Rally of Jordan - 29-31 Oct 09

QATARS AL-ATTIYAH CRUISES TO FIFTH JORDAN RALLY VICTORY IN SEVEN YEARS

Posted: November 2, 2009 11:30 AM

Qatars Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah and Italian co-driver Giovanni Bernacchini brushed the opposition aside in the 2009 Jordan Rally on Saturday. The pair won three of the second days nine gravel stages, as Al-Attiyah recorded his 33rd win in a round of the FIA Middle East Rally Championship and his fifth Jordanian success in seven years.

The Qatari now leads the regional series by three points and needs to finish first or second in next months Dubai International Rally to guarantee a sixth regional title in seven years. Lebanons Roger Feghali and Italian co-driver Nicola Arena pushed Al-Attiyah all the way on day one, won six stages during the second day and eventually claimed second position, but Al-Attiyah produced a masterful display of controlled driving in difficult conditions and eased his pace when appropriate over the two days.

I always enjoy this rally and this year was one of the most enjoyable, said Al-Attiyah. The weather made the road conditions very difficult. It was slippery and muddy yesterday and greasy today with no dust. It was a case of finding a fast pace that was also safe. I needed to concentrate, especially on the twisty sections. I tried my best and managed to do what I needed to do. I got the 10 points and pulled two points further away from Misfer. It is not over yet and is all to play for in Dubai.

Lebanons Nick Georgiou held third at the start of the final day and came under increasing pressure from Qatars Misfer Al-Marri over the mornings stages. The pair were tied to the same tenth of a second after the 11th stage before Al-Marri moved ahead over the closing stages to retain his fading dream of winning a first regional championship title. Georgiou crashed out of fourth place on the penultimate stage.

The UAEs Sheikh Abdullah Al-Qassimi and British co-driver Steve Lancaster finished fourth in their Subaru and Amjad Farrah flew the Jordanian flag with a top five finish in a Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX. Mazan Tantash and finished sixth for the host nation and Saudi Arabias Yazeed Al-Rajhi retained a mathematical chance of winning the regional title by taking four points for seventh overall. Lebanons Michel Saleh and Jordans Faris Bustami and Faris Hijazi rounded off the top 10.

My congratulations to Nasser on his victory and all the officials and competitors for their efforts this week, said HRH Prince Feisal Al-Hussein, Chairman of Jordan Motorsport. Despite the challenges of the inclement weather on Friday, we have run a first class event and that stands us in good stead for when we host the FIA World Rally Championship again in April 2010.

The story of the day
There were no stage cancellations after Fridays freak weather and Al-Attiyah began the defence of his 1m 19.7s lead over Feghali in the 12km Suwayma stage. Eighteen of the original entry started day two, with seven cars running under SupeRally, including Al-Rajhi and Bustami. Al-Attiyah beat Feghali by 17.5s over the slippery gravel surface and increased his lead to 1m 36.7s, as Al-Marri began to challenge Georgiou for third place with the third fastest time. The flying Qatari moved into joint third position with Georgiou through Mahes to keep the pressure firmly on Al-Attiyah for the overall championship title.

Feghali managed to claw 18.2s back from Al-Attiyah through the Turki and Erak Elamir stages and reduced the deficit to1m 12.5s on the return to the Dead Sea for service. An intense battle was raging between Georgiou and Al-Marri: the Lebanese edged back into a 1.1s lead through Turki but was beaten by Al-Marri in Erak Elamir and Misfer found himself with a 21-second hold on third position. Hickam Al-Abaids brave run in the two-wheel drive Renault Clio ended when the Lebanese became bogged down in mud after a water crossing.

Al-Attiyah returned to stage-winning ways in Suwayma and extended his overall advantage by 5.1s, as Al-Marri continued to edge away from Georgiou and take control of third place. In the fight for the overall win, Feghali clawed 13s back in Mahes and headed into the final three stages trailing the Qatari by 1m 02.6s.

Georgiou refused to surrender in the fight for third overall and the Pirelli Star Driver finalist regained 17.2s in Mahes and trailed Al-Marri by just 5.6s before the second Mount Nebo special. The UAEs Rashid Al-Ketbi succumbed to mechanical problems and lost seventh position.

Feghali reduced the gap at the front to just 59.5s through SS16, although Al-Attiyah had noticeably eased his pace to conserve the Autotek-run Subaru and reduce the risk of a late calamity. There was no respite in the duel for third and Georgiou reduced Al-Marris hold on the final podium place to three seconds to set up a fascinating showdown through the remaining two specials.

Feghali beat Al-Attiyah by 20s in Turki and began the final stage 38.6s behind an easing Al-Attiyah, but the battle for third ended in spectacular style when Georgiou crashed out of the rally in Turki. His demise promoted Al-Rajhi from ninth to eighth and meant the Saudi gained an extra point in his quest to topple Al-Attiyah for the regional title. The Qatari maintained his composure over the final 12km of SS18 to confirm victory by the margin of 32.2s.

2009 Jordan Rally final positions after SS18:
1. Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah (QA)/Giovanni Bernacchini (I) Subaru Impreza N15 2h 54m 59.9s*
2. Roger Feghali (RL)/Nicola Arena (I) Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX 2h 55m 32.1s
3. Misfer Al-Marri (QA)/Chris Patterson (GB) Subaru Impreza N14 3h 05m 05.1s*
4. Sheikh Abdullah Al-Qassimi (UAE)/Steve Lancaster (GB) Subaru Impreza N14 3h 06m 49.1s*
5. Amjad Farrah (HKJ)/Nancy Al-Majali (HKJ) Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX 3h 07m 45.9s*
6. Mazen Tantash (HKJ)/Carlos del Barrio (E) Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX 3h 12m 35.6s
7. Yazeed Al-Rajhi (KSA)/Matthieu Baumel (F) Peugeot S2000 3h 16m 49.1s*
8. Michel Saleh (RL)/Ahmed Ghaziri (RL) Subaru Impreza N14 3h 21m 36.2s*
9. Faris Bustami (HKJ)/Zeid Abu Zeid (HKJ) Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX 3h 24m 36.3s*
10. Faris Hijazi (HKJ)/Emad Juma (HKJ) Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX 3h 29m 27.1

*denotes registered MERC drivers

Full Results
Jordan Rally

Preview

Posted: October 28, 2009 4:01 PM

The Jordan Rally gets underway in the Abdoun Circle district of Amman from 3pm on Thursday afternoon and could well decide the outcome of the 2009 FIA Middle East Rally Championship.

The regions top drivers will join Jordans finest to tackle 18 gravel special stages in the Dead Sea area, which will play host to the FIA World Rally Championship for the second time in April 2010.

Several of the front-runners attended a pre-event press conference at the Jordan Valley Marriott Spa and Resort on Wednesday afternoon after completing two days of detailed reconnaissance of the route arranged by Jordan Motorsport, under the supervision of new clerk of the course Khaled Zakaria and his deputies, Fred Gallagher and Mazen Dajani.

Amjad Farrah is the only Jordanian driver ever to win a round of the regional series he won his home event in dramatic circumstances in 2004 with none other than Khalid Zakaria as co-driver but this season has been a disappointing one for local drivers. No Jordanian has scored a Drivers Championship point and Farrah will be hoping to set the record straight when the 154th event in the history of the regional series finishes at the Dead Sea on Saturday afternoon.

Farrah teams up with former driver Nancy Al-Majali and heads the local contingent from a seventh-seeding position. Faris Bustami missed several rounds of the championship this season, but the multiple national champion and co-driver Zeid Abu Zeid will be hoping for good fortune in their Mitsubishi Lancer. Bustami has a good record on his home event and would dearly love to reach the podium.

Mazan Tantash has recruited the services of Spanish co-driver Carlos del Barrio for his challenge in a third Jordanian Mitsubishi Lancer. Barrio is a former member of the Citron World Rally Team and co-drove for the likes of Jesus Puras and Dani Sordo at the start of his rallying career. The 41-year-old then teamed up with Xavier Pons in the Kronos Citron team and went on to co-drive for Dani Sola. His most notable WRC results were fourth overall with Pons in the 2004 Catalunya Rally and similar finishes with Pons in Turkey, Australia and New Zealand two years later.

Other local entrants include Abir Al-Batikhi in her Subaru Impreza WRX, Faris Hijazi and Ahmad Mihyar, but Ammar Hijazi is a non-starter off the original entry list.

While Qatars Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah and Misfer Al-Marri will embark upon a fascinating showdown with Saudi Arabias Yazeed Al-Rajhi for overall championship points at the front of the field, Lebanons Nick Georgiou who holds equal fourth in the points standings will be ensuring that he keeps his car in one piece in advance of the crucial finale to the Pirelli Star Driver competition in Dubai next month.

Lebanese drivers have a strong presence on the entry list, with Roger Feghali the fourth most successful driver in the history of the regional series with seven wins lining up at number six in his Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX. Each of his MERC wins have come on the Rally of Lebanon, but Feghali pushed Al-Attiyah for long periods in Cyprus recently and has led events in Dubai and Jordan in the past.

The third Lebanese entrant is veteran Michel Saleh and co-driver Ahmed Ghaziri. Saleh was the winner of the first two, non-championship Jordan rallies in 1981 and 1982 and has tackled more rounds of the regional series than any other driver. He has lost none of his enthusiasm for the sport over a 28-year timeframe and will be pushing hard for the top five from the start.

Sheikh Abdullah Al-Qassimi took his sole MERC win in the UAE International Rally and is seeded at four with British co-driver Steve Lancaster. The Emirati is a multiple regional Group N champion and one of two representatives from the UAE, which will host the final round of the series in December. Rashid Al-Ketbi has the turn of speed to spring a surprise and he and co-driver Khalid Al-Kendi complete the UAE line-up in a new Subaru.

David Scialom represents the United Kingdom in his Subaru Impreza, Saudi Arabias Ahmed Al-Sabban wheels out his Toyota S2000 and Qatars entry is boosted by the presence of Khalid Al-Suwaidi. There is also an Egyptian entry for Hassan Ali Abdel Baset at the wheel of a Mitsubishi Evolution VIII.

The official opening ceremony gets underway at 3pm on Thursday afternoon, and Jordanian singing sensation Omar Abdallat is set to perform at 4pm. The first cars cross the ceremonial start ramp from 5pm at the Abdoun Circle in Amman.

Leading starters
1. Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah (QA)/Giovanni Bernacchini (I) Subaru Impreza N15
2. Misfer Al-Marri (QA)/Chris Patterson (GB) Subaru Impreza N14
3. Nick Georgiou (RL)/Joseph Matar (RL) Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX
4. Sheikh Abdullah Al-Qassimi (UAE)/Steve Lancaster (GB) Subaru Impreza N14
5. Yazeed Al-Rajhi (KSA)/Matthieu Baumel (F) Peugeot S 2000
6. Roger Feghali (RL)/Nicola Arena (I) Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX
7. Amjad Farrah (HKJ)/Nancy Al-Majali (HKJ) Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX
8. Michel Saleh (RL)/Ahmad Ghaziri (RL) Subaru Impreza N 14
9. Khalid Al-Suwaidi (QA)/Nick Beech (GB) Subaru Impreza N 14
10. Faris Bustami (HKJ)/Zeid Abu Zeid (HKJ) Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX

2009 FIA Middle East Rally Championship - positions after round 6 of 7:
Drivers
1. Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah (QA) 30 pts
2. Misfer Al-Marri (QA) 29 pts
3. Yazeed Al-Rajhi (KSA) 28 pts
4. Nick Georgiou (RL) 13 pts
4. Mubarak Al-Hajri (QA) 13 pts
6. Khalid Al-Qassimi (UAE) 12 pts, etc

REGIONAL RALLY STARS CHECK DEAD SEA ROUTE FOR 2009 JORDAN RALLY
Qatars Al-Attiyah and Al-Marri face Saudis Al-Rajhi in three-way title battle

Posted: October 27, 2009 11:03 AM

The Middle Easts leading rally stars began their final preparations for the 2009 Jordan Rally, the penultimate round of the FIA Middle East Rally Championship, on Tuesday morning.

Teams are permitted to pass through the special stages that constitute the route format over a two-day period. They must adhere to strict speed limits laid down by the FIA, not stray off the course and also carry out their reconnaissance in a strict format. Overseeing the nature of the terrain is crucial to the leading teams, especially where fractions of a second can be crucial in the heat of high-speed battle.

The event gets underway with the opening ceremony in the Abdoun Circle area of Amman from 3pm on Thursday afternoon, with the competitive action taking place over 18 timed special stages on Friday and Saturday in the Dead Sea, Mount Nebo and Suwayma areas of the Hashemite Kingdom.

The regional rally series may well have reached its low point in terms of altitude rally headquarters at the Jordan Valley Marriott Spa and Resort is situated 400 metres below sea level but the action on the gravel tracks is likely to be fierce, as Qatars Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah and Misfer Al-Marri are joined by Saudi Arabias Yazeed Al-Rajhi in a three-way battle to decide the destiny of this years regional championship title.

With the formalities of the FIA Production World Rally Championship now behind him, Al-Attiyah can spend the next five weeks concentrating his efforts on winning the regional rally series for the sixth time in seven years. The Qatari heads into this weekends Jordan showdown with 30 championship points, amassed by taking three dominant victories in Qatar, Kuwait and Cyprus.

Had Al-Attiyah been able to take part in the Syrian and Lebanese rounds of the series, the outcome may well have been decided already, but the Qatari is also an integral member of Volkswagens cross-country rally team and has commitments in other areas throughout the season.

I can now concentrate my efforts 100% on winning the event this weekend, said Al-Attiyah, who already has 32 MERC wins under his belt. I am looking forward to the Dakar Rally in January with Volkswagen, but the next two rallies are in the Middle East, in Jordan and Dubai, and I want to end the season with two victories and the championship title.

Misfer Al-Marri stayed in contention for his first regional title by scoring eight priceless points in the recent Troodos Rally. The Qatari has never won a round of the championship and remains in the shadow of his countryman, but Misfer is a capable driver who will leave nothing to chance in his final preparations for this weekends Jordanian extravaganza. Al-Marri benefits from the experience of Ulsterman Chris Patterson, who leads the FIA Middle East Co-Drivers Championship.

Al-Rajhi won his first round of the series in Syria back in June, but the Saudi blotted his copybook with two mistakes in Cyprus earlier this month and lost his championship lead to the flying Al-Attiyah. Al-Rajhi has the pace to match Al-Attiyah on the stages, but will need to keep his natural exuberance restrained this weekend. A non-finish could cost him dearly and he needs to take the fight to the final round in Dubai by keeping the pressure on Al-Attiyah.

Quite simply, a win for Al-Attiyah and a non-finish for both Al-Marri and Al-Rajhi would hand Al-Attiyah the championship title. Podium finishes for all three would take the fight to the final round in Dubai, although Al-Attiyah will be the firm favourite to retain the title if he can stay ahead of the chasing pair this week in Jordan.

Entry List

Posted: October 27, 2009 11:02 AM

Under Competitors on the event website:

Jordan Rally

Date Change

Posted: March 23, 2009 3:22 PM

The 2009 Rally of Jordan due to take place on May 7th and 8th will now take place on October 29th -31st.
The change of date is due to the visit of Pope Benedict XVI to Jordan on the orgional date.

Event Website / Details

Posted: January 1, 2009 12:01 AM

Jordan Rally