August 7, 2015 – Nasser Al-Attiyah confirmed yesterday on social media, that he will be switching from a Ford Fiesta RRC to a brand new Skoda Fabia R5 for the ninth round of the World Rally Championship, ADAC Rallye Deutschland.
Two weeks separate the German event from the fourth round of the Middle East Rally Championship, the 38th Rally of Lebanon, which Al-Attiyah is also contesting, and there’s a strong possibility that it will be in the Skoda, as he also mentioned on social media.
However, Rallye Deutschland will be the first time Al-Attiyah drives the Fabia R5, which means he is yet to familiarize himself with the new car and it could prove quite the gamble for Rally of Lebanon, and he knows very well that he needs the best package in order to beat his main rival Roger Feghali, so the Fiesta RRC might be the safer option, unless the Qatari finds himself immediately comfortable in the Fabia.
The bigger question mark hangs over Roger Feghali, who has three different options for Rally of Lebanon, including the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X R4, the Ford Fiesta R5 and the Ford Fiesta RRC.
We’ve seen Feghali behind the wheel of all three cars in three separate events; he last drove the Fiesta RRC on Lebanese soil in the 2013 edition of Rally of Lebanon, an event he dominated while facing Al-Attiyah.
His last appearance in the Fiesta R5 came at the 2014 Cedars’ Rally, which he controversially won; and his most recent participation was at the 2015 Cedars’ Rally onboard the Evo X R4 that enjoyed an excellent suspension.
At the 2015 Cedars’ Rally, Feghali’s main opponent was his own brother Abdo, who was equipped with a Ford Fiesta RRC. It’s well-known that the Fiesta RRC is quicker than the Evo X R4, but Roger was still able to gradually extend the gap to his brother, with 16 seconds separating the two before Abdo’s decision to withdraw. Roger went on to take the win.
One of the two Fords would be the safer option for Roger at the 38th Rally of Lebanon, but the Evo X R4’s performance in the Cedars’ Rally showed that there’s a likelihood he can take the fight to Al-Attiyah using the Japanese sedan, but it would be a risky route.
Will Roger take a gamble by choosing the Evo X R4 for Rally of Lebanon, which will be an option that would be a complete contradiction to what Nasser has. Will Roger look for the top speed in his R4? Will his proven RRC be the solution? It is doubtful that he opts to drive the Ford Fiesta R5, especially now that the new Skoda Fabia R5 has been the better car ever since its first appearance this year. The battle of ROL 2015 has started with a battle of choices.
