Jordan - 16-18 Oct 08

QATAR'S NASSER AL-ATTIYAH EASES TO VICTORY IN DRAMATIC JORDAN RALLY

Posted: October 18, 2008 8:34 PM

Qatar's Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah and Ulster co-driver Chris Patterson benefited from the 11th stage retirement of Lebanon's Roger Feghali and his Italian co-driver Giovanni Bernacchini to seal an emphatic victory in the Jordan Rally, the fifth round of the FIA Middle East Rally Championship, at the Dead Sea on Saturday. The win marked the Qatari's fourth Jordan Rally success in the last six years.

After 11 stages of frantic competition between the two rivals, Feghali held a lead of over 98 seconds heading into the Mahes stage, but a cruel fuel pump failure sidelined the Lebanese driver's Mitsubishi and handed a comfortable lead and eventual win to a delighted Al-Attiyah.

"To win a rally, first you have to finish, "admitted Al-Attiyah. "Everyone was impressed by Roger's performance and he was unfortunate to have a technical problem. But we came here with a game plan and it has worked perfectly. I needed to claim maximum points. I said before the start that I needed to get the win and we are pleased with this result."

London-based Lebanese driver Nick Georgiou finished a distant second and increased his advantage over Cypriot Nicos Thomas in the battle for the coveted Pirelli Star Driver award, while Jordan's Ameer Najjar rounded off the top three and gave the host nation a podium finish. Oman's Nizar Al-Shanfari made it five finishes from as many events to add to his points' tally with fourth overall and the redoubtable Lebanese veteran Michel Saleh was fifth.

His Royal Highness Prince Feisal Al-Hussein, the chairman of Jordan Motorsport, was following the event on the internet from the inaugural Asian Beach Games in Bali, courtesy of the excellent tracking and results technology used by event officials. "Congratulations to Nasser, who is a worthy winner of the event. I was not able to be there this year, but I was able to follow what must have been a thrilling event from the internet," he said.

Al-Attiyah faced an uphill struggle to claw back 1min 47.1sec over the final nine special stages on Saturday, although Feghali did have a slight disadvantage of running first on the road over stages that had been run in reverse and 'cleaned' on Friday.

Al-Attiyah laid down the gauntlet with the fastest time over the 13km of the Suwayma stage, after 26 of the original 31 starters began the second leg. The Qatari was on the ragged edge and duly reduced Feghali's lead to 1min 38.1sec to set up the prospect of a fascinating showdown over the next eight stages. But the contest was all but settled near the start of the next Mahes test when Feghali's fuel pump failed and the dejected Lebanese driver was sidelined. A superb performance was brought to an end and a relieved Al-Attiyah was able to ease his pace.

Sheikh Suhail Bin Khalifa Al-Maktoum struggled through the 10th stage with serious mechanical problems after an accident and retired. Farrah was suffering from a misfire and transmission woes, as the depleted field began to fall by the wayside and Jordan's Najjar found himself up to third overall.

Al-Attiyah continued to drive home his advantage through the Turki stage and headed to Erak Elamir with a massive 3min 56.6sec lead over second-placed Nick Georgiou. Sixth-placed Farrah was struggling on with engine woes and was already falling into the clutches of a resurgent Faris Bustami, who had overhauled Faris Hijazi and climbed to seventh.

The Qatari leader noticeably eased his pace over the subsequent stages and the top 10 settled into a set pattern with no drivers able to close in on their closest rivals. Qatar's Misfer Al-Marri was fighting back from first stage delays on Friday and found himself in ninth position and eligible for a championship point, while Najjar benefited from Al-Attiyah's tactics to take the fastest times in the Turki and Erak Elamir stages.

Al-Attiyah set the quickest time and extended his lead over Georgiou to 4min 13.1sec in the re-run of Suwayma. The Lebanese driver sustained a flat tyre in Mahes, as a rampant Al-Attiyah cruised into the distance with a lead that had grown to nearly five minutes.

The drama was continuing down the field: Thomas suffered ongoing overheating problems and began to drop out of contention, Mazan Tantash rolled and persevered with a cracked screen and Hijazj lost eighth place with terminal transmission trouble 300 metres into SS15. Eighteen cars survived to tackle the final three stages after Kuwait's Essam Al-Nejadi was also sidelined.

Al-Attiyah's lead exceeded five minutes for the first time after the Mount Nebo stage as he cruised towards a fourth Jordan Rally win. But Mount Nebo spelt the end of the road for Farrah: the Jordanian had been dropping time all day and eventually succumbed to his transmission woes, his demise duly promoting Faris Bustami to sixth place.

The second Turki stage gave Al-Attiyah no problems and he cruised through Erak Elamir for the last time to secure an emphatic win by the margin of 6min 00.4sec, with Georgiou claiming a distant second place and Najjar finishing third after a spirited late attempt to catch the young London-based Lebanese driver.

Three members of the Abu Dhabi Junior Rally Team entered the Jordan event for the first time and Majed Al-Shamsi was the class of the field in his Ford Fiesta. The Abu Dhabi rookie began day two in 16th overall and had been as high as 12th place before drive train trouble forced him into retirement. Khalil Al-Sheikh lost 15 minutes in SS11 after an accident but headed Bader Al-Jabri back to the Dead Sea, on an event where all three drivers gained priceless experience.

Regional championship contenders now switch their attentions to the penultimate round of the series in Cyprus at the start of November.

1. Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah (QA)/Chris Patterson (GB) Subaru Impreza N14 3h 05m 02.5s 2. Nick Georgiou (RL)/Joseph Matar (RL) Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution 9 3h 11m 02.9s 3. Ameer Al-Najjar (HKJ)/Nicola Fanous (HKJ) Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution 9 3h 11m 23.4s 4. Nizar Al-Shanfari (OM)/Daniel Barritt (GB) Subaru Impreza N14 3h 14m 53.7s 5. Michel Saleh (RL)/Ziad Chehab (RL) Subaru Impreza N14 3h 16m 42.3s 6. Faris Bustami (HKJ)/Ramzi Mansour (HKJ) Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution 8 3h 22m 08.4s 7. Misfer Al-Marri (QA)/Adel Hussein (QA) Subaru Impreza N14 3h 23m 33.1s 8. David Scialom (GB)/Thomas Mathias (GB) Subaru Impreza STi 3h 36m 38.5s 9. Jaber Al-Marri (QA)/Alaa Al Hmoud (HKJ) Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution 9 3h 37m 04.1s

Full Results

Posted: October 18, 2008 8:28 PM

1. Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah (QA)/Chris Patterson (GB) Subaru Impreza N14 3h 05m 02.5s
2. Nick Georgiou (RL)/Joseph Matar (RL) Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution 9 3h 11m 02.9s
3. Ameer Al-Najjar (HKJ)/Nicola Fanous (HKJ) Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution 9 3h 11m 23.4s
4. Nizar Al-Shanfari (OM)/Daniel Barritt (GB) Subaru Impreza N14 3h 14m 53.7s
5. Michel Saleh (RL)/Ziad Chehab (RL) Subaru Impreza N14 3h 16m 42.3s
6. Faris Bustami (HKJ)/Ramzi Mansour (HKJ) Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution 8 3h 22m 08.4s
7. Misfer Al-Marri (QA)/Adel Hussein (QA) Subaru Impreza N14 3h 23m 33.1s
8. David Scialom (GB)/Thomas Mathias (GB) Subaru Impreza STi 3h 36m 38.5s
9. Jaber Al-Marri (QA)/Alaa Al Hmoud (HKJ) Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution 9 3h 37m 04.1s

Full Results:

Jordan Rally

LEBANON'S FEGHALI HOLDS SUPERB LEAD AFTER DAY ONE OF JORDAN RALLY

Posted: October 17, 2008 7:54 PM

Lebanon's Roger Feghali and Italian co-driver Giovanni Bernacchini held a magnificent 1m 47.7s lead at the end of a thrilling opening leg of Jordan's round of the FIA Middle East Rally Championship at the Dead Sea on Friday evening. The Lebanese star stunned the opposition with a series of sensational stage times to head second-placed Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah and Chris Patterson after nine punishing gravel special stages.

"I cannot tell you how shocked I am to be so far ahead, "admitted Feghali.
"It is incredible. I prepared very well for this rally. I have found a good line through the corners and tried to keep it smooth and tidy. For sure, Nasser lost some time sweeping the roads this morning on the first loop, but only a handful of seconds per stage. I just need to keep this going."

Feghali had been the revelation at the Rally of Lebanon in July. He is tackling his first desert rally in a Group N car this weekend, although he did drive the course-opening car on two national events in Jordan recently. The Lebanese set a stunning time in the opening Yakrut stage, sliding his Mitsubishi at incredible angles to the fastest time by an astonishing 13 seconds.

A shell-shocked Al-Attiyah was second quickest, young Nicos Thomas was third in a TMR Subaru, borrowed from Saudi Arabian driver Yazeed Al-Rajhi, and Jordan's Amjad Farrah was fourth. Misfer Al-Marri had promised the grand attack, but lost eight minutes with a time-consuming puncture, Al-Rajhi dropped over 90 seconds and Qatar's Mohammed Al-Marri retired.

Cars had been flagged away on Thursday evening by Prince Rashid Bin Hassan in the absence of His Royal Highness Prince Feisal Al-Hussein, who was attending the inaugural Asian Beach Games in Bali. Thirty-one cars eventually began the first stage, although homologation issues had forced both Thomas and Jordan's Ahmad Mihyar to find alternative cars at the 11th hour.

It was imperative that Al-Attiyah hit back over the 12.54km of the Rawda stage, but Feghali was inspired again and extended his lead to 38.1 seconds. The Lebanese was in sensational form, as Al-Attiyah slipped further behind and Thomas edged Farrah out of third place with the second fastest time to tie Al-Attiyah in the overall classification. Al-Rajhi rolled his new Subaru out of contention and Jordan's Ammar Hijazi also retired with mechanical woes.

Feghali was again the man to beat through Seham and extended his lead to 1m 07.9s, as Misfer Al-Marri began the long climb back from first stage delays and Thomas moved 2.6 seconds clear of Al-Attiyah and into a stunning second overall. At over 400 metres below sea level, the water splash on the fourth Baptism site stage is the lowest motor sporting location on earth and Al-Attiyah set his first fastest time, the Qatari reducing Feghali's lead to 63.6 seconds. Thomas dropped 20 seconds to the leaders, but remained well clear of Farrah and young Nick Georgiou.

"Running first on the road for the first loop this morning was a big disadvantage," said Al-Attiyah. "The stages were very slippery and we were acting as road sweepers, removing the loose gravel and dust from the surface. We speeded up on the next stages, but it was not easy. Roger is driving very well, but we will see over the rest of the rally if we can catch him."

Feghali was quickest in the second Yakrut special, extended his lead to 1m 14.9s and then to 1m 26.2s through the sixth Rawda special, where Thomas clouted a rock, broke a track control arm and retired on the same corner as Al-Rajhi had done during the morning's loop. The Cypriot's demise promoted Farrah to third at service and Georgiou to fourth place. Both Qatar's Khalid Al-Suwaidi and Jordan's Ahmad Mihyar also fell by the wayside, as Feghali headed into the final two stages of the day with a 1m 37.2s lead over Al-Attiyah after winning the seventh Seham stage.

Farrah punctured, survived a huge spin, dropped three minutes in the Mount Nebo stage and was caught by the redoubtable Michel Saleh. The delay pushed the Jordanian down to eighth position, as Feghali extended his lead to 1m 43.9s. Feghali was again quickest in the final Baptism site stage and headed into the overnight halt with a 1m 47.7s lead.

The UAE's Sheikh Suhail Bin Khalifa Al-Maktoum and Saleh - who won a Jordan national rally this season - held fourth and seventh places, Jordan's Ammer Al-Najjar and Oman's Nizar Al-Shanfari were fifth and sixth and ninth-placed Faris Hijazi and Faris Bustami rounded off the top 10

Three members of the Abu Dhabi Junior Rally Team are also tackling the event in front-wheel drive Ford Fiestas at the rear of the field. Majed Al-Shamsi led the trio during the first leg from Khalil Al-Sheikh, but Bader Al-Jabri was plagued by overheating problems, withdrew before the third stage and will restart on Saturday under SupeRally rules.

Tomorrow (Saturday) crews will tackle a further nine special stages in the Dead Sea area of the Jordan Valley, beginning with a run through the 13km Suwayma stage at 8.35hrs. Competitive action follows at Mahes (09.02hrs), Turki (9.40hrs) and Erak Elamir (10.00hrs), before surviving teams return to the Dead Sea for a regroup and service stop.

Repeats of the Suwayma (11.51hrs) and Mahes (12.18hrs) stages precede a run along a technical route near Mount Nebo from 14.00hrs and the competitive action reaches a conclusion with second runs through the Turki (14.35hrs) and Erak Elamir (14.56hrs) stages. The ceremonial finish will take place at Emaar South Park on the shores of the Dead Sea at 17.00hrs.

Outcome of Jordan event pivotal in Pirelli Star Driver competition

Posted: October 17, 2008 3:41 PM

The fifth round of the FIA Middle East Rally Championship got underway at the Al-Hussein Gardens in Amman on Thursday afternoon, with 34 drivers from 12 countries crossing the start podium of the 2008 Jordan Rally, which is being held under the chairmanship of His Royal Highness Prince Feisal Al-Hussein.

Thousands of rally spectators gathered to see off the leading drivers from the Middle East region, with 12 Jordanian teams trying to unsettle the pre-event favourite and regional championship leader Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah over the next two days.

The competitive action gets underway on Friday morning and teams will tackle nine special stages on both Friday and Saturday, before the ceremonial finish at the Dead Sea from 5pm on Saturday afternoon. "The stages are similar in many places to the ones we used for the WRC Rally in April," admitted Randa Nabulsi, the new clerk of the course of the Jordan Rally and the first female senior official to hold such a post in the history of Middle East rallying.

Friday's action roars into life with the 14.12km Yakrut special stage from 8.30hrs and this will be followed with a run through the 12.54km Rawda special. Remote refuelling is then available for teams, before two further timed tests are tackled at Seham (09.50hrs) and close to the Baptism Site (10.33 hrs) in the Jordan Valley. Competitors then return to the service park, situated in the hotels' area on the Dead Sea shoreline, for a regroup and 20-minute service stop.

Competitive action resumes at noon with a second run through the Yakrut, Rawda and Seham special stages and a return to a regroup and service stop near the Dead Sea from 14.30hrs. The final two stages of the first day see teams tackling the 11.10km Mount Nebo special, over winding tracks in the foothills of the famous mountain, and a second run over tracks near the Baptism Site from 15.54hrs. Surviving competitors will be permitted a final service at the Dead Sea from 16.19hrs, before the overnight halt.

One of the fascinating contests during the weekend will be the battle for Pirelli Star driver honours between the young Cypriot Nicos Thomas and his chief rival Nick Georgiou. The duo are fourth and third in the regional championship and Georgiou holds a slender lead in the Pirelli competition. They both see the outcome of the Jordan Rally as pivotal in deciding the outcome of the coveted Pirelli prize of a potential works drive in 2009.

"This will be my third Jordan Rally, so maybe I should have a slight advantage," said Georgiou. "But it will be very close and I will leave nothing to chance. Nicos is sure to be quick and I know I must beat him here, because the next round takes place in Cyprus over stages he knows very well. Then we have Dubai, which is going to be even closer, so this is a pivotal rally for us both." Thomas, on the other hand, will be tackling the event for the first time.

TOP REGIONAL RALLY DRIVERS CARRY OUT LOW SPEED PRACTICE FOR WEEKEND'S JORDAN RALLY

Posted: October 14, 2008 3:25 PM

Rally drivers from 12 countries have now arrived in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan to make their final preparations for the fifth round of the FIA Middle East Rally Championship that gets underway with a ceremonial start at the Al-Hussein Gardens in Amman from 5pm on Thursday, October 14th.

All the major championship protagonists will tackle 18 planned gravel special stages in the Dead Sea area of the Kingdom and drivers spent today (Tuesday) and tomorrow (Wednesday) carrying out policed reconnaissance of the twisty gravel trails that will determine who follows in last year's winner Sheikh Khalid Al-Qassimi's footsteps to claim the prestigious Jordan Rally crown.

Jordan hosted its first ever round of the FIA World Rally Championship in April this year and was therefore forced to run two international rallies this season for the first time to cater for the different requirements of the FIA's regional rally series.

Drivers are given details of the individual stages and route map by event officials at Jordan Motorsport and it is crucial that they check specific sections for loose gravel, rocks, potholes, and deceptive corners that could prove to be their undoing when the competitive action roars into life on Friday morning.

The event is being run under the chairmanship of His Royal Highness Prince Feisal Al-Hussein and will feature a female clerk of the course for the first time. Randa Nabulsi has worked tirelessly for Jordan Motorsport in various capacities and is relishing her new challenge and has been busy over recent weeks finalising the format for the 18-special stage event, which finishes at the Dead Sea on Sunday afternoon from 5pm.

"I cannot stress how important the 'recce' (reconnaissance) is on a rally of this kind," admitted Chris Patterson, the co-driver for championship leader Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah. "It is important that you are thorough with every detail, because the nature of a stage can change at speed. Recce is carried out at low speeds, so a bump in the track at low speed will be totally different when you are flat out in a rally car over rally weekend. Each team has its own method for the recce and the making of the notes. Nasser and I have our system and it works well for us."

The Qatari heads into the weekend's action with a nine-point championship lead over fellow Qatari Misfer Al-Marri, who actually replaced him in a PWRC team for the recent Rally of New Zealand, when Nasser was fulfilling Olympic skeet shooting commitments at the Beijing Games. Al-Attiyah's retirement in July's Rally of Lebanon has thrown the championship wide open again heading into the final three rounds, here in Jordan and culminating with rallies in Cyprus and Dubai.

London-based Lebanese driver Nick Georgiou holds third place in the series, a mere two points behind Al-Marri, with the young Cypriot rookie Nicos Thomas a further two points behind. Jordanian drivers have endured mixed fortunes this season over the opening four rounds: Amjad Farrah has yet to score a championship point after a miserable run of luck and Faris Hijazi is the highest-placed local driver in 13th place.

Event Website

Posted: January 28, 2008 10:43 PM

Jordan Rally