Qatar International Rally - 24-26 Jan 08

Posted: January 27, 2008 11:15 PM

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27/01/08
NASSER AL-ATTIYAH CLINCHES VICTORY IN NBK QATAR INTERNATIONAL RALLY
The Arab world's top rally driver Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah and Ulster co-driver Chris Patterson claimed a start-to-finish victory in the NBK Qatar International Rally, round one of the 2008 FIA Middle East Rally Championship, on Saturday.

Qatar's Misfer Al-Marri and Ulster co-driver Stephen McAuley finished runners-up and Khalifa Saleh Al-Attiyah and French co-driver Matthieu Baumel were third to make it a one-two-three for the host nation on the two-day rally in the deserts to the north of Doha.

"It is a great feeling to win my home rally again," admitted Al-Attiyah, who won 11 of the 16 gravel special stages on his way to a sixth successive win in his home event. "The new car was fantastic. I did not want to push too hard, because we do not have many spare parts. But the new Subaru feels responsive, quicker and handles better than the older model. It's great to start the new season with a win."

Khalifa Saleh Al-Attiyah and Baumel became embroiled in a fierce tussle with Kuwait's Salah Bin Eidan and Irish co-driver Michael Morrissey over the closing four stages for third position. Bin Eidan had a five seconds advantage after 12 timed tests, but his Qatari rival edged four seconds ahead in SS13, only to see his lead reduced to 2.4s with two specials remaining. The final podium place eventually fell to the Qatari on the last two stages.

Lebanon's Michel Saleh claimed fifth position and crucial championship points, while Oman's Nizar Al-Shanfari and Jordanian Faris Hijazi were sixth and seventh overall. Qatar's Ahmed Al-Kuwari, Jordan's Faris Bustami and UK-based Nick Georgiou rounded off the top 10.

The event was organised by the Qatar Motor and Motorcycle Federation (QMMF) under the presidency of Nasser Khalifa Al-Attiyah. "I would like to thank the FIA senior officials for their very favourable comments about our event this year, which has been compared to the best ever held in the GCC, "said a delighted Al-Attiyah. "We had around 250 marshals on the stages and I would like to thank each one of them for their support. We have worked very hard on this rally and, maybe, we are reaching a level where we could look at the WRC in the future‡”"

Al-Attiyah headed into the final eight special stages on Saturday with a 2m 41.1s lead over Khalifa Saleh Al-Attiyah, with Misfer Al-Marri a mere seven seconds behind. All but four of the 28 entrants restarted leg two, with first day retirements Ahmed Al-Sabban and Yazeed Al-Rajhi slotting into 19th and 20th positions out of the 24 surviving cars.

Al-Marri was fastest through the opening 8km Thakira stage, which included a spectacular sprint through the shallow waters of the Arabian Gulf overlooked by spectators standing on a scenic cliff face. He duly moved to within 4.1 seconds of second-placed Khalifa Saleh Al-Attiyah, although Nasser retained a 2m 38.6s lead. Kuwait's Mufeed Mubarak completed the stage, but stopped after the finish with differential problems.

Al-Marri was again fastest in the 10th stage and gained second place when Khalifa Saleh Al-Attiyah lost three minutes with a puncture after passing through the water. Nasser maintained a 2m 29.9s lead, as Yazeed Al-Rajhi survived a collision with a large stone and Farrah stopped with terminal gearbox trouble. "I feel very happy with my pace," admitted Al-Marri. "Nasser is a very fast driver and to be on his pace is perfect for me."

Al-Marri continued his string of fastest times through the Laffan stage, but Al-Attiyah hit back with the quickest time in Al-Khor to take a 2m 28.9s overall lead back to the Losail service park. Qatar's Nasser Al-Kuwari was forced out of the event in the 11th stage and was joined by Kuwaitis Meshari Al-Sabti and Shaker Al-Raies.

With a repeat run through the four stages remaining, Bin Eidan had sneaked ahead of Khalifa Saleh Al-Attiyah, when the Qatari sustained a second puncture. Michel Saleh was up to fifth and the Jordanian duo of Faris Hijazi and Faris Bustami were sixth and seventh. SupeRally runners Nizar Al-Shanfari and Ahmed Al-Kuwari were eighth and ninth and Britain's David Scialom rounded off the top 10.

"I gained places this morning by being sensible," said Michel Saleh. The water was deep and quite dangerous if you were stupid. I tried to keep to the edge, because there was mud and it was a better line."

Nineteen surviving teams were able to benefit from hindsight for the repeat of the watery Thafira stage and Al-Attiyah extended his overall lead to 2m 43.1s with the fastest time and Khalifa Saleh edged 4.6s ahead of Bin Eidan and into third position. The defending regional champion was again dominant in the 14th stage, as Bin Eidan pegged Al-Attiyah's hold on third place back to just 2.4 seconds. But the Qatari won the penultimate stage by 10 seconds to set up the podium celebrations.

Positions after SS16 - end of leg 2 (unofficial):
1. Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah (QA)/Chris Patterson (GB) Subaru Impreza N14 2h 16m 50.6s
2. Misfer Al-Marri (QA)/Stephen McAuley (GB) Subaru Impreza N12B 2h 20m 09.0s
3. Khalifa Saleh Al-Attiyah (QA)/Matthieu Baumel (F) Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX 2h 24m 32.9s
4. Salah Bin Eidan (KT)/Michael Morrissey (IRL) Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution 9 2h 24m 48.6s
5. Michel Saleh (RL)/Ahmed Ghaziri (RL) Subaru Impreza WRX N12 2h 27m 23.7s
6. Nizar Al-Shanfari (OM)/Ieuan Thomas (GB) Subaru Impreza WRX STi 2h 35m 24.3s 7. Faris Hijazi (HKJ)/Emad Juma (HKJ) Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX 2h 36m 24.8s
8. Ahmed Al-Kuwari (QA)/Nasser Al-Kuwari (QA) Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX 2h 36m 57.4s
9. Faris Bustami (HKJ)/Burhan Abu Khoura (HKJ) Subaru Impreza N11 2h 37m 26.1s
10. Nick Georgiou (GB)/Joseph Mattar (RL) Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX 2h 40m 03.6s

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Qatar Motor and Motorcycle Federation

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PRE EVENT NEWS

• Qatar outings for European co-drivers Morrissey and Thomas
• JORDANIAN AND LEBANESE TEAMS BOLSTER ENTRY FOR QATAR INTERNATIONAL RALLY
• QATAR OFFICIALS ANNOUNCE PLANS TO GET 2008 MIDDLE EAST RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP UNDERWAY

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23/01/08
Qatar outings for European co-drivers Morrissey and Thomas
International rally drivers and co-drivers from 11 countries spent Tuesday and today (Wednesday) carefully checking the route of this weekend's NBK Qatar International Rally, the opening round of the FIA Middle East Rally Championship, in the challenging deserts to the north of Doha.

Damp, cool and overcast conditions prevailed on Tuesday, as crews were able to check out the revised route for the opening Losail, Timbak and Heritage special stages. It was drier and slightly warmer for Wednesday's permitted runs through the Thakira, Laffan and Al-Khor specials.

Clerk of the course Elie Semaan has also introduced a new NBK-sponsored test and a brand new QMMF-backed 10th and 14th special stage for the second day, although both the Laffan and Al-Khor timed tests are similar to 2007 for the provisional 29-car field.

"The stages seem to be very good, clean and nothing too rough, although you can still see some evidence of the recent rain," admitted Ulster co-driver Chris Patterson, who sits alongside Qatar's Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah in the new Prodrive-designed Qatar Rally Team Subaru Impreza N14. Patterson has also been hosting the French factory X-raid team co-driver Matthieu Baumel over the last couple of days in Doha.

"Now that the Dubai Rally has been cancelled at the end of the season, it is important that Nasser and I get to the finish in Qatar. It's a shortened championship now and the emphasis will be on caution here with the new car."

Nicosia-based car dealer Omeros Terezopolous will be bidding for his first finish in the FIA Middle East Championship at his second attempt with co-driver Yiannis Ioannou. The sole Cypriot on the entry list failed to finish last December's Dubai event in his Kuwait-built Mitsubishi and has made a concerted effort to prepare fully on this occasion.

Meanwhile, two additional European co-drivers will grace the entry list at the start on Friday morning. Oman's Nizar Al-Shanfari will wheel out his new Subaru Impreza WRX STi and has Ian Thomas reading his notes for the first time. "I have a good feeling about this season," admitted the Omani. "We have a new car and are looking forward to a fresh start."

Irishman Michael Morrissey returns to regional rally action alongside Kuwait's Saleh Bin Eidan in the STS Racing Team Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution. "It's nice to be back over here competing," said Morrissey. "I have many happy memories from my time in Qatar rallying with Hamed Al-Suwaidi several years ago and I hope to achieve the same success with Saleh."

The UAE's Sheikh Abdullah Al-Qassimi and Kuwait's Meshari Al-Thafiri are just two non-starters from the original list of 31 cars.

Senior FIA officials have also arrived in Doha to carry out their assessment of the regional rally series' opener. Derek Ledger is the Vice-President of the FIA and also acts as the FIA Commissioner for the Middle East region. He takes up his role as Chairman of the Stewards in Doha, alongside Lebanon's Jacques Salha and Qatar's Sultan Al-Muraiki. Cypriot George Papadakis is the appointed FIA Technical Delegate and the event will be observed for the sport's governing body by Sweden's Jan Sandstrom.

Tomorrow (Thursday) cars will undergo strict scrutineering at the Losail International Circuit, where FIA appointed officials will check legality and compliance with rigid technical guidelines. Leading drivers will then join Nasser Khalifa Al-Attiyah, President of the Qatar Motor & Motorcycle Federation, for the official pre-event press conference at 2pm in the media centre at Losail.

The two-day, 16-special stage NBK Qatar International Rally gets underway on Friday morning and is being organised by the Qatar Motor and Motorcycle Federation (QMMF) under the presidency of Nasser Khalifa Al-Attiyah. In a total route of 593.60km, there will be 242.20 competitive kilometres.

Qatar Motor and Motorcycle Federation

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20/01/08
JORDANIAN AND LEBANESE TEAMS BOLSTER ENTRY FOR QATAR INTERNATIONAL RALLY
Lebanese rally veteran Michel Saleh and Jordan's top rally driver Amjad Farrah lead a contingent of six drivers from the Levant into next weekend's 30-strong field for the Qatar International Rally, round one of the 2008 FIA Middle East Rally Championship.

Saleh has been a regular on the regional rallying scene since the first of the Gulf Rally Championships in the early 1980s and is planning to contest all rounds of the series this season in his Subaru Impreza WRX STi. Over the last 25 years has competed against some of the finest names ever to grace the special stages in the deserts of the Middle East, including Saeed Al-Hajri, Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah, Abdullah Bakhashab, Mohammed Ben Sulayem and Suhail Khalifa.

Farrah finished third overall in the 2007 FIA Middle East Rally Championship behind Qatar's Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah and the UAE's Sheikh Khalid Al-Qassimi and is keen to become the first Jordanian driver ever to win the regional title. The Jordanian and Italian co-driver Nicola Arena will use a Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX this season in their quest for the title. Farrah is also keen to add to the solitary MERC rally win that he dramatically clinched in Jordan in May 2004.

"I made my first start in the P-WRC section of the FIA World Rally Championship last year and feel that I have learned a lot from that experience," said Farrah. "The goal this year is to improve on third place in the Middle East Championship and it is important that we get the year off to a good start in Qatar."

The two-day Qatar International Rally gets underway on Friday, January 25th and is being organised by the Qatar Motor and Motorcycle Federation (QMMF) under the presidency of Nasser Khalifa Al-Attiyah.

Also representing Lebanon will be the experienced co-drivers Gaby Khoury and Joseph Mattar, with Khoury sitting alongside Sheikh Abdullah Al-Qassimi and Mattar teaming up with the UK-based Lebanese driver Nicolai Georgiou, who showed promise on the select rounds of the championship that he tackled in 2007.

Bolstering the Jordanian quest for success in the Qatar desert is the multiple Jordanian national champion Faris Bustami and co-driver Burhan Abu Quora in a Subaru Impreza WRX STi. Bustami's results have improved over recent seasons and he is relishing the prospect of competing in Qatar this year. Mazen Tantash and Ata Al Hmoud wheel out a Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution 9 for the Hashemite Kingdom and are joined on the provisional entry list by Ammar Hijazi and Faris Hijazi and co-driver Imad Juma in similar specification Mitsubishis.

An Egyptian entrant also graces the entry for the Qatar International Rally for the first time. Hassan Ali Abdul Basit will take part in the all-desert event at the wheel of his Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VIII.

Completing the non-GCC contingent for the opening round of the FIA Middle East Rally Championship are the Cypriot crew of Terezopolous Omeros and Yiannis Ioannou at the wheel of a Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VIII and the British chemist David Scialom and co-driver Thomas Mattias in an older specification Mitsubishi.

"We have a good turn out from Qatar and the rest of the GCC and I am pleased to see drivers from other parts of the Middle East and Europe keen to take part in this rally," said Nasser Khalifa Al-Attiyah. "It proves that we have strength in depth in this championship and it has a promising future."

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11/12/07
QATAR OFFICIALS ANNOUNCE PLANS TO GET 2008 MIDDLE EAST RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP UNDERWAY
Generous incentives available to rally teams from outside Qatar QMMF introduces new and revised stages for 2008 MERC opener

The Qatar Motor and Motorcycle Federation (QMMF) and the sport's governing body, the FIA, have confirmed that the Qatar International Rally will take place on January 24th-26th, 2008 and will be the opening round of the increasingly-popular 2008 FIA Middle East Rally Championship.

The State of Qatar has traditionally kick-started the regional rallying calendar, although event officials have introduced brand new stages and some challenging new tracks in the Qatar desert for next January's event.

Elie Semaan continues in his role of Clerk of the Course for the QMMF, under the presidency of Nasser Khalifa Al-Attiyah.

Semaan has confirmed that around half of the opening Losail stage will feature new terrain, while a quarter of both the Timbak and Heritage specials will be new. The team at the QMMF have also introduced two entirely new specials, sponsored by NBK and the QMMF and these will form the fourth, eighth, 10th and 14th stages of the rally. Both the Laffan and Al-Khor tests remain unchanged, although event organisers have made some modifications to the two Thakira specials.

"We are always trying to make improvements to the route and ensure that we continue to offer a challenging rally for competitors," said Semaan. "The Qatar International Rally is one of the most popular rounds of the championship and we want to ensure that it stays at the forefront of the region's motor sport heritage."

Entries for the event have opened and will close on Friday, January 11th 2008. Administration and registration formalities will switch from the QMMF in Doha to the Losail circuit on Wednesday, January 23rd.

Competitors will be permitted to carry out a reconnaissance of the special stages on Tuesday, January 22nd and Wednesday, January 23rd, before the event gets underway on Friday, January 25th at 08.30hrs. Competitive action is expected to finish on Saturday afternoon and there will be an official podium ceremony at the Losail circuit from 14.30hrs.

The QMMF is offering generous incentives to overseas teams. Entrants from outside Qatar will receive a twin room (room only) at rally headquarters for two people between Monday, January 21st and Saturday, January 26th inclusive. Crews from outside Qatar will also receive reimbursement on two return economy air tickets.

"We have always received good support from foreign crews and hope that 2008 will be no exception," said QMMF president Nasser Khalifa Al-Attiyah.
"The QMMF is looking forward to hosting the opening round of the FIA Middle East Rally Championship and we are looking forward to a safe and successful rally."

For further information about the 2008 Qatar International Rally, contact the Qatar Motor and Motor Cycle Federation, PO Box 8708, Doha, Qatar, Tel: + 974 437 9884/9885, Fax: + 974 437 9761, E-mail: info@qmmf.com and website:

Qatar Motor and Motorcycle Federation