feisal Al-Hussein, Chairman of Jordan Motorsport. Twenty-three crews from six nations completed reconnaissance on Wednesday – 17 eligible for the FIA event and six for the national championship only.
Jordan is a special rally for me. It was where I came at the very start of my career and I have a good record on this rally. I enjoy the stages. They are very challenging and a pleasure to drive. We made a good test, a short one, but no issues with the car. We know these stages well and know that you have to be careful in some places.
Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah, 15-time winner
Abdullah Al-Rawahi won the MERC opener in Oman in his Škoda Fabia R5 before an engine failure in Qatar, and hopes to push Al-Attiyah all the way.
We have worked on the details of the set-up to adapt it to my driving style and it is going really well. We had the pace in Oman. That was something positive to take. We were in Jordan about three weeks’ back and won the national event. We were preparing for this rally.
Abdullah Al-Rawahi
Me and Ata (Al-Hmoud) worked really hard on the notes and the times on the stages were really good on the local rally. I think we are coming in really strong on this rally and will try to be close to Nasser. If we can challenge him, it will be really nice for us and the spectators.
Abdullah Al-Rawahi
At the pre-event press conference, Al-Attiyah was joined by Al-Rawahi, MERC2 front-runners Meshari Al-Thefiri, Roger Feghali and Shaker Jweihan, 2022 FIA MERC2 champion Issa Abu Jamous, and veteran Ziad Miqdad, who retires after this, his 31st Jordan Rally.
Friday’s route
Three stages are run twice before a short Dead Sea stage. The opener uses winding trails beside the Amman–Dead Sea road, followed by the 40.79km Jordan River stage near the West Bank (first car 10:42), its surface helped by weeks without rain, and the 11.34km Baptism Site stage (11:45). After lunchtime service they are repeated from 13:31, 14:44 and 15:47, and the day ends with a 3.48km stage near the Dead Sea from 16:30.