AMMAN, JORDAN – Twenty-five crews from seven nations are entered for the Jordan Rally, round three of the 2023 FIA Middle East Rally Championship (MERC), on May 18–20.
Multiple regional champion Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah heads the field, again partnered by Andorra-based Mathieu Baumel, as he chases a record 16th win in Jordan and Baumel a personal eighth.
Abdullah Al-Rawahi and local co-driver Ata Al-Hmoud, in a Škoda Fabia R5, are expected to provide the closest challenge, while 15-time Rally of Lebanon winner Roger Feghali leads the MERC2 contenders in his Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X.
Feghali’s main rival is likely to be multiple MERC2 champion Meshari Al-Thefiri. A strong Jordanian line-up includes Shaker Jweihan, Issa Abu Jamous, Ameer Nassif, Shadi Shaban, Sheikh Bader Al-Fayez, Fadi Darshan, Sami Fleifel, Ihab Al-Shorafa and young Mustafa Al-Atari. Palestine’s Hamada Odeh, Lebanon’s Ahmad Khaled, Kuwait’s Yousef and Salem Al-Dhafeeri and Oman’s Zakariya Al-Aamri are also in MERC2.
Seven Jordanians – Feisal Al-Ghammaz, Nancy Al-Majali, Ibrahim Al-Ali, Asem Aref, Hashem Kalbouneh, Ghaith Qubti and Ziad Miqdad – will contest a National Rally behind the FIA field. Jordan Motorsport has laid on 12 stages and 205.22 competitive kilometres in a 588.88km route.