LUSAIL, QATAR – The modern and bustling Lusail Boulevard will host the start of the 50th anniversary running of the Qatar International Rally on Thursday evening.
Twenty-eight crews from 19 nations are due to cross the start podium from 18:00, before a short 4.36km special stage at the LCSC Karting Academy. The Qatar Motor and Motorcycle Federation (QMMF) has then laid on six gravel stages through the northern desert, each run twice over Friday and Saturday.
Al-Attiyah chases an 18th win
Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah arrives with an eight-point lead in the FIA Middle East Rally Championship (MERC) after his win in Oman. The Qatari is bidding for an 18th victory at his home event since 2003, while new Spanish co-driver Candido Carrera aims for his second win in a Škoda Fabia RS Rally2.
Seven Rally2 crews are entered. Defending regional champion Abdulaziz Al-Kuwari retired late in Oman and left without a point in his new Citroën C3 with Irish co-driver Lorcan Moore. Abdullah Al-Rawahi, who turned 28 on Wednesday, won four stages in Oman with Ata Al-Hmoud before a suspension failure dropped the joint 2023 MERC champion to seventh in the standings.
Saudi driver Rakan Al-Rashed made an impressive MERC return in Oman, finishing second in his Toyota GR Yaris Rally2. He is partnered by Portuguese co-driver Hugo Magalhães, who won this event with Rashid Al-Naimi in 2017. Veteran Nasser Khalifa Al-Atya, the 1993 winner, already leads the new Masters MERC Championship by six points over Ibrahim Al-Muhanna after a podium with Ziad Chehab in Oman.
Norway’s Mads Østberg returns for a fourth successive year. He led on his 2022 debut before a water leak after an impact, then finished second in 2023 and 2024 behind Al-Attiyah and Pierre-Louis Loubet. He drives a Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 with Romania’s Sergiu Itu. Denis Krotov, winner of last November’s Qatar International Baja, completes the Rally2 line-up with Yury Kulikov.
MERC2, MERC4 and the newcomers
Oman’s Abdullah Al-Zubair leads FIA MERC2 by six points from compatriot Zakariya Al-Aamri. In Qatar he faces Mohammed Al-Atteya, Lebanon’s Ahmad Khaled and Jad Al-Aawar, Kuwait’s Jassim Al-Muqahwi, India’s Mohammed Mansoor Parol and the Jordanian pair Shadi Shaban and Ihab Al-Shorafa. Italians Simone Temeroli, Stefano Marrini and Christiano Gabbarrini are entered but not registered for MERC points.
A fine fourth place on his debut in a Peugeot 208 Rally4 gave Qatar’s Rashid Al-Muhannadi a six-point lead over defending champion Lebanon’s Shadi El-Fakih in FIA MERC4. He is joined by Qatar Motorsports Academy Stars winners Mohammed Al-Marri and Saad Al-Harqan, making their debuts in 208 Rally4s with French co-drivers Yannick Roche and Pierre Delorme. India’s Payyaakkal ‘Saneem’ Panikkaveettil enters a Ford Fiesta in the Rally4 category, and four SSVs complete the field.
The 50th anniversary rally is held under the chairmanship of QMMF President Abdulrahman Al-Mannai, senior committee member Abdulrazaq Al-Kuwari and QMMF Executive Director Amro Al-Hamad. Thursday’s programme starts with a press conference on the Lusail Boulevard podium at 17:30, the ceremonial start at 18:00 and the super special at the LCSC Karting Academy from 19:15.
MERC standings after round 1
- Drivers: 1. Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah 35pts, 2. Rakan Al-Rashed 27, 3. Nasser Khalifa Al-Atya 23, 4. Rashid Al-Muhannadi 19, 5. Shadi Shaban 17, 6. Abdullah Al-Zubair 16, 7. Abdullah Al-Rawahi 15, 8. Ibrahim Al-Muhanna 13, 9. Shadi El-Fakih 9, 10. Yosra Jazzar 7, 11. Zakariya Al-Aamri 5
- FIA MERC2: 1. Abdullah Al-Zubair 30pts, 2. Zakariya Al-Aamri 24
- FIA MERC4: 1. Rashid Al-Muhannadi 30pts, 2. Shadi El-Fakih 24
- Masters MERC: 1. Nasser Khalifa Al-Atya 30pts, 2. Ibrahim Al-Muhanna 24