Norway’s Mads Østberg produced a superb drive on his Qatar International Rally debut to lead by 12.2 seconds after Friday’s six gravel stages.
Racing in the southern Gulf and Qatar for the first time, the Škoda Fabia R2 evo driver showed no sign of inexperience and, in his first event with Austrian co-driver Ilka Minor, won four of the day’s six stages.
I don’t know what to say. This is a brand new experience for me. I felt more and more comfortable through the day. I guess the approach we have had has been quite correct. It’s not been easy and, for me, the more difficult part starts tomorrow when we open the road. We discussed if we should play some tactics and we decided not to. We are here to learn and we might as well learn by opening the desert. I have been lucky enough not to have any issues today but I am not saying anything until I am at the end.
Mads Østberg
Qatar’s Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah, chasing a 16th home win, faces his toughest test yet on Saturday. He and French co-driver Mathieu Baumel had a clean day to hold second.
This will be good for us for tomorrow with Mads opening the road. We can push. It’s important that we finished today without any problems. We are quite happy. Kris (Meeke) will have a good line tomorrow. He has nothing to lose and will push. For me, it is important to win and score maximum points for the championship.
Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah
Meeke rolls
Andorra-based Ulsterman Kris Meeke was very fast early on, winning the first two stages and leading after the first loop. A roll at the start of SS4 hurt his chances, but he and co-driver Chris Patterson recovered to end the leg fifth.
First hairpin right of the stage. It was a junction and I came in, hand braked it in and I just caught the rut. I thought I had it, balanced it on two wheels but, unfortunately, it went over. We had to wait for spectators to push us back and I had to get out of the car. The car is fine. We’ll hang in there. You never know. Punctures on this rally can happen. Two fastest times today. It’s been enjoyable. It’s just a pity….a silly hairpin right. It’s nice out there. We will continue.
Kris Meeke
Qatar’s Abdulaziz Al-Kuwari and Australian co-driver Dale Moscatt profited from Meeke’s trouble to hold third in their Škoda.
Good, second loop was better. We are trying our best but it is not easy and we are far away from not driving for a long time. But we are happy.
Abdulaziz Al-Kuwari
Khaled Al-Suwaidi and Hugo Magalhães were fourth, and Oman’s Abdullah Al-Rawahi drove a measured rally to hold sixth in his Škoda.
Quite happy, We are not quite used to stages which are fast. It was quite tricky in the first run. But we are getting used to it and we are getting used to the car as well. It is a new car for me. Tomorrow is another day. I think it will be even more tough than today. It is more rough, so we see how it goes.
Abdullah Al-Rawahi
Kuwait’s Meshari Al-Thefiri dominated MERC2 in his seventh-placed Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X, winning all six stages to lead Oman’s Zakariya Al-Aamri by 4min 53.2sec. MERC2 series leader Ihab Al-Shorafa and fellow Jordanian Issa Abu Jamous completed the top 10, third and fourth in MERC2. Qatar’s Mohammed Al-Attiyah was 11th and Edith Weiss, marking 30 years at the event, 12th.
Hamed Al-Wahaibi’s rally ended early when he went off at speed, hit the front of his Fabia and damaged the radiator and engine.
I lost the road about four times. The first time I lost it over a jump, I went straight. I couldn’t see it. I hit a bump and we damaged the radiator and we continued and lost the road again. We didn’t have a warning to the end of the stage. We were leaking, leaking, leaking. That’s what happened. I guess it’s not meant to be. Maybe I need more cautious recce and notes.
Hamed Al-Wahaibi
All three Qatar National Rally entrants had problems on the first loop, but Ahmed Allouh and Henry Kahy were allowed to take part in the afternoon.
Friday as it happened
The day consisted of two loops of three stages, starting with the short 8.89km Eraida stage. Al-Attiyah set 4min 49.4sec at 110.6km/h, but an inspired Meeke was 4.8 seconds faster, and Østberg also beat the Qatari to finish 1.3 seconds off the Ulsterman. Al-Kuwari settled into fourth.
Only six of the eight RC2 cars got through without drama. Al-Wahaibi went off and hit the front of his car, and Nasser Khalifa Al-Atya hit a metal fence pole that wrapped around the front of the car and pierced the engine bay. He finished the stage more than a minute down but stopped on the following road section. Al-Thefiri moved 49.9 seconds clear in MERC2, while Lebanon’s Henry Kahy retired from the National Rally with no turbo boost on his Can-Am.
Meeke attacked again on the longer Al-Thakira stage (20.15km), stretching his lead over Al-Attiyah to 11.8 seconds, though the Qatari beat Østberg by 1.2 seconds to stay second.
Al-Attiyah finished the loop with 8min 16.8sec through Al-Khor, only third fastest, as Østberg won by 2.6 seconds from Meeke. Meeke took a 9.2-second lead over his former team-mate into the Losail regroup, with Al-Attiyah 14.6 seconds back.
I think we need to check the tracking system for the first three stages. I am sure some drivers are doing a different line. I am going really very fast. We know the level is very high between the three drivers but, just to be sure you know. To open the road, flat out, is not easy. We know where we lose. To open now, the second loop, should be better for us. No punctures, so we are happy.
Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah
Okay, the first two stages I knew a little bit from last year. They were the only two stages I had done and I had an on-board video, so I was able to see. That’s the only thing I had to watch and prepare for this year. In the third stage, I didn’t really have an idea and I didn’t drive that one last year. Look, it’s the first loop of stages and there is a long way to go. Honestly, there were a few times this morning where I got a bit disorientated and a bit lost in the stage in fifth gear. It’s still a huge challenge. You are in the desert, so everything looks the same. We have done the best job we could this morning, but Mads is also doing very well. I’m enjoying it.
Kris Meeke
I had no idea what to expect during the stages. All of them felt quite similar to me. One I am missing 12 seconds and the next one I am winning. It feels a bit strange but I am enjoying it to be honest. We just try to hang on and find a way. I was only lost twice so that’s not bad. I guess the second loop will be a lot of the same but maybe the second loop mighty me more difficult with everyone taking different lines. Even the cars in the front of me are following different lines. I just have to follow what I did on the recce. That’s all I can do.
Mads Østberg
We lost the road after the start of SS2. I lost eight or 10 seconds and then I came back to the road. Otherwise, everything was good. The tyres are working good. There are a lot of cuts in front of us. I cannot see who. But there are three cars in front of me and I can see some big cuts.
Abdulaziz Al-Kuwari
I have a good start. But the soft tyre is very soft and the car is more moving. I think the next loop we will used hard tyre. I think it’s better for me. I try to push but I miss two corners in the third stage and second stage is difficult at the start. You cannot see the road. But the Qatar Rally is very difficult. We wanted to see what happened on the first three stages and we can push later.
Khaled Al-Suwaidi, fifth at the time
Al-Thefiri led MERC2 by 2min 34.6sec from Al-Aamri as crews left Losail to repeat the morning stages.
Meeke hit soft sand and rolled his Fabia shortly into the second run of Eraida, losing 1min 27.9sec to Al-Attiyah and falling to fifth. Østberg was fastest again, 1.1 seconds quicker than in the morning, and took the overall lead by 6.6 seconds from Al-Attiyah, with Al-Kuwari up to third.
Al-Attiyah improved by 5.5 seconds on his second run through Al-Thakira, but Meeke, whose car had little damage from the roll, beat him by 1.4 seconds. Østberg was fastest again and stretched his lead to 9.3 seconds.
Al-Attiyah averaged 118 km/h on the last stage but still lost 1.2 seconds to Meeke and 2.9 seconds to the leader, sending Østberg back to Losail 12.2 seconds clear.
Saturday
Crews face two more loops of three graded gravel stages in northern Qatar: the 14.50km Al-Waab stage between Al-Mashrab and Umm Al-Qahab from 08.53hrs, the longer Umm Birka (24.54km) at 09.28hrs and a 21.33km stage at Ras Laffan from 10.20hrs. After a regroup and service at the Losail Circuit, the three stages are repeated at 13.03hrs, 13.38hrs and 14.30hrs, with the post-event press conference and podium from 18.20hrs.
Positions after SS6 (unofficial)
- 1. Mads Østberg (HUN)/Ilka Minor (AUT) Škoda Fabia R2 evo 46min 08.5sec
- 2. Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah (QAT)/Mathieu Baumel (AND) Volkswagen Polo GTI 46min 20.7sec
- 3. Abdulaziz Al-Kuwari (QAT)/Dale Moscatt (AUS) Škoda Fabia R2 evo 47min 14.6sec
- 4. Khaled Al-Suwaidi (QAT)/Hugo Magalhães (PRT) Škoda Fabia R2 evo 47min 25.8sec
- 5. Kris Meeke (AND)/Chris Patterson (IRL) Škoda Fabia R2 evo 47min 31.4sec
- 6. Abdullah Al-Rawahi (OMN)/Ata Al-Hmoud (JOR) Škoda Fabia R2 evo 48min 19.4sec
- 7. Meshari Al-Thefiri (KWT)/Nasser Al-Kuwari (QAT) Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X 54min 05.1sec
- 8. Zakariya Al-Aamri (OMN)/Mohammed Al-Aamri (OMN) Subaru Impreza 58min 58.3sec
- 9. Ihab Al-Shorafa (JOR)/Yousef Juma (JOR) Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX 1hr 03min 27sec
- 10. Issa Abu Jamous (JOR)/Emad Juma (JOR) Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX 1hr 05min 56.1sec
Nationalities are given by competition licence, as the regulations require.