Norwegians Andreas Mikkelsen and Torstein Eriksen clocked 3min 25.1sec to lead by 3.1 seconds after the opening 3.27km special stage of the Qatar International Rally at a gusty LCSC Karting Academy late on Thursday evening.
Earlier, 22 cars and competitors from 14 nations had been flagged away by Qatar Motor and Motorcycle Federation President Abdulrahman Al-Mannai and Executive Director Amro Al-Hamad in front of hundreds of spectators on a windswept Al-Maha Island, shortly after nine of the leading drivers attended the official FIA pre-event press conference on the start podium.
Finland’s Emil Lindholm was second on the asphalt opener, with Mads Østberg, local favourite Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah and Abdulaziz Al-Kuwari completing the top five.
Jordan’s Shaker Jweihan and Nancy Al-Majali and Lebanon’s Jad Al-Aawar and Vicken Kanledjian shared the fastest MERC2 time.
Sligo-based Niall Burns came in as a late replacement for Portugal’s Hugo Magalhães alongside local driver Khalid Al-Suwaidi. The 33-year-old Irishman, who lives at Kilmacrennan in County Donegal, finished fourth overall with James Greer on the recent Galway International Rally. The new pairing were sixth on the opening stage after MERC leader Abdullah Al-Rawahi dropped back with a 15-second penalty.
Before the start, Latvian team Sports Racing Technologies (SRT) registered for the FIA Middle East Rally Championship (MERC). The team is running Škoda Fabia Rally2 Evos for the Scandinavian trio of Østberg, Mikkelsen and Lindholm in Qatar.
I am actually quite excited about this. It’s a new challenge for me. I was testing in Portugal on Monday and then arrived here at 3am the following morning and, since then, it’s been a nice experience and a chance to try something totally different. I actually came to Qatar once before, for the FIA prize giving, but this is my first taste of the desert here. I did do the Dakar so I guess this is a special stage version of that! The terrain is flat and it is difficult to find the lines and the braking points. My biggest fear is getting lost. Nasser (Al-Attiyah) said (jokingly) it’s flat out everywhere and don’t make the notes too complicated. We will see.
Andreas Mikkelsen at the pre-event press conference
I remember asking Nasser last year how he was that fast and he just said it was flat out! I know that is not the case. There are places where you need to be very careful. I take responsibility for the water leak last year. That was my fault! But I can take confidence from last year into the weekend.
Mads Østberg
Sadoon Al-Kuwari competed in Qatar early in his career against the likes of the late Lars-Erik Torph and 1986 winner Björn Waldegård, when Toyota used to test in Qatar before the Safari Rally. The veteran began his 40th year of competition with seventh fastest time on the opening stage.
Oman’s Zakariya Al-Aamri suffered serious engine trouble and failed to finish, his Subaru dropping oil on the stage.
Logistical problems prevented Italy’s Stefano Marrini from starting in his T4 Can-Am Maverick. Without up-to-date FIA homologation for his Mitsubishi, Jordan’s Sami Fleifel was not allowed to score points and ran as a national entrant.
Friday
Crews tackle two loops of three gravel stages in the northern deserts on Friday. The 16.15km Al-Khor stage starts the action from 09.55hrs, followed by the first run through a slightly revised Ras Laffan test (15.44km) at 10.35hrs and the third stage of the loop.
After a midday regroup and 30-minute service back at Lusail, the three specials are repeated at 13.10hrs, 13.50hrs and 14.15hrs.