Posted: March 9, 2009 12:41 PM - 7851 Hits
Round 2 - 2009 FIA Middle East Rally Championship
Posted: March 9, 2009 12:41 PM
Qatar's Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah and his new Italian
co-driver Giovanni Bernacchini clinched a start-to-finish victory in the
Kuwait International Rally on Saturday. Al-Attiyah duly celebrated his 31st
regional rally victory - on the 150th event in the 26-year history of the
FIA Middle East Rally Championship - and Bernacchini won his second
championship rally in two years.
The defending champion made a successful return to driving a Subaru
Impreza, after winning January's Qatar International Rally in a Mitsubishi
Evolution X, and now holds a six-point lead in the seven-round series. "It
was not an easy rally at all," admitted Al-Attiyah, who is bidding for a
sixth regional title in seven years.
"The terrain is very flat and it is difficult to judge the speeds and the
small bumps in the tracks. Giovanni made a big difference for me. He is
also about 30kgs lighter than some co-drivers, so this is also a great help
in a Group N car, where everyone has similar power."
Qatar's Misfer Al-Marri and Ulster co-driver Chris Patterson secured the
runner-up position over the final loop of desert stages, when the
hard-chasing Saudi Arabian driver Yazeed Al-Rajhi and French co-driver
Matthieu Baumel stopped with mechanical problems on the penultimate stage.
Sheikh Khalid Al-Qassimi and Ulster co-driver Michael Orr began the day in
12th, although the UAE driver was 48 seconds off a top 10 placing and
determined to climb up the leader board. He set the fastest time in SS9 and
edged into 11th position, but soon found himself well up the leader board
in fourth overall as the remainder of the field feel by the wayside.
Al-Rajhi's late demise promoted the 2004 champion to third place, although
he survived a late scare when a valve pipe leaked a little oil on the 12th
stage and there was a resultant small fire.
"We thought that fourth was possible by the end of the day," admitted a
delighted Sheikh Khalid. "But it was a pleasant surprise to have gained
those places so early in the leg. It's a case of what might have been had
we not had broken a wheel early in the rally. We could have been pushing
for the win"
The UAE's Rashid Al-Ketbi and Khaled Al-Kendi set the second fastest times
on the eighth and ninth special stages on Saturday morning, but succumbed
to radiator problems after a landing in a ditch in the 10th test and lost
fourth position.
As Al-Attiyah began to ease his pace slightly, a fierce battle developed
between Al-Marri and Al-Rajhi for second overall during the day. The Qatari
gained 30 seconds in the eighth stage, when the Saudi collected a puncture,
and the fastest time in the 10th special ensured that he reached service
with a 34-second advantage over last year's winner. But the Saudi rode his
luck once too often and failed to reach the finish.
Kuwait's Meshari Al-Thafiri suffered intercooler problems for two stages
and slipped behind fellow countryman Mufeed Mubarak and into seventh
position. Qatar's Mubarak Al-Hajri - the winner of a recent national rally
in Qatar - edged into fifth position heading into the final loop of stages,
while Kuwait's Meshal Al-Nejadi and Ebrahim Almodahka and Qatar's Jaber
Al-Marri completed the top 10.
The final loop of three stages and the closing super special at the Jaber
Al-Ahmad International Circuit devastated the running order. Mubarak
secured fourth overall and the honour of leading Kuwaiti driver, with
Meshal Al-Nejadi and Meshari Al-Thafiri filling fifth and sixth positions.
Al-Hajri rolled on a slow corner in the 11th stage after clipping a ridge
of sand and flipped the car on to its roof. He had been in sight of the
podium.
Lebanon's Michel Saleh succumbed to fuel-related torment on the first loop
and both Qatar's Khalid Al-Suwaidi and Sheikh Hamed Bin Eid Al-Thani rolled
out of contention, Al-Suwaidi's accident recorded at 180km/h by the event's
vital tracking system.
Jordan's Amjad Farrah restarted under SupeRally regulations, but his return
to form was short-lived and boost problems claimed his Mitsubishi. Fellow
countryman Ammar Hijazi fell foul of power steering woes and lost 15th
position, while Saudi Arabia's Ahmed Al-Sabban suffered coil problems and
dropped out of 17th overall. Enraged Kuwaiti driver Essam Al-Nejadi was
running well until he rolled his Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX over a
crest in the ninth stage.
The event was based at the Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Olympic Shooting Complex,
near Kuwait City, and was held under the patronage of Faisal Al-Jazaf,
chairman and general manager of the public authority for youth and sports
in the State of Kuwait.
Posted: March 9, 2009 12:39 PM
1. Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah (QA)/Giovanni Bernacchini (I) Subaru Impreza N14
2h 18m 25s
2. Misfer Al-Marri (QA)/Chris Patterson (GB) Subaru Impreza
2h 20m 43s
3. Sheikh Khalid Al-Qassimi (UAE)/Michael Orr (GB) Subaru Impreza
2h 24m 06s
4. Mufeed Mubarak (KT)/Saad Al-Melaifi (KT) Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution 9
2h 27m 39s
5. Meshal Al-Nejadi (KT)/Ahmad Al-Khrass (KT) Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution
9 2h 28m 36s
6. Meshari Al-Thafiri (KT)/Fares Al-Thafiri (KT) Mitsubishi Lancer
Evolution 9 2h 35m 03s
7. Ebrahim Almodahka (KT)/Ayman Alebeed (KT) Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution 9
2h 37m 27s
8. David Scialom (GB)/Thomas Mathias (GB) Subaru Impreza
2h 44m 03s
9. Jaber Al-Marri (QA)/Kamal Khoder (RL) Subaru Impreza 2h
45m 23s,
Posted: March 4, 2009 4:02 PM
4pm start on Thursday afternoon at Kuwait Towers for new rally
The State of Kuwait roars back into the international motor
sporting spotlight on Thursday afternoon (tomorrow) with the ceremonial
start and opening super special stage of the Kuwait International Rally,
the second round of the 2009 FIA Middle East Rally Championship (MERC).
Absent from the prestigious regional rally series since 1996, the new-look
Kuwait event is based at the Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Olympic Shooting Complex
in Jahra, near Kuwait City, and has attracted 30 teams, with 10 crews
representing the host nation. The three-day, 14-special stage event is
being organised by the Kuwait Motor Sports Club (KMSC) under the patronage
of Faisal Al-Jazaf, chairman and general manager of the public authority
for youth and sports in the State of Kuwait.
Competitors were able to carry out a low speed reconnaissance of the
all-desert rally route on Tuesday and Wednesday (today), before teams cross
the ceremonial start podium under the famed Kuwait Towers in Kuwait City
from 4pm on Thursday afternoon. The competitive action will get underway
with a timed spectator stage at the Jaber Al-Ahmad International Circuit
from 4.30pm.
Several of the leading drivers joined KMSC president Sheikh Ahmad Al-Dawood
Al-Sabah at the official pre-event press conference on Wednesday evening at
rally headquarters within the confines of the shooting complex. "We extend
a warm welcome to all our international competitors and wish everyone a
safe and successful rally," said Sheikh Ahmad.
Leading the international contingent of 20 drivers is the defending
regional champion Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah, a five-time winner of the
regional series who will be chasing his 31st MERC victory on this event,
which marks the 150th in the history of the championship.
Al-Attiyah teams up with the experienced Italian co-driver Giovanni
Bernacchini for the first time in a new Subaru Impreza, but is sure to be
hard-pushed over the demanding Kuwait desert stages by the in-form Saudi
Arabian driver Yazeed Al-Rajhi and former champion Sheikh Khalid
Al-Qassimi.
The pair finished second and third overall on the opening round of the
series in Qatar, behind Al-Attiyah, although Al-Rajhi's exciting new Kronos
Peugeot 207 S2000 should be better suited to the smoother, sandier stages
in Kuwait, as opposed to the rougher and rockier terrain he faced in
January.
Punctures cost several drivers, including Al-Qassimi, valuable time in
Qatar, but the UAE driver is anxious to close the four-point championship
points' gap on Al-Attiyah at this early stage of the new season. The rapid
Rashid Al-Ketbi could also spring a surprise for the Emirati contingent,
but Sheikh Khalid's brother Sheikh Abdullah Al-Qassimi withdrew at the last
minute with an ear infection.
Qatar's Misfer Al-Marri was disappointed with his performance in Doha and
last year's championship runner-up will need to be on the top of his game
if he is to match Al-Attiyah on these fast desert stages. Mubarak Al-Hajri,
1993 regional champion Sheikh Hamed Bin Eid Al-Thani and Nasser Al-Suwaidi
are three other rated Qatari drivers in the field.
Mufeed Mubarak, Salah Bin Eidan and Meshari Al-Sabti head the impressive
10-strong local contingent, with rookies Elie Chichati and Ebrahim
Al-Modakha, joining Eid Falah, Meshal Al-Nejadi, Essam Al-Nejadi and
Meshari and Yousef Al-Thafiri on the entry list.
Both Jordan's Amjad Farrah and Saudi Arabia's Ahmed Al-Sabban return to
action for the first time this season in their respective Mitsubishi Lancer
and Toyota S2000 and London-based Lebanese driver Nick Georgiou will be
hoping to put the disappointing last stage retirement in Qatar firmly to
the back of his mind. Farrah failed to score a single point in last year's
championship campaign and a last minute engine change before the start of
this event was hardly the preparation the Jordanian needed for a successful
weekend.
Other likely front-runners include Lebanese veteran Michel Saleh - the
winner of the first Kuwait International round of the MERC in 1984 - and
Jordan's Ammar Hijazi in his new Al-Mimari Subaru Impreza N15, while
Abdulrahman Ghuloom and daughter Carina Ghuloom are the sole Bahraini
entrants. Cheshire-based chemist David Scialom represents the United
Kingdom in his venerable Subaru Impreza.
"The stages are sandy and very fast," admitted visiting Ulster co-driver
Allan Harryman. "There are some long straights out there. You wouldn't want
to get a line wrong on these tracks. It is going to be quite a fight
between the top crews. The pace will not be for the faint-hearted."
Posted: March 1, 2009 9:48 PM
Kuwaiti rally drivers have offered their full support
to the country's return to the FIA Middle East Rally Championship (MERC)
for the first time since 1996, with no less than 10 teams set to tackle the
event on March 5th-7th.
Officials at the Kuwait Motor Sports Club (KMSC) are eagerly awaiting the
start of the country's first championship event for 13 years and club
president Sheikh Ahmad Al-Dawood Al-Sabah is delighted with the support the
event has received from local teams.
Several of the Kuwaiti drivers are regulars in the regional rally series,
but there are at least two newcomers on the 33-strong entry list.
Mufeed Mubarak was one of the first local drivers to register his intention
to take part in the three-day rally, which gets underway from the Kuwait
Towers on Thursday afternoon. Mubarak was a regular in Middle East events
for several years and will drive a Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution.
Salah Bin Eidan wheels out his regular STS-backed Subaru Impreza WRX STi,
new championship contender Meshari Al-Sabti teams up with Bader Al-Baqsami
in a Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VIII and rookie Elie Chichati lines up
alongside co-driver Naji Sfeir in a similar car. Another Kuwait Rally
newcomer is Ebrahim Al-Modakha, who has Ayman Alebeed reading the notes in
his Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX.
Eid Falah and Khaled Khalifa finished fifth in last year's candidate event
and have support from Rima Motors for their quest for honours in a
Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VIII. Meshal Al-Nejadi switched from a
two-wheel drive car to a more powerful Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX in
time for the recent Qatar International Rally and the former regional Super
1600 champion will be hoping for renewed success with navigator Ahmad
Al-Khrass in Kuwait.
His brother Essam Al-Nejadi also enters a ninth evolution version of
Mitsubishi's four-wheel drive Lancer with co-driver Anwar Al-Sharrah.
Meshari Al-Thafiri and Yousef Al-Thafiri, partnered by Fares Al-Thafiri and
Mubarak Al-Thafiri, complete the impressive local team line-up.
"To make rallying a success in Kuwait we need the full support of all our
local teams and it is fantastic that we have 10 drivers on the entry list,"
admitted Sheikh Ahmad Al-Dawood Al-Sabah. "It will be great to see them all
competing against the cream of the region's rally drivers later this week."
The event is being organised by the KMSC under the patronage of Faisal
Al-Jazaf, chairman and general manager of the public authority for youth
and sports in the State of Kuwait.
Posted: February 24, 2009 3:06 PM
Entries have closed for the Kuwait International
Rally and event officials have confirmed that 33 of the region's finest
rally drivers, including 10 Kuwaiti teams, will take part in the second
round of the FIA Middle East Rally Championship (MERC) on March 5th-7th.
The event is being organised by the Kuwait Motor Sports Club (KMSC), under
the patronage of Faisal Al-Jazaf, chairman and general manager of the
public authority for youth and sports in the State of Kuwait. The route and
format of Kuwait's first championship round since 1996 has been devised by
the experienced Jordanian official Walid Mihyar, who is working as clerk of
the course of his 14th MERC event.
Mihyar graduated with a degree in business management from North Carolina
University in 1985 and worked in the Royal Automobile Club of Jordan's
office between 1993 and 2001. He held a management position within the
Qatar Motor & Motorcycle Federation between 2001 and 2002 and also became
the clerk of the course of the Syrian International Rally between 2000 and
2004, his efforts going a long way to ensure the Syrian event became an
integral round of the regional rally series.
Mihyar was clerk of the course of the Dubai International Rally in 2002 and
held a similar position in the Sultanate of Oman between 2003 and 2004. He
then worked as clerk of the course of the new Saudi Ha'il Baja between 2006
and 2007, before joining the Kuwait team to re-launch the Kuwait
International Rally.
Mihyar and officials at the KMSC have also been joined in the organising
team by Hasan Jaradat, the Jordanian time keeper at the Kuwait Rally, Naser
Rabata - who handles results - Syrian competition liaison officer Sari
Mahli, Jordanian parc fermé manager Issa Kheir and Raed Al-Sulabi.
"Most of the marshals are Kuwaitis and Kuwaiti people are very much
involved in the rally and interested in rallying in the region," said
Mihyar. The special stages will be demanding and challenging and are being
developed each year. We have a variety of terrain, with sabkha on the
beach, a forest section near the Shooting Club, in addition to rough
surfaces and fast desert tracks.
"Our rally super special is the only one of its kind in the Middle East
that takes place on a circuit with two cars competing against each other at
the same time. The circuit can host other championships as well and will be
used frequently. We can expect a big future for rallying in Kuwait."
"We are delighted to have an experienced team of Arabic-speaking officials
to support our staff at the KMSC," said Sheikh Ahmad Al-Dawood Al-Sabah.
"Walid Mihyar has a lot of experience in a similar role around the region
and this puts us on a strong footing."
Meanwhile, defending regional champion Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah has
confirmed that he will return to driving a 2009-specification Subaru
Impreza in Kuwait, after winning the recent Qatar International Rally in a
Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX. Al-Attiyah has support from a Qatari
construction company for the first time and teams up with Britain's Autotek
Motorsport again in Kuwait. He is aiming to win his 31st MERC event
alongside new co-driver Giovanni Bernacchini. The Italian co-drove for
Lebanon's Roger Feghali last season on rounds of the regional series and
has WRC experience with Italy's Gigi Galli.
Posted: February 24, 2009 3:04 PM
The winner of next month's Kuwait International Rally
will go down in the record books as the winner of the 150th event in the
history of the FIA Middle East Rally Championship.
The region's premier rally series began with the Qatar International Rally
in 1984 and has gone from strength to strength over the last 25 years, with
the Kuwait event set to return to the series for the first time since 1996
on March 5th-7th.
Officials at the Kuwait Motor Sport Club (KMSC) have received numerous
enquiries for the second round of the regional series, although entries do
not officially close until Friday, February 20th. Among the entrants
received thus far are several previous winners of rounds of the
championship, including Qatar's Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah, a winner of 30
regional rallies who is chasing the unprecedented total of 60 wins set by
the UAE's Mohammed Ben Sulayem.
Other previous winners present in Kuwait include the UAE's Sheikh Khalid
and Sheikh Abdullah Al-Qassimi, Oman's Nizar Al-Shanfari, Cypriot Nicos
Thomas, Qatar's Sheikh Hamed Bin Eid Al-Thani and Lebanon's Michel Saleh.
The Kuwait Rally actually ran for the first time in 1974 and was won by
Roger Taylor in a Honda Civic, but it entered the regional series for the
first time in 1984 and Saleh graced the top step of the podium for the
first time with Lebanon's Tony Samia co-driving.
Because of the two Gulf Wars, the Kuwait International Rally has only been
a round of the regional series on seven occasions in the past, although it
did run as a candidate event in March 2008 and was won by Saudi Arabia's
Yazeed Al-Rajhi.
Saleh won the event just once as a round of the regional series, but Ben
Sulayem holds the record for four wins in 1985, 1988, 1989 and 1996, with
Qatar's Saeed Al-Hajri winning in 1986 and Saudi Arabia's Abdullah
Bakhashab winning the Martyr's Rally with Bobby Willis in 1995, when the
event returned to the series for two years after the first Iraq invasion.
It took 10 years of calendar changes and numerous upheavals in regional
rallying, after Al-Hajri's maiden MERC win in Qatar 1984, before someone
could record the 50th MERC rally win. The honour fell to Mohammed Ben
Sulayem in Jordan, with Lebanon's Jean-Pierre Nasrallah recording the 100th
MERC victory on his home event in 2002.
This year's Kuwait International Rally will run under the patronage of
Faisal Al-Jazaf, chairman and general manager of the public authority for
youth and sports in the State of Kuwait, and under the presidency of Sheikh
Ahmad Al-Dawood Al-Sabah, president of the KMSC and chairman of the
organising committee.
"There are many drivers out there who would dearly love to win the 150th
event in the history of the MERC and take victory on our return to the
championship," said Sheikh Ahmad Al-Dawood Al-Sabah. "This championship has
a fascinating history and you only have to look down the list of previous
rally winners to see the international calibre of some of the drivers.
Hopefully it will not be too long before a Kuwaiti driver graces the list
of previous rally winners."
One Kuwaiti driver who will be determined to finish as high as possible is
Eid Falah. He has secured backing from Rima Motors for his challenge this
year with Khalid Khalifa and will be one of several local drivers in the
hunt for honours. Falah finished fifth overall in last year's candidate
rally.
Posted: February 10, 2009 12:37 PM
Punishing specials planned at Alatraff, Al-Samli and Metlaa
Spectator stage to be held at Jaber Al-Ahmad International Circuit
The Kuwait Motor Sport Club (KMSC) has released the
route and timetable for the second round of the FIA Middle East Rally
Championship, which fires into life on March 5th-7th in the deserts around
Kuwait City.
Kuwait's return to the FIA regional series, after an absence of 13 years,
will feature 14 timed special stages and a total of 250.32 competitive
kilometres, split equally between legs one and two.
Leg one gets underway on Thursday, March 5th with the traditional
ceremonial start of the 150th event in the history of the regional FIA
rally championship taking place under the world famous Kuwait Towers from
4pm.
Competitors will then head straight into a purpose-built 3.5km timed
spectator stage at the Jaber Al-Ahmad International Circuit from 4.30pm.
Footage will be televised live by a leading local network, before crews
return to the Kuwait Shooting Club for the overnight halt.
The second section of leg one features a further six timed special stages
in the Kuwait desert, split by the main service and regroup at around
midday on Friday, March 6th. Teams will tackle the heavily-revised
Al-Salmi, Alatraff and Shooting Club specials on two occasions during the
day, with the longer Alatraff test likely to provide a stiff test
throughout its challenging 29.30km. Teams will return to the Kuwait
Shooting Club from 3.40hrs for the overnight halt.
Leg two on Saturday, March 7th offers a further seven special stages and
gets underway from 8am. Surviving teams will face their first passes
through the Sulibikhat and Al-Metlaa specials from 9am and then a third
pass through the Alatraff stage at 10.22hrs, which retains much of the
stage distance used for the candidate event in 2008. The Sulibikhat and
Al-Metlaa stages are also similar to 2008.
A final regrouping and lunchtime service precedes a repeat of the morning's
three specials and the competitive action reaches a conclusion with a
second sprint through the spectator stage at the Jaber Al-Ahmad
International Circuit from 4.15pm. The ceremonial finish will take place
under the Kuwait Towers from 5.30pm.
The 2009 Kuwait International Rally will run under the patronage of
Lieutenant General Faisal Al-Jazzaf, chairman and general manager of the
public authority for youth and sports in the State of Kuwait, and under the
presidency of Sheikh Ahmad Al-Dawood Al-Sabah, president of the KMSC and
chairman of the organising committee.
"Our team have found some challenging special stages and retained a compact
format for the rally," said Sheikh Ahmad Al-Dawood Al-Sabah, President of
the KMSC. "Both legs offer a similar competitive distance and we are also
looking forward to offering an exciting spectator stage after the start and
just before the finish under the Kuwait Towers."
Posted: January 27, 2009 12:05 PM
The Kuwait Motor Sport Club (KMSC) has announced
details of the 2009 Kuwait International Rally, which returns to the FIA
Middle East Rally Championship for the first time since 1996 and forms the
second round of the increasingly-popular eight-round series. The event will
take place on March 5th-7th, in the desert near Kuwait City, and will be
the 150th rally in the history of the regional championship, which began
with the Qatar Rally in 1984.
Kuwait's return to the regional motor sporting spotlight will run under the
patronage of His Excellency Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammed Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah,
the Prime Minister of the State of Kuwait, and under the presidency of
Sheikh Ahmad Bin Dawood Al-Sabah, president of the KMSC and chairman of the
organising committee.
Kuwait was an integral round of the regional rallying calendar throughout
the 1980s, but hostilities in neighbouring Iraq forced the event out of the
championship at the end of 1989. It returned to the calendar in 1995 and
1996, but has been absent from the region's premier motor sport calendar
for 12 years. The KMSC ran a popular candidate event in 2008 and the FIA
duly included the rally in the championship calendar for 2009.
"We are delighted to regain our place in the FIA Middle East Rally
Championship," said Sheikh Ahmad Al-Dawood Al-Sabah, President of the KMSC.
"Last year's event was well received, but we have visited several other
rallies in the region since last March and I attended the recent Qatar
Rally to meet other event officials and teams. We are continuously
improving the format of our rally and I am confident that our return to the
championship will be at the high standard of former rallies held in Kuwait
and other leading rounds of the regional series."
The KMSC will run in the region of 250km of special stages on Friday, March
6th and Saturday, March 7th. Jordanian Walid Mihyar has been appointed
rally manager and clerk of the course for a second term and is busy
finalising the last minute timetable for an event which is sure to attract
the cream of the region's rally drivers.
The rally will start at 4pm on Thursday, March 5th and also finish under
the world-renowned Kuwait Towers. The KMSC have also introduced a 3.5km
super special stage that will be used twice - at the start and finish of
the rally. This will take place at the Jaber Al-Ahmad International Circuit
in Kuwait City and is the first permanent super special stage in the Middle
East region. Action will be filmed live by Kuwait's KTV3 channel during the
course of rally weekend, with the opening super special stage firing into
life at 4.30pm on Thursday afternoon.
The event will be based at the Kuwait Shooting Club for a second year,
where race officials and the event's media centre will be based throughout
the week. The service park, parc fermé and scrutineering will also be
centred at the club. Reconnaissance of the special stages will be permitted
on Tuesday, March 3rd and Wednesday, March 4th.
The KMSC will offer international and GCC competitors six nights' hotel
accommodation in Kuwait and officials are currently finalising a potential
deal on return air tickets for crews.
Entries for the Kuwait International Rally will close on Friday, February
20th.