Al-Maha Island will host the official start ceremony of the Qatar International Rally for the first time from 19.00hrs on Thursday evening.
Round two of the 2023 FIA Middle East Rally Championship (MERC) has attracted 23 FIA cars and competitors from 14 nations, who will tackle 13 special stages before the finish back on Al-Maha Island on Saturday afternoon.
The competition, organised by the Qatar Motor and Motorcycle Federation (QMMF), begins with a 3.27km asphalt stage at the LCSC Karting Academy from 20.00hrs on Thursday night.
Al-Attiyah chases win number 17
For the second year running, the event has attracted FIA World Rally Championship stars, with the last three FIA WRC2 champions facing the leading drivers from the GCC and the Levant.
Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah has won his home event 16 times and a 17th victory is the priority for the five-time Dakar winner, who trails Abdullah Al-Rawahi by six points in the MERC after round one in Oman. His Volkswagen Polo GTI was damaged in the Sultanate and has been rebuilt this week at the Lusail service park. He is again partnered by Andorra-based Mathieu Baumel, a five-time Qatar Rally winner.
Mads Østberg, Andreas Mikkelsen and Emil Lindholm won the last three WRC2 titles and will push Al-Attiyah all the way over three days. Østberg has the extra experience of last year’s event and can draw confidence from leading outright until a water leak ended his hopes of victory.
Mikkelsen and Lindholm are new to Qatar, and its fast, open gravel and stony desert terrain is very different from the flowing gravel stages they are used to in the WRC. The three SRT Škoda Fabia Rally2 Evo drivers are set to spark a thrilling battle in the northern deserts.
Championship contenders
Al-Rawahi must stay out of the battle for outright victory and focus on defending his early MERC lead. A second Oman win in three years has given him a great chance of a first regional title, and he knows the three Scandinavians ahead of him are not registered for the MERC. His Jordanian co-driver Ata Al-Hmoud leads the Co-drivers’ Championship.
Abdulaziz Al-Kuwari and Khalid Al-Suwaidi are both proven MERC winners with international experience, but neither QMMF-backed Qatari has enjoyed a full rally programme in recent seasons. They drive two more Škoda Fabia Rally2 Evos, with Al-Kuwari hoping to repeat his famous 2012 Qatar win and Al-Suwaidi chasing a third regional win to add to his Kuwait successes of 2012 and 2022.
Nasser Khalifa Al-Atya won the Qatar International Rally 30 years ago and is fourth in this year’s championship. He partners Italian navigator Giovanni Bernacchini in the only Ford Fiesta R5.
Sadoon Al-Kuwari, a veteran of many past Qatar rallies and father of Abdulaziz and of Nasser Al-Kuwari, Meshari Al-Thefiri’s co-driver, is celebrating 40 years of competition across rallying and racing. He has recruited experienced Belgian co-driver Stéphane Prévot for his bid in a Volkswagen Polo GTI, a record ninth Rally2 car in the field.
Multiple former MERC2 champion Al-Thefiri leads the category by six points after Oman and is third in the overall standings. The Kuwaiti faces a dozen rivals from Jordan, Lebanon, Qatar and Oman, including his closest MERC2 title challengers Shaker Jweihan, Yousef Al-Dhafeeri, Sheikh Bader Al-Fayez and Shadi Shaban. Jordan’s Issa Abu Jamous is a late withdrawal.
Two T4 machines run at the back of the field, driven by Khalid Al-Muhannadi (Polaris) and Stefano Marrini (Can-Am).
Teams carried out reconnaissance of the northern gravel stages on Wednesday before compulsory technical scrutineering at Lusail.