Oman’s Abdullah Al Rawahi Clinches Podium Finish in Qatar International Rally

Doha, The Gulf Observer: Defending Middle East Rally Championship (MERC) titleholder, Oman’s Abdullah Al Rawahi, alongside his Jordanian co-driver Ata Al Hmoud, secured a commendable third place in the opening race of the 2024 FIA-MERC season at the Qatar International Rally on Saturday.

The podium finish not only marked a strong start for Al Rawahi but also earned him crucial MERC points as he sets his sights on defending the championship title he shared last season with Nasser Al Attiyah.

The rally, hosted in the challenging terrains of Qatar, witnessed a masterful performance by France’s Pierre-Louis Loubet and Loris Pascaud, who overcame late damper issues and time penalties to clinch a memorable victory. Loubet’s success made him only the second non-Arab driver since 1986 to secure an outright win at the event.

Norway’s Mads Østberg and co-driver Patrik Barth staged a late charge in the afternoon, narrowly missing the top spot by just 4.6 seconds. Sports Racing Technologies (SRT) celebrated a 1-2 finish with their Škoda Fabia RS Rally2s.

Al Rawahi and Al Hmoud demonstrated their prowess by climbing from fifth to the podium in an Autotek-run Škoda, proving that their regional title win last year was no fluke. Al Rawahi, expressing his satisfaction after the race, stated, “Today was fantastic. We did some small mistakes yesterday, but we managed to get back from fifth to third. The team worked really hard to give me a better car today, and it worked.”

The result marked an unusual absence of a Qatari crew on their home event podium for the first time since the mid-1990s. QMMF-backed Qatari Abdulaziz Al Kuwari and Irish co-driver James Fulton finished fourth in their Sarrazin-supplied Volkswagen Polo GTi.

Former event winner Nasser Khalifa Al Atya and Lebanon’s Ziad Chehab secured a distant fifth place in their Motortune Ford Fiesta MkII. Nasser Saleh Al Attiyah, aiming for an 18th home event victory, faced setbacks, retiring on the last stage due to a damper issue after an overnight 30-minute time penalty.

Despite the challenges, the Qatar International Rally showcased thrilling competition and set the stage for an exciting FIA-MERC season ahead.