Syrian International Rally - 8-9 Jun 07

Posted: June 11, 2007 12:37 PM

---

QATAR'S NASSER AL-ATTIYAH TAKES VICTORY IN SYRIA AS KHALID AL-QASSIMI CLOSES IN ON SECOND TITLE
UAE's Al-Qassimi brothers take second and third places;
Fourth for Qatar's Al-Marri;
Lebanon's Saleh seals fifth

Qatar's Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah and Ulster co-driver Chris Patterson maintained their slim chance of retaining their FIA Middle East Rally Championship title by winning a gripping Syrian International Rally in Sednaya on Saturday.

The pair collected 10 championship points, but a defiant second place for the hard-battling UAE's Sheikh Khalid Al-Qassimi and co-driver Nicky Beech ensured that they remained 11 points clear of their arch rivals in the title race. Al-Qassimi was frequently on the pace of his long-term rival over the course of the weekend and a fascinating Loeb versus Grönholm-style duel was the outcome.

This year's Rally of Lebanon has now been officially postponed and may be cancelled at a Middle East organisers' meeting in Sednaya tomorrow (Sunday). This means that Al-Attiyah would need to overturn the 11-point deficit on the final two rounds of the series in Cyprus and Dubai to prevent Al-Qassimi repeating his 2004 title triumph.

"It's great to win the rally and keep in the title hunt, but it is a big ask now for me to win the title for the fourth time," said Al-Attiyah. "If the Lebanon event is cancelled I will lose a crucial points-scoring chance. All credit to Khalid. He drove very well and deserved his result here."

Al-Qassimi was delighted with his performance: "I showed here that my pace is fast and I have taken a big step to regaining my championship title. I won the rally here in Syria in 2004, the year that I won my title. This result was another important milestone."

Sharjah's Sheikh Abdullah Al-Qassimi and British co-driver Steve Lancaster maintained third overall in their Subaru Impreza to keep their slim title hopes alive. Qatar's Misfer Al-Marri pedalled his Subaru to a fine fourth place and Lebanon's Michel Saleh collected four valuable points for fifth position

The promising new Saudi driver Yazeid Al-Rajhi leapt to sixth over the closing stages, Kuwait's Saleh Bin Eidan was seventh, but the ever-improving London-based Lebanese driver Nicolai Georgiou slipped to an unofficial eighth on the final stage. Syria's Mohammed Hamsho and Amjad Farrah completed the top 10.

Khalid Al-Qassimi whittled Al-Attiyah's overnight 32.7-second lead down to just 19.9 seconds with a scintillating time through the 20km Dier Atteyah stage, the first of six specials in leg two. He repeated the feat through the Mrah special and reduced the deficit to just 10.9 seconds. Al-Attiyah duly responded in the 10th Nabk stage to extend his lead to 25.2 seconds. Abdullah Al-Qassimi, Misfer Al-Marri and Michel Saleh maintained their positions inside the top five.

Amjad Farrah won his appeal to have the bulk of the time he lost on the second stage removed and he rose from 20th to 11th overall at the start of the day. He was running as the seventh registered championship driver and stood to gain crucial points if he could maintain his momentum. After the first stage of the morning he had displaced Saudi Arabia's Yazeid Al-Rajhi and Syria's Mohammed Hamsho to take ninth overall and maintained that position through the next two stages. Meanwhile, Syria's Mirar Al-Homsi had begun a sensational climb through the field and displaced both Nicolai Georgiou and Michel Saleh during his rise to fifth place.

A repeat of the three stages stood between Al-Attiyah and his third win of the season. Al-Qassimi was prepared to see what developed in the re-run of Dier Atteyah before deciding whether to concede defeat. The UAE driver edged 3.7 seconds closer to his Qatari rival and set up a grandstand finale to another exciting round of the regional series.

Al-Qassimi was again faster in the re-run of the Mrah stage, but he was only able to reduce Al-Attiyah's lead to 20.7 seconds. It was asking too much of the 2004 champion to overhaul the Qatari on the final Nabk special and the duo duly held station over the final kilometres to seal the top two places and emphasise their superiority over the rest of the field. Al-Homsi's brave run came to an end at the end of SS11 and Kuwait's Ahmed Al-Kharss rolled his Citroën out of contention in SS10.

Major support for this year's Syrian International Rally came from Hamsho International, with further sponsorship from the Sheraton Ma'aret Sednaya, the Syrian Insurance Company, Radio Syria Alghad, and Kawalees. The event was the fifth round of the 2007 FIA Middle East Rally Championship and was organised by the Syrian Automobile Club (SAC) under the patronage of the Ministry of Tourism.

Positions after SS13 - (unofficial @ 15.50hrs):
1. Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah (QA)/Chris Patterson (GB) Subaru Impreza WRX STi 2h 20m 35.9s
2. Sheikh Khalid Al-Qassimi (UAE)/Nick Beech (GB) Subaru Impreza WRX STi 2h 21m 11.9s
3. Abdullah Al-Qassimi (UAE)/Steve Lancaster (GB) Subaru Impreza WRX STi 2h 29m 10.7s
4. Misfer Al-Marri (QA)/Hamad Al-Marri (QA) Subaru Impreza WRX STi 2h 30m 28.9s
5. Michel Saleh (RL)/Ahmad Ghaziri (RL) Subaru Impreza WRX STi 2h 34m 23.1s
6. Yazeid Al-Rajhi (KSA)/Saleh Alabdulahi (KSA) Subaru Impreza WRX STi 2h 37m 21.8s
7. Salah Bin Eidan (KWT)/Killian Duffy (IRL) Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX 2h 37m 34.3s
8. Nicolai Georgiou (RL)/Joseph Mattar (RL) Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VIII 2h 41m 01.2s
9. Mohammed Hamsho (SYR)/Khaled Al-Kendi (UAE) Subaru Impreza WRX STi 2h 41m 58.0s
10. Amjad Farrah (HKJ)/Nicola Arena (HKJ) Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX 2h 42m 21.7s

Full Results:
Syrian Rally

---

Pre Event News

• Rally Preview - QATAR'S AL-ATTIYAH SET TO TURN UP PRESSURE ON CHAMPIONSHIP RIVALS IN TITANIC SYRIA RALLY CLASH
• 4 Irish Co-Drivers taking part. - Chris Patterson, Mickey Morrissey, Killian Duffy, Allan Harryman
• TOP RALLY TEAMS COMPLETE TWO-DAY RECCE FOR THIS WEEKEND'S SYRIAN INTERNATIONAL RALLY
• SYRIAN INTERNATIONAL RALLY ATTRACTS BUMPER INTERNATIONAL 33-CAR ENTRY
• SYRIAN AUTOMOBILE CLUB ANNOUNCE COMPACT NEW SYRIAN INTERNATIONAL RALLY
  Syrian Hani Shaban takes over as Clerk of the Course;
  All-Syrian organising committee for new-look event

---

QATAR'S AL-ATTIYAH SET TO TURN UP PRESSURE ON CHAMPIONSHIP RIVALS IN TITANIC SYRIA RALLY CLASH
UAE's Khalid Al-Qassimi takes six-point lead over Jordan's Farrah into rally Strong Syrian Rally Team lines-up; Syria marks return of three Irish co-drivers

The 7th Syrian International Rally got underway with the official ceremonial start in Damascus on Thursday evening. Lying ahead of international teams from nine countries are 13 timed special stages on Friday and Saturday to the north of the city. The event is the fifth round of the FIA Middle East Rally Championship and has been organised by the Syrian Automobile Club (SAC) under the patronage of the Ministry of Tourism.

This year's regional series - which has already crossed special stages in Qatar, Oman, Cyprus and Jordan - is developing into the most exciting on record with no less than five drivers in a position to take the title in Dubai at the end of November. The event in Syria will be followed by a potential rally in Lebanon, a second event in Cyprus and the finale in Dubai.

The UAE's Sheikh Khalid Al-Qassimi currently holds a six-point lead in the series and is the favourite to win the title for the first time since 2004. He and co-driver Nicky Beech won thrilling rallies in Oman and Jordan, when arch rival Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah crashed out of contention. Al-Qassimi must now discipline himself not to push too hard in Syria, as Al-Attiyah is sure to be fired up and pressing hard for maximum points to put the defence of the title he has won three times in the last four seasons back on track.

The Qatari has suffered a catalogue of mishaps this season, but he set a string of fastest stage times on the final day of the Jordan Rally and was deprived of a P-WRC podium finish in Greece by a puncture. With only four rounds of the series left this year, Al-Attiyah needs to overturn a 13-point deficit if he is to regain the coveted trophy.

"I will try my best," said Al-Attiyah. "But it will not be easy to take maximum points even if I am the fastest driver. There is always a risk of punctures and that could wreck the plans. I need 10 points, because I am beginning to run out of rallies."

Jordan's Amjad Farrah has his own agenda. Partnered by Italian co-driver Nicola Arena, Farrah lies six points behind Al-Qassimi and is confident that he can beat the championship leader in Syria. Amjad is on a rapid learning curve, although he will need to be on top form to take points from his closest rivals over the rocky desert tracks in Syria, where time-consuming punctures are commonplace.

Two veterans of the regional series also have an outside chance of winning the title: former Group N champion and overall runner-up Sheikh Abdullah Al-Qassimi has 19 points and is 14 behind brother Khalid. The Sharjah driver has achieved consistent finishes this season and takes a two-point advantage over Lebanese veteran Michel Saleh into Friday's opening special stage.

While this quintet concentrate on the strategy and pace required to outwit each other for championship points, London-based Lebanese driver Nicolai Georgiou, Qatar's Misfer Al-Marri and Abdulaziz Al-Kuwari and Kuwait's Mufeed Mubarak will be pushing hard for the podium.

Six Syrian teams, led by Mohammed Hamsho and Haitham Al-Yousefi, will use local knowledge to make a bid for the top five, while Saudi Arabia's challenge rests with Sheikh Yazeid Al-Rajhi and Majed Al-Ghamdi. Aside from Farrah, the likes of Faris Bustami, Mazen Tantash and Issa Abu Jamous lead the Jordanian challenge, while Austrian Andreas Wimmer bolsters the European challenge.

The event also sees the return of three well known co-drivers from the Emerald Isle to the Middle East fold. Killian Duffy partners Kuwaiti's Saleh Bin Eidan, Mickey Morrissey will read the notes for Mubarak and Allan Harryman joins Ron Cremen's operation to partner the UAE's Sultan Al-Ameri. Waterford-based Morrissey last tackled the UAE Rally in Al Ain in January 2006; Duffy, from County Mayo, last competed in Qatar the same year with Saudi Arabia's Ahmed Al-Sabban, while Ulsterman Harryman last appeared with Hamed Al-Wahaibi in the Omani's ill-fated 2004 Jordan Rally outing.

"It's great to be back," enthused Morrissey. "I had some memorable times in this region with Hamed Al-Sowaidi from Qatar and David Scialom. I am looking forward to this rally. The stages are very different and certainly challenging. It's going to be a lot of fun."

Syria first ran a candidate event for the regional rally series in 2000 and this was installed in the championship for the first time in 2001. The first four Syrian rallies started in Damascus and included a night stop at the ancient city of Palmyra, but officials switched the base to Sednaya in 2004 and a compact format has been maintained ever since, although last year's rally was cancelled because of the troubles across the border in Lebanon.

New clerk of the course Hani Shaban has laid on a revised and compact route this season, with competitors set to tackle new special stages to the north-east of Sednaya. Servicing is centralised at Nabk, 68km from the rally headquarters, although the Sheraton Ma'arat Sednaya has been retained as rally headquarters.

Tomorrow (Friday) teams will tackle seven timed special stages in the Sabkha, Hafar and Baida areas, before a further six specials on Saturday. The ceremonial finish will take place in Sednaya from 16.35 hrs on Saturday.

Major support for this year's Syrian International Rally comes from Hamsho International, with further sponsorship from the Sheraton Ma'aret Sednaya, the Syrian Insurance Company, Radio Syria Alghad, and Kawalees.

---

TOP RALLY TEAMS COMPLETE TWO-DAY RECCE FOR THIS WEEKEND'S SYRIAN INTERNATIONAL RALLY
Jordanian Farrah aims to push hard to gain momentum in title bid
Heavy rain forces organisers to regrade Syrian special stages

Thirty-three teams completed two days of reconnaissance of the special stages on Wednesday that they will tackle in the 7th Syrian International Rally on Friday and Saturday. The event is the fifth round of the FIA Middle East Rally Championship and has been organised by the Syrian Automobile Club (SAC) under the patronage of the Ministry of Tourism.

Before teams from nine countries arrived in Damascus and made their way north to the rally headquarters at the Sheraton Ma'aret Sednaya for documentation formalities, event officials had been working over recent days to ensure that the timed special stages to the north had been repaired following recent freak weather in the region.

Continuous heavy rain forced organisers to carry out regrading work on sections of the special stages. But clerk of the course Hani Sheban confirmed that damage was done to the stage surfaces by further rain as soon as the repairs had been made. "It was a frustrating and unfortunate start to our plans," said Shaban.

Teams will tackle seven timed special stages in the Sabkha, Hafar and Baida areas on Friday and a further six on Saturday around Deir Atteyah, Mirah and Nabk. The ceremonial finish will take place in Sednaya from 16.35 hrs on Saturday.

Jordan's Amjad Farrah currently lies second overall in the regional series and arrives in Syria fresh from finishing 29th overall and 12th in the P-WRC category of the recent Acropolis Rally in Greece. He trails the UAE's Sheikh Khalid Al-Qassimi by a mere six points after four rounds and knows that this year could be his best ever chance of becoming the first ever Jordanian to register a regional championship title.

"I will plan my strategy here carefully," said Amjad. "Khalid has to defend his lead in the championship and won't want to take any risks. I can capitalise. Maybe if I push very hard it will put him under pressure. Nasser (Al-Attiyah) will also be driving for the win. He needs 10 points to get back into contention to defend his title. It may become a rally of strategies, but I realise that taking points is the critical factor."

Austrian Andreas Wimmer is tackling the full FIA Middle East rally championship for the first time and currently lies ninth in the championship, following points finishes in Oman and Jordan. "The stages are so very different to Jordan," said Wimmer. "They are more open desert stages and require a great deal of attention. Punctures could be a major problem here, so you push hard at your own risk. Several drivers had flat tyres during the recce and that makes me believe that settling into a steady pace could pay dividends."

Meanwhile, former Jordan national champion Faris Bustami has joined forces with Faris Hizazi and Issa Abu Jamous as part of the Al-Hussein Rally Team. The trio will use three Mitsubishi Lancer Evolutions, although Hizazi will run as a course opening car in Syria with Bustami's usual co-driver Emad Juma'a in the driving seat. Hijazi is the chairman of the Al-Hussein Irbid football club in Jordan.

The Jordanian teams line-up against a powerful Syria entry, which includes Mohammed Hamsho, Haitham Al-Yousefi, Bashar Abu Khoura, Ahmad Hamsho and Mirar Al-Homsi, A press conference took place on Wednesday evening in Sednaya, but the ceremonial start will take place in Damascus from 18.00hrs on Thursday evening.

Major support for this year's Syrian International Rally comes from Hamsho International, with further sponsorship from the Sheraton Ma'aret Saydnaya, the Syrian Insurance Company, Radio Syria Alghad, and Kawalees.

---

24/05/07
SYRIAN INTERNATIONAL RALLY ATTRACTS BUMPER INTERNATIONAL 33-CAR ENTRY
The Syrian Automobile Club (SAC) have confirmed that the 7th Syrian International Rally has attracted a provisional 33 starters from nine countries. The event takes place between June 7-9th, under the patronage of the Ministry of Tourism and is organised by the SAC.

The strongest international field in the short history of the Syrian round of the FIA Middle East Rally Championship contains no less than five Syrian teams and all the regular championship contenders, including the UAE's series leader Sheikh Khalid Al-Qassimi, Qatar's defending champion Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah and Jordan's top driver Amjad Farrah. There is also strong representation from Austria, Cyprus Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Kuwait and several other teams from Jordan and Qatar.

One of the top seeds in the Syrian Rally Team will be the experienced Haitham Al-Yousefi, who looks set to take part in the 13-stage event at the wheel of a Subaru Impreza WRX STi. Bashar Abu Khoura has been a regular on the rally scene in the region since the Syrian Rally joined the championship in 2001 and he wheels out a Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution, alongside co-driver Omar Othym. Ahmed and Mohammed Hamsho and Mirar Al-Homsi complete the Syrian Rally Team line-up.

"We are delighted with the strength in depth of the entry for this year's new-look rally and are confident that our new stages and revised format will be well received by visiting competitors," said new Syrian clerk of the course Hani Shaban.

After a ceremonial start in Damascus on Thursday evening (June 7th) competitive action gets underway with a 12.6km special stage at Sabkha from 09.35 hrs on Friday, June 8th. Specials follow at Hafar and Baida, followed by service at Nabk, north of Saydnaya. The three tests are repeated in the afternoon, before a final 24.53km stage takes place at 14.45 hrs to bring the day's action to a close.

Leg two takes place on Saturday, June 9th and consists of two runs through the Deir Atteyah, Mrah and Nabk special stages. Action starts at 09.43hrs and is punctuated by service and a regroup in Nabk. The podium finish will take place in the grounds of the Sheraton Ma'aret Saydnaya from 16.35 hrs. In a total route of 761.93km, 263.69km will be competitive.

Major support for this year's Syrian International Rally comes from Hamsho International, with further sponsorship from the Sheraton Ma'aret Saydnaya, the Syrian Insurance Company, Radio Syria Alghad, and Kawalees.

---

16/05/07
SYRIAN AUTOMOBILE CLUB ANNOUNCE COMPACT NEW SYRIAN INTERNATIONAL RALLY
Syrian Hani Shaban takes over as Clerk of the Course;
All-Syrian organising committee for new-look event

The Syrian Automobile Club (SAC) have announced the 7th running of the Syrian International Rally, taking place on June 7th-9th, under the patronage of the Ministry of Tourism and organised by the SAC.

The event will be based at the Sheraton Ma'aret in Saydnaya, north of Damascus, for the third time after starting and finishing in the capital Damascus between 2000 and 2003. This year's event will run from Thursday to Saturday for the first time after finishing on a Friday for four of the last five years. The event was cancelled in 2006 because of the Israel-Lebanon situation.

Syrian Hani Shaban will act as Clerk of the Course for the first time and becomes the first Syrian in the history of the FIA Middle East Rally Championship to hold such a role of office. He heads an entire Syrian organising committee for the first time.

"We have made several bespoke changes to the route and the format of the rally for 2007," said Shaban. "We have come up with a new service park, much closer to the special stages in Nabk, and introduced a new ceremonial start in the middle of downtown Damascus."

The timetable gets underway with the ceremonial start in Damascus on Thursday, June 7th, with the special stages taking place over the following two days. The podium finish will be in the grounds of the Sheraton Ma'aret Saydnaya on Saturday, June 9th.

This year's Syrian International Rally will also feature live tracking technology for the first time, as the SAC bids to police stage safety and security more accurately. This technology was used in the recent regional round in Jordan and is based upon software and equipment introduced by a company Sporttraxx, managed by Italian Wolfgang Schindele. This system has already been in used with success on European Baja-type events and on regional events in the UAE, Qatar and Saudi Arabia.

The organising team are currently putting the finishing touches to the rally, which will feature 13 timed gravel special stages over two days and a total competitive distance of around 268km.

Qatar's Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah won the event in 2005 in his Subaru Impreza WRX STi, but the defending regional champion heads to Syria 13 points behind his arch rival Sheikh Khalid Al-Qassimi in the championship standings after a dramatic win for the UAE driver in Jordan last weekend. Officials are expecting all the championship regulars to take part in Syria's premier motorsport event.

Major support for this year's Syrian International Rally comes from Hamsho International, with further sponsorship from the Sheraton Ma'aret Saydnaya, the Syrian Insurance Company, Radio Syria Alghad, and Kawalees.

More Details

Syrian Rally