Abdullah al Tawqi tops FIA Rally Star Mena final
Omani driver step closer to World Rally spot
Published: 05:03 PM,Mar 21,2022 | EDITED : 08:03 PM,Mar 21,2022
1948702
MUSCAT, MARCH 21
Oman’s Abdullah bin Masoud al Tawqi emerged on top in the FIA Rally Star Middle East and North African Final at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi on Sunday.
Abdullah bin Masoud, who qualified from Oman only due to the absence of third-placed Abdullah al Yahyai in the regional final, made it a memorable one by clinching the top prize in Abu Dhabi.
Al Tawki earned a life-changing place in the FIA Rally Star Training Season in 2023 after he came out on top of two days of rigorous assessment and evaluation presided over a five-person jury.
Abdullah al Tawqi, 23, was ecstatic after finishing on top.
“I’m very happy to have won the FIA Rally Star. We tried the cross cars during the shakedown, it was very hard to drive. I got used to it during the qualifying day and final, the competition was intense, but I finally won!”
In qualifying for the FIA Rally Star Training Season, Masoud al Tawqi moves a step closer to a dream drive in the FIA World Rally Championship. At the end of 2023, the best four FIA Rally Star Team members are rewarded with a season in the FIA Junior WRC in 2024. For 2025, three drivers go forward into a second Junior WRC season. And if one of the FIA Rally Star Team members wins the title, they secure a WRC2 campaign in a Rally2 car for 2026 with a Rally1 drive their next target.
Masoud al Tawqi joins Estonia’s Romet Jurgenson, the winner of the FIA Rally Star European Final in January, in the FIA Rally Star Training Season with four places still up for grabs at the remaining Continental Finals.
Meanwhile, Farah Zakaria of Jordan qualified for the FIA Rally Star Women’s Final, which is due to take place in North America later this year, by completing the FIA Rally Star Mena Final as the leading female competitor.
Farah Zakaria, 23, said: “I’m so happy to have won! It has been a super experience, I would like to congratulate the other competitors that have participated. I’m really looking forward to represent Jordan during the Women’s Final in America.”
The seventh spot in the Continental Finals will go to the Women’s Final winner where Mena qualifier Zakaria will join Maja Hallen Fellenius (Sweden) and Katie Milner (United Kingdom), the joint top female performers in the European Final in Germany.
FIA Rally
Star MENA Final
Day three of the FIA Rally Star Middle East and North African Final was held in warm and dry conditions with the 12 qualifiers from Saturday’s stages in action on a purpose-built gravel course. The 1 km layout was set up in reverse direction from the previous day to add to the challenge facing the drivers.
After completing their timed runs in the Pirelli-equipped, 115-horsepower TN5 Cross Car from FIA World Rally Championship ace Thierry Neuville’s LifeLive organisation, the 12 drivers were interviewed by the five-person jury headed by former rally driver Pernilla Solberg and including WRC stage winner Gus Greensmith. The 12 also underwent physical assessment to determine their fitness levels.
The four best-performing drivers progressed to the deciding phase of the competition with Masoud al Tawqi eventually chosen as the winner following lengthy deliberation by the jury.
Pirelli Rally Activity Manager Terenzio Testoni, French racing driver turned karting coach David Terrien and M-Sport Poland head Maciej Woda joined Greensmith and jury President Solberg on the decision-making panel.
Patrik Hallberg from Sweden, who was selected as the Reserve Driver at the FIA Rally Star European Final, was also in attendance as the Driver Advisor.
Mahir Badri, CEO of the Emirates Motorsports Organisation (EMSO) said it was a satisfying event.
“We are glad to have hosted this event in collaboration with the FIA. We can see that the participants are happy to be here. Cross car is a fantastic discipline, EMSO and the FIA are trying to attract more people to compete in motorsport, especially the ones at the younger age.”
Pernilla Solberg, Jury Chairwoman, Former Driver: “I’m very happy and it’s an honour to be here in Abu Dhabi for the Rally Star Mena final. It’s a tough job, to be part of the jury, because they are good drivers and it’s not easy to make the right decision. Speed is the important criterion of course, but with the members, we like to find out what kind of person they are, how they take care of the car, how clean they are. Because we need to find a person who can work within a team, with engineers, mechanics and it’s important to see how they communicate. To have all of these criteria is what makes it interesting.”
David Terrien, jury member and former Karting World Champion, said: “It was a great event. Looking at the prize, it was a huge opportunity for all the drivers competing here. I have been here since the Shakedown, and I have been very impressed with their lap time improvement, especially with the drivers qualified for the final that were very fast, and also knowing that they had no experience before racing here. It was a hard decision to take because it was a close competition. All the members of the jury were very involved, we tried to go deep into the discussions with the drivers’, because this is event is going to be a life-changer for the winner.”
Twenty drivers representing eight countries took part in the FIA Rally Star Mena Final. And while there were only two winners, all competitors were able to showcase their skills, represent their respective countries in a sporting arena and gain vital experience for the future.
Oman’s Abdullah bin Masoud al Tawqi emerged on top in the FIA Rally Star Middle East and North African Final at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi on Sunday.
Abdullah bin Masoud, who qualified from Oman only due to the absence of third-placed Abdullah al Yahyai in the regional final, made it a memorable one by clinching the top prize in Abu Dhabi.
Al Tawki earned a life-changing place in the FIA Rally Star Training Season in 2023 after he came out on top of two days of rigorous assessment and evaluation presided over a five-person jury.
Abdullah al Tawqi, 23, was ecstatic after finishing on top.
“I’m very happy to have won the FIA Rally Star. We tried the cross cars during the shakedown, it was very hard to drive. I got used to it during the qualifying day and final, the competition was intense, but I finally won!”
In qualifying for the FIA Rally Star Training Season, Masoud al Tawqi moves a step closer to a dream drive in the FIA World Rally Championship. At the end of 2023, the best four FIA Rally Star Team members are rewarded with a season in the FIA Junior WRC in 2024. For 2025, three drivers go forward into a second Junior WRC season. And if one of the FIA Rally Star Team members wins the title, they secure a WRC2 campaign in a Rally2 car for 2026 with a Rally1 drive their next target.
Masoud al Tawqi joins Estonia’s Romet Jurgenson, the winner of the FIA Rally Star European Final in January, in the FIA Rally Star Training Season with four places still up for grabs at the remaining Continental Finals.
Meanwhile, Farah Zakaria of Jordan qualified for the FIA Rally Star Women’s Final, which is due to take place in North America later this year, by completing the FIA Rally Star Mena Final as the leading female competitor.
Farah Zakaria, 23, said: “I’m so happy to have won! It has been a super experience, I would like to congratulate the other competitors that have participated. I’m really looking forward to represent Jordan during the Women’s Final in America.”
The seventh spot in the Continental Finals will go to the Women’s Final winner where Mena qualifier Zakaria will join Maja Hallen Fellenius (Sweden) and Katie Milner (United Kingdom), the joint top female performers in the European Final in Germany.
FIA Rally
Star MENA Final
Day three of the FIA Rally Star Middle East and North African Final was held in warm and dry conditions with the 12 qualifiers from Saturday’s stages in action on a purpose-built gravel course. The 1 km layout was set up in reverse direction from the previous day to add to the challenge facing the drivers.
After completing their timed runs in the Pirelli-equipped, 115-horsepower TN5 Cross Car from FIA World Rally Championship ace Thierry Neuville’s LifeLive organisation, the 12 drivers were interviewed by the five-person jury headed by former rally driver Pernilla Solberg and including WRC stage winner Gus Greensmith. The 12 also underwent physical assessment to determine their fitness levels.
The four best-performing drivers progressed to the deciding phase of the competition with Masoud al Tawqi eventually chosen as the winner following lengthy deliberation by the jury.
Pirelli Rally Activity Manager Terenzio Testoni, French racing driver turned karting coach David Terrien and M-Sport Poland head Maciej Woda joined Greensmith and jury President Solberg on the decision-making panel.
Patrik Hallberg from Sweden, who was selected as the Reserve Driver at the FIA Rally Star European Final, was also in attendance as the Driver Advisor.
Mahir Badri, CEO of the Emirates Motorsports Organisation (EMSO) said it was a satisfying event.
“We are glad to have hosted this event in collaboration with the FIA. We can see that the participants are happy to be here. Cross car is a fantastic discipline, EMSO and the FIA are trying to attract more people to compete in motorsport, especially the ones at the younger age.”
Pernilla Solberg, Jury Chairwoman, Former Driver: “I’m very happy and it’s an honour to be here in Abu Dhabi for the Rally Star Mena final. It’s a tough job, to be part of the jury, because they are good drivers and it’s not easy to make the right decision. Speed is the important criterion of course, but with the members, we like to find out what kind of person they are, how they take care of the car, how clean they are. Because we need to find a person who can work within a team, with engineers, mechanics and it’s important to see how they communicate. To have all of these criteria is what makes it interesting.”
David Terrien, jury member and former Karting World Champion, said: “It was a great event. Looking at the prize, it was a huge opportunity for all the drivers competing here. I have been here since the Shakedown, and I have been very impressed with their lap time improvement, especially with the drivers qualified for the final that were very fast, and also knowing that they had no experience before racing here. It was a hard decision to take because it was a close competition. All the members of the jury were very involved, we tried to go deep into the discussions with the drivers’, because this is event is going to be a life-changer for the winner.”
Twenty drivers representing eight countries took part in the FIA Rally Star Mena Final. And while there were only two winners, all competitors were able to showcase their skills, represent their respective countries in a sporting arena and gain vital experience for the future.