Kuwait International Rally - 4-6 Mar 10

UAE’S KHALID AL-QASSIMI CLAIMS SEVENTH MERC VICTORY IN KUWAIT

Posted: March 6, 2010 9:01 PM

The UAE’s Sheikh Khalid Al-Qassimi and Ulster co-driver Michael Orr clinched a comfortable victory in the 2010 Kuwait International Rally, round two of the FIA Middle East Rally Championship (MERC), on Saturday.

At the wheel of his new Autotek-supported Ford Fiesta S2000, Al-Qassimi gradually extended his 7.7s overnight lead over the second day’s seven desert special stages to record his seventh regional championship rally victory by the margin of 49 seconds. It was his first win in Kuwait.

The feat moved the Emirati into a joint lead with Qatar’s Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah and Sheikh Hamed Bin Eid Al-Thani in the 2010 FIA Middle East Rally Championship and enabled Al-Qassimi to tie Roger Feghali’s seven regional rally wins, making Al-Qassimi the joint fourth most successful driver in the history of the MERC.

“This win came at an important time and it has given me a great chance to challenge for the Middle East title,” said Ford’s delighted WRC factory driver. “It is only my second event in the Ford Fiesta and I showed in Qatar that the pace is there. We were able to control the event today and take no risks.

“It is nice to be back on the top step of the podium with a win here in Kuwait. It has thrown the championship wide open. I must give a special thanks to the Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority and my team for giving me this chance.”

Rashid Al-Ketbi and Khaled Al-Kendi were unable to match Al-Qassimi and Orr in their Skoda Fabia S2000, but the UAE crew had the consolation of second position and eight crucial championship points, a blocked air filter not helping their cause in the choking dusty conditions.

Saudi Arabia’s Yazeed Al-Rajhi and French co-driver Matthieu Baumel began the day in fifth position with their Kronos Peugeot 207 S2000. Al-Rajhi was in flying form and impressive stage times saw him overall Sheikh Abdullah Al-Qassimi and Khalid Al-Suwaidi to move into third position.

But the Saudi suffered engine problems on the penultimate stage and Al-Suwaidi and British co-driver Nick Beech finished fourth overall in their converted Autotek recce car. The UAE’s Sheikh Abdullah Al-Qassimi and British co-driver Steve Lancaster were fourth.

Qatar’s Sheikh Hamed Bin Eid Al-Thani, partnered by UAE co-driver Arif Yousuf, continued his resurgent form to claim a fine fifth position. The 1993 regional champion also earned joint first position in the Drivers’ Championship after two of eight rounds.

Essam Al-Nejadi and Anwar Al-Sharrah began the day as the leading Kuwaiti crew and managed to hold on to claim sixth overall. Kuwaiti drivers Meshari Al-Thafiri and Abdullah Al-Hajri were seventh and ninth. There were 16 registered finishers.

Surviving crews were welcomed over the finishing podium at the Kuwait Towers by Mr. Jasim Yaqoub, vice-president of public youth and sport in Kuwait, the KMSC’s Sheikh Ahmad Al-Dawood Al-Sabah and Brigadier Mahmoud Al-Doseri, head of Kuwait’s traffic department.

The event was organised by the Kuwait Motor Sports Club (KMSC) under the patronage of His Excellency the Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah and the presidency of Sheikh Ahmad Al-Dawood Al-Sabah.

Day one
Khalid Al-Qassimi headed into the opening Al-Salmi stage a mere 0.1 seconds in front of Al-Rajhi, but the special was cancelled soon afterwards and crews headed to Al-Alatraff, only after top seed Misfer Al-Marri had fractured an oil pipe around eight kilometre from the stage finish and lost most of the oil from his Subaru’s engine. The engine was damaged beyond repair and the Qatari will be unable to restart under SupeRally on Saturday.

Al-Qassimi – the 2004 regional champion - was 11.6s quicker than Al-Ketbi at the wheel of his Ford Fiesta S2000 through SS3 and extended his overall lead. Lebanon’s Michel Saleh by the wayside with turbo problems and was joined by Qatar’s Jaber Al-Marri with gearbox woes.

Al-Ketbi struck back immediately at the Shooting Club and a scintillating time pushed the UAE driver to within 0.6 seconds of Al-Qassimi.

Meshari Al-Thafiri had begun the day in third overall, but the Kuwaiti struggled with overheating issues, as Meshal Al-Nejadi joined the growing list of retirements with engine problems forcing him not to start the day. Local driver Mubarak Al-Thafiri also retired with clutch maladies.

Saudi Arabia’s Yazeed Al-Rajhi ruined his chance of taking outright victory when he lost four minutes changing a puncture and slipped to 14th overall. Qatar’s Khalid Al-Suwaidi moved up to third overall and Saleh Bin Eidan headed the local challenge in fourth place.

Al-Qassimi hit back through Al-Salmi and extended his lead over Al-Ketbi to 3.8 seconds. The pair were now the class of the field, as Al-Rajhi recovered by setting the third fastest time and Bin Eidan plummeted from fourth to 16th after losing 12 minutes with mechanical problems. Sharjah’s Sheikh Abdullah Al-Qassimi began his climb into the top five.

Qatar’s Abdulaziz Al-Kuwari and new Belgian co-driver Stéphane Prevot were unable to reach the stage and retired after gearbox problems sustained on the previous timed test.

Al-Qassimi edged a further 2.4 seconds in front of Al-Ketbi through the second Al-Alatraff special to take his advantage to 6.2 seconds, although Al-Ketbi admitted that the stages were very slippery.

“Because they are so slippery I have lost the line a couple of times and slid into the little sand ridges at the edge of the stages and that caused me to get a puncture on the third one,” said Al-Ketbi. Kuwait’s Mufeed Mubarak was also driving cautiously down in 15th position, but a third stage puncture did not help his cause.

Al-Qassimi stayed away from trouble through the second Shooting Club special and reached the overnight halt with a 7.7-second overall lead over Al-Ketbi. But Al-Rajhi and Bin Eidan were both in the wars again and Qatar’s Khaled Al-Suwaidi reached the overnight halt in a fine third position. Sharjah’s Abdullah Al-Qassimi maintained his excellent fourth overall.

The event is being organised by the Kuwait Motor Sports Club (KMSC) under the patronage of His Excellency the Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah and the presidency of Sheikh Ahmad Al-Dawood Al-Sabah

Tomorrow (Saturday) there will be seven remaining desert special stages. The competitive action gets underway with the first of two runs through the 13.50km Sulibikhat special from 08.56hrs and this is followed by the first of two passes through stages at Al-Metlaa (09.44hrs) and the Shooting Club (10.42hrs).

The timed tests are repeated on Saturday afternoon, after a main service and regroup at the Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Olympic Shooting Complex, before the competitive action concludes with a second pass through the 3.5km super special stage from 15.45hrs. The event draws to a close with the ceremonial finish at the Kuwait Towers from 17.00hrs.

Day two
Al-Qassimi began the final’s day seven stages with a 7.7s lead over Al-Ketbi and he was in terrific form from the outset. The Emirati set the fastest time and extended his lead to 27.5s, as Al-Ketbi was forced to stop and remove dust from the Skoda’s air filter. Twenty of the original 27 starters made day two, but Jordanian Mazan Tantash rolled in the first stage of the day.

Al-Suwaidi began the day in third, a position that was all the more surprising bearing in mind that the Qatari was forced to use his Subaru Impreza N12 recce car. Autotek mechanics had worked through the night to convert it into a rally car before the start and Al-Suwaidi set the fourth fastest time on the eighth Sulibikhat special.

Al-Qassimi was again quickest through Al-Metlaa and his overall lead rose to 46.4s. Al-Rajhi was the other driver in form; the Saudi began the day in fifth overall and he began to close in on Sheikh Abdullah Al-Qassimi’s fourth position. Jordanian Faris Hijazi fell by the wayside with gearbox trouble and Mubarak Al-Hajri lost a chunk of time and any chance of regaining a slot in the top 10. He slipped to 13th of the surviving 18 cars. Essam Al-Nejadi maintained seventh overall and the honour of being the leading Kuwaiti driver.

Al-Qassimi beat Al-Ketbi by just 1.8 seconds through the 10th stage, where Al-Rajhi shaved another 22 seconds off Abdullah Al-Qassimi’s fourth position and Saudi Arabia’s Ahmed Al-Sabban plummeted to 18th overall after losing 27 minutes.

Al-Hajri withdrew before the re-run of the Sulibikhat special with terminal engine problems, but it was business as usual for Al-Qassimi and Orr at the head of the field. They edged a further two seconds in front of Al-Ketbi, as Al-Suwaidi maintained third overall and Al-Rajhi moved to within 49 seconds of the podium and duly overtook Abdullah Al-Qassimi to claim fourth spot.

Al-Rajhi was fastest of the 17 surviving crews through Al-Metlaa and the Saudi snatched third overall from Al-Suwaidi, who punctured, after a sterling performance. Khalid Al-Qassimi was third quickest, but had already begun to ease his pace somewhat and maintained a 41.1s overall lead over Al-Ketbi.

His closest rival was quickest through the penultimate special, but Al-Qassimi headed to the final super special of the event with a comfortable 35.2s advantage.

Al-Rajhi’s brave charge ended in the final desert kilometres and all the hard work of the morning was undone by terminal engine problems sustained after a heavy landing caused substantial front-end damage to his Peugeot. His demise promoted Al-Suwaidi to third and Abdullah Al-Qassimi back to fourth overall.

Results

Posted: March 6, 2010 8:57 PM

1. Sheikh Khalid Al-Qassimi (UAE)/Michael Orr (GB) Ford Fiesta S2000                        1h 10m 30.3s
2. Rashid Al-Ketbi (UAE)/Khaled Al-Kendi (UAE) Skoda Fabia S2000                    1h 10m 38.0s
3. Khaled Al-Suwaidi (QA)/Nicky Beech (GB) Subaru Impreza                                 1h 14m 06.7s
4. Sheikh Abdullah Al-Qassimi (UAE)/Steve Lancaster (GB) Subaru Impreza                1h 14m 47.4s
5. Yazeed Al-Rajhi (KSA)/Matthieu Baumel (F) Peugeot 207 S2000                    1h 16m 37.0s
6. Sheikh Hamed bin Eid Al-Thani (QA)/Arif Yousuf (UAE) Subaru Impreza                 1h 16m 40.6s
7. Essam Al-Nejadi (KT)/Anwar Al-Sharrah (KT) Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX             1h 17m 50.1s
8. Ahmed Al-Sabban (KSA)/Amr Refai (KSA) Subaru Impreza WRX STi                                1h 17m 57.7s
9. Mazan Tantash (HKJ)/Carlos Del Barrio (E) Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX             1h 18m 21,5s
10. Meshari Al-Thafiri (KT)/Fares Al-Thaifiri (KT) Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX             1h 19m 31.4s

Full Results: Middle East Rally Championship (FIA)

THIRTY TEAMS SET TO TACKLE 2010 KUWAIT INTERNATIONAL RALLY

Posted: March 3, 2010 11:23 AM

Thirty of the leading rally teams in the Middle East will provisionally line-up at the start of the 2010 Kuwait International Rally, round two of the FIA Middle East Rally Championship (MERC), on Thursday afternoon (tomorrow).

With the exception of defending regional champion, Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah – who is taking part in the Rally Mexico this weekend – all the serious contenders for the 2010 regional title will tackle the three-day desert rally, which gets underway with a ceremonial start at the Kuwait Towers in Kuwait City from 15.00 hrs on Thursday afternoon.

The Kuwait Motor Sports Club (KMSC) will run 14 timed special stages under the patronage of His Excellency the Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah and under the presidency of Sheikh Ahmad Al-Dawood Al-Sabah, President of the KMSC and chairman of the organising committee.

Clerk of the course Walid Mihyar has introduced several new stages and modified sections of other routes through the Kuwait desert. The competitive distance will total 252.24km in a total route of 816.17km and the stage action gets underway from 15.30hrs on Thursday afternoon with a 3.5km super special stage.

Qatar’s Misfer Al-Marri and Italian co-driver Nicola Arena will lead the 30-car field into the second Kuwait round of the regional series to be held since the event returned to the championship last season after an absence of 13 years.

Al-Marri has never won a round of the MERC, but has the pace and experience to challenge for honours in his QMMF-backed Subaru Impreza N15. “This is my big chance to take a first rally win at this level,” said Al-Marri. “I need to be clever and not take risks, but I know I will have to push hard at good times to have a chance of the win.”

Sheikh Khalid Al-Qassimi entered the series at the 11th hour and is perhaps the favourite to take his seventh regional rally victory with Ulster co-driver Michael Orr in his new Ford Fiesta S2000. The Abu Dhabi driver set several fastest stage times in Qatar in January and overcame early teething problems with the new Ford to show its potential in a desert rallying environment.

The Emirati starts at two, ahead of Saudi Arabia’s Yazeed Al-Rajhi - the winner of the Kuwait Rally when it ran as a candidate event in 2008. Al-Rajhi failed to finish the recent Qatar round of the series in his Peugeot 207 S2000, but arrived in Kuwait fresh from taking a superb victory in the Saudi Arabian Ha’il Baja with an ex-factory Mitsubishi Lancer.

The fourth of the expected pacesetters is Rashid Al-Ketbi. The Emirati and co-driver Khaled Al-Kendi proved in Dubai last December that their new Skoda Fabia S2000 has the pace to win stages and Al-Ketbi will be looking for his first ever MERC victory to rekindle his championship challenge.

Sheikh Abdullah Al-Qassimi is a multiple regional Group N champion and won one round of the series in Abu Dhabi in 2000. The Sharjah driver failed to finish in Qatar recently and needs points on the board if he is to challenge for the title this season.

Veteran Michel Saleh won the Kuwait Rally with Tony Samia way back in 1984 with a Toyota Celica GT and the Lebanese driver has tackled more rounds of the series than any other driver. He retains a competitive pace and an infectious enthusiasm for the sport and will be pushing for the top five again this weekend.

There are 10 Kuwaiti drivers on the entry list, headed by the eighth-seeded Mufeed Mubarak with his new Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X. Mubarak lies sixth in the regional series after round one and will be determined to add to his points’ tally at home. Sandwiched between Mubarak and Kuwait’s second major challenger, Meshari Al-Thafiri, is the rejuvenated Sheikh Hamed Bin Eid Al-Thani.

The Qatari won the regional title back in 1993, but a stunning podium finish on his home round in Doha in January has given Sheikh Hamed an unlikely third in the championship after round one. Al-Thafiri finished runner-up in last year’s Pirelli Star Driver competition in the Middle East region and will be looking to build upon that success this weekend.

Other Kuwaiti drivers on the entry list include Saleh Bin Eidan - who returns to international motor sport after serious injury - Meshal Al-Nejadi and Essam Al-Nejadi in a pair of Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IXs, Abdullah Al-Hajri at the wheel of a Subaru Impreza and Elie Chichati in a Mitsubishi. The local contingent is completed by Fahad Askanani (Mitsubishi), Mubarak Al-Thafiri (Mitsubishi) and Dawood Al-Gharabally (Mitsubishi).

Qatar drivers also feature strongly further down the entry list: Mubarak Al-Hajri, Abdulaziz Al-Kuwari and Jaber Al-Marri will be chasing championship points and Khalid Al-Suwaidi will be looking to put his Qatar Rally disappointment behind him. Other Qatari entrants include Mohammed Al-Mannai, Abdullah Al-Rabban and Mohammed Al-Marri.

In the absence of Amjad Farrah, the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan is represented by Faris Hijazi, Mazen Tantash, female driver Abir Al-Batikhi and Hani Al-Bast, while Saudi Arabia’s Ahmed Al-Sabban and Palestine’s Rami Jaber (Fiat Stilo) complete the provisional starting line-up.

“We would like to welcome all our officials and competitors to Jahra for the start of the 2010 Kuwait International Rally,” said Sheikh Ahmad Al-Dawood Al-Sabah, President of the KMSC and chairman of the organising committee.

“Our team has put together a challenging route and a revised format and we have been rewarded with a superb international entry. We wish everyone a safe and successful weekend’s motor sport.”

Provisional Seeded Entry List

Posted: March 2, 2010 11:18 AM

• Kuwait Motor Sports Club

KHALID AL-QASSIMI / MICHAEL ORR REGISTER FOR MERC AND ENTERS KUWAIT RALLY

Posted: February 27, 2010 4:32 PM

Sheikh Khalid Al-Qassimi has registered for the 2010 FIA Middle East Rally Championship (MERC) at the 11th hour and entered next week’s Kuwait International Rally. The event is based in Kuwait City and takes place on March 4th-6th.

The Emirati’s decision could throw the title race wide open, with Qatar’s Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah taking part in Rally Mexico next week and unable to add to the 10 points he scored in Qatar last month.

Al-Qassimi and Ulster co-driver Michael Orr pushed Al-Attiyah all the way on the opening round of the eight-round series, but a series of penultimate stage punctures prevented them from reaching the finish in their Ford Fiesta S2000.

The entry into all but two rounds of the MERC with the Ford Fiesta S2000 will be a welcome break from Al-Qassimi’s hectic schedule of events with the BP Ford team and a Ford Focus RS in the FIA World Rally Championship, where he opened his campaign with 13th overall in the recent Rally Sweden.

“I won the title back in 2004 and have always enjoyed my time competing closer to home,” admitted Al-Qassimi. “I didn’t finish in Qatar and was not registered for the championship, but I proved that the Ford Fiesta is a competitive package and feel that we have a great chance of taking maximum points in Kuwait and beginning a title challenge.”

Al-Qassimi is the fifth most successful driver of all time competing in the FIA Middle East Rally Championship and has amassed six regional rally victories in his career, surpassed only by Mohammed Ben Sulayem (60), Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah (35), Saeed Al-Hajri (11) and Roger Feghali (seven). Taking victory in Kuwait would give Al-Qassimi the opportunity to equal Feghali’s current tally of regional rally victories.

Al-Qassimi hopes to take part in remaining rounds of the series in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Syria, Cyprus and Abu Dhabi, but will miss the Jordanian round at the end of March, because he will be taking part in the same event with a Ford Focus RS. This car is not eligible for MERC points.

The Kuwait event will run under the patronage of His Excellency the Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah and under the presidency of Sheikh Ahmad Al-Dawood Al-Sabah, President of the KMSC and chairman of the organising committee.

AL-ATTIYAH’S MEXICAN DREAM OPENS DOOR FOR RIVALS IN KUWAIT

Posted: February 24, 2010 12:14 PM

Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah’s decision to take part in Rally Mexico instead of the forthcoming Kuwait International Rally has left the door wide open for Qatar’s Misfer Al-Marri and Saudi Arabia’s Yazeed Al-Rajhi to pick up maximum points on the second round of the FIA Middle East Rally Championship (MERC).

Al-Attiyah, the defending regional champion, heads to Mexico this week to prepare for the start of his S-WRC campaign in a new Skoda Fabia S2000. In his absence, Al-Marri and Al-Rajhi are likely to be joined by the UAE’s Rashid Al-Kebti to fight for overall honours in the three-day Kuwait event, which takes place on March 4th-6th.

“Having a hectic motor sport programme means we have inevitable date clashes,” said Al-Attiyah, who is still hoping to win his seventh regional title in eight years this season. “Mexico was always in my programme for the year and must take priority.”

Al-Marri finished runner-up to his illustrious Qatari rival in last year’s championship and finished behind Nasser in second place in the opening round in their native Doha last month. Al-Marri and Italian co-driver Nicola Arena both have eight championship points and the QMMF-backed team know that they have a superb opportunity for Al-Marri to claim his first ever MERC victory. The Qatari currently trails Al-Attiyah by just two points after round one of the eight-event series.

Al-Rajhi won the Kuwait Rally when it ran as a candidate in 2008 – also at the same time as Rally Mexico – and was one of the front-runners last year before damaging his Peugeot 207 S2000. The Saudi failed to score any points in Qatar and a finish will be imperative for the Riyadh driver to retain his chance of taking a maiden regional title.

The UAE’s Rashid Al-Ketbi failed in Qatar to repeat the scintillating form he showed in last December’s Dubai International Rally, but the Emirati has the turn of speed to match and beat both Al-Marri and Al-Rajhi and will also be aiming to claim his first ever regional championship win. He came mighty close on a couple of occasions to achieving that goal when he competed under team orders with a Ford Escort RS Cosworth in the late 1990s.

The Kuwait event will run under the patronage of His Excellency the Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah and under the presidency of Sheikh Ahmad Al-Dawood Al-Sabah, President of the KMSC and chairman of the organising committee.

KMSC CONFIRMS ROUTE AND TIMETABLE FOR 2010 KUWAIT RALLY

Posted: February 12, 2010 8:37 AM

The Kuwait Motor Sports Club (KMSC) has confirmed the official timetable and revised format for the 2010 Kuwait International Rally, the second round of this year’s FIA Middle East Rally Championship (MERC), which takes place on March 4-6.

The event will run under the patronage of His Excellency the Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah and under the presidency of Sheikh Ahmad Al-Dawood Al-Sabah, President of the KMSC and chairman of the organising committee.

Clerk of the course Walid Mihyar has now finalised changes to the special stages in the Kuwaiti desert and has confirmed that teams will tackle 14 timed tests over a competitive distance of 250.92km in a total route of 714.74km.

“We have made changes and improvements to the stages that were used last year and special stages make up just over 35% of the total distance of this year’s route,” said Mihyar.

Competitive action will get underway with a timed 3.5km super special stage from 15.30hrs on Thursday, March 4th and the second section of leg one will include a further seven stages on Friday, March 5th.

Teams will tackle the heavily-revised 34.72km Al-Salmi and completely new 33.16km Al-Atraff stages from 08.56hrs and 10.19hrs, before they are permitted to carry out refuelling before the 12km Shooting Club special, half of which is new. The difficult format means that crews will be forced to run for three stages and over 79km against the clock without service assistance.

The service area and rally headquarters will be based at the Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Olympic Shooting Complex for a second year and a regroup and service stop will precede repeat runs through the three stages on the Friday afternoon, before the first cars finish the leg from 17.39hrs.

The second leg takes place on Saturday, March 6th and features two runs through three more special stages and a repeat of Thursday afternoon’s super special. The 13.50km Sulibikhat special gets the day underway from 08.56hrs and is followed by runs through the improved Al-Metlaa stage and a modified Shooting Club special.

Teams then return to the service park for regrouping and service and this is followed by repeat runs through the three desert stages and the final 3.5km super special stage from 15.45hrs. Surviving teams then transfer to the Kuwait Towers for the official finish podium from 17.00hrs.

Meanwhile, Kuwaiti driver Mufeed Mubarak has confirmed that he will tackle his home event in a new Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X. Mubarak teamed up with new co-driver Meshal Al-Nejadi in the recent Qatar International Rally to claim a fine ninth overall.

Three of the drivers who finished ahead of the Kuwaiti in the final classification were not registered for the FIA Middle East Rally Championship and Mubarak now holds sixth position in the Drivers’ Championship heading to the second round in Kuwait.

The closing date for entries is next Wednesday (February 17th).

More Details:

• Kuwait Motor Sports Club

KUWAIT MOTOR SPORTS CLUB ANNOUNCES 2010 KUWAIT RALLY

Posted: February 1, 2010 12:31 PM

The Kuwait Motor Sports Club (KMSC) has announced initial details of the 2010 Kuwait International Rally, the second round of this year’s FIA Middle East Rally Championship (MERC), which takes place on March 4-6.

The event returned to the regional series in 2009 after an absence of 13 years and again features a ceremonial start under the famous Kuwait Towers from 3pm on Thursday, March 4th. There will then be two days of gravel special stage action in the Kuwaiti deserts on March 5th and 6th. Teams will be permitted two days of reconnaissance on Tuesday, March 2nd and Wednesday, March 3rd.

The ceremonial start will take place adjacent to the famous Kuwait Towers from 3pm on Thursday, March 4th and teams will then head straight into a purpose-built timed spectator stage at the Jaber Al-Ahmad International Circuit from 3.30pm.

To raise the level of the event and make the special stages more challenging, changes have been made to the Al-Salmi, Alatraff, Sulibikhat, Al-Metlaa and Shooting Club stages.

The ceremonial finish is planned at the Kuwait Towers from 5.30pm on Saturday (March 6th). The service area and rally headquarters will be based at the Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Olympic Shooting Complex for a second year.

The 2010 Kuwait International Rally will run under the patronage of His Excellency the Prime Minister Al-Shaikh Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah and under the presidency of Sheikh Ahmad Al-Dawood Al-Sabah, President of the KMSC and chairman of the organising committee.

"We are delighted to be hosting the second round of the FIA Middle East Rally Championship for a second year," said Sheikh Ahmad Al-Dawood Al-Sabah. "Our team is currently working to finalise the format of the event and we are looking forward to welcoming the region’s top drivers to Kuwait again.”

The Kuwait International Rally ran for the first time in 1984 and was won by Lebanese driver Michel Saleh in a Toyota Celica GT. The UAE’s Mohammed Ben Sulayem and Qatar’s Saeed Al-Hajri won the next four events in the 1980s, but the event did not run between 1990 and 1994 after the Iraq invasion.

Saudi Arabia’s Abdullah Bakhashab won the rally when it returned to the regional series in 1995 and Ben Sulayem secured his fourth victory the following season. The Kuwait Rally didn’t run again until the KMSC hosted a candidate rally for re-inclusion in the MERC in 2008.

Yazeed Al-Rajhi held off Dubai’s Sheikh Suhail bin Khalifa Al-Maktoum to win the new-look event and Qatar’s Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah secured his first win with new Italian co-driver Giovanni Bernacchini last year on his way to a sixth MERC title in seven years.

The closing date for entries is Wednesday, February 17th.

Rally Program / Event Website / Details

Posted: January 1, 2010 12:01 AM

• Kuwait Motor Sports Club