MUSCAT: The Oman Rally Team’s Abdullah al Rawahi and Jordanian co-driver Ata al Hmoud clinched victory in the Oman International Rally for the second time in three years on Saturday.
After pre-event favourite Nasser Saleh al Attiyah crashed on the opening super special stage, Al Rawahi hit the front on the first of a dozen gravel stages in the Sultanate of Oman and stayed clear of major trouble, punctures aside, to guide his Skoda Fabia Evo to victory by the margin of 6min 35.6sec. The feat meant the Omani became one of only 15 drivers ever to win more than one round of the FIA Middle East Rally Championship.
“It was a great feeling to win my home rally for the first time two years ago and to do it again is very special,” said Al Rawahi. “This is a perfect start to the championship for us and I would like to thank Ata for his efforts and the team for giving me such a strong car on what was a difficult rally.”
The fastest time on the final stage enabled Petr Kacirek and Petra Rihakova to see off a late challenge from Al Attiyah for second overall and the Czech crew duly sealed the runner-up spot in their Duck Racing Skoda Fabia.
Al Attiyah and Andorra-based co-driver Mathieu Baumel won 11 of the 13 special stages, but the costly error on the first stage damaged the Volkswagen Golf’s radiator and a subsequent time penalty for a seat belt infringement meant the task was ultimately too much for the Qatari to challenge for the win.
Al Attiyah reached the finish at the Muscat Drift Arena in third overall to keep the defence of his regional title firmly on track. He may well have caught Kacirek and snatched second had he not suffered a rear right puncture and driven 17km on the shredding tyre to the finish of the final stage.
“After what happened on Thursday, I suppose I am happy enough with the result,” said Al Attiyah. “But I am disappointed to have the puncture on the last stage when second place was achievable. That’s rallying. I drove for 17km on a rear right puncture.”
Meshari al Thefiri and his Qatari co-driver Nasser al Kuwari were passed by Al Attiyah on the afternoon’s loop of stages but the Kuwaiti managed to finish fourth overall and confirm victory in the Merc2 category in his Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X. He had led the event outright on Thursday evening after winning the opening super special stage.
Al Attiyah’s cousin Nasser Khalifa al Atya teamed up with Giovanni Bernacchini to round off the top five in a Ford Fiesta R5, while the Jordanian duo of Shaker Jweihan and female co-driver Nancy al Majali finished sixth and second in Merc2.
Kuwait’s Yousef al Dhefiri overhauled Jordan’s Sheikh Bader al Fayez to claim seventh overall and third in the showroom category.
Jordanian Ihab al Shorafa was deprived of a finish after stopping in the final stage. The Mitsubishi driver’s demise lifted fellow countryman Shadi Shaban into ninth place and Lebanon’s Ahmad Khaled rounded off the top 10. The Omani crew of Abdullah al Zubair and Taha Soomar were the last of the finishers in 11th.
GHAITH AND AHMED WIN
Ghaith al Qasmi and Ahmed Salim sealed victory in the day’s round of the Oman National Championship. The Mitsubishi crew beat Faisal and Yaqdhan al Rashdi by 2min 15.8sec. Mutasim and Nofel al Balushi came home in third place.
The previous day’s winners, Issa Abu Jamous and Yazan Juma, missed out on second place after shedding time in the 12th stage. The Jordanian crew finished fourth, well clear of fifth-placed Abdullah al Toqi and his Austrian co-driver Ilka Minor.
With the exception of Haitham al Zadjali, nine national entrants began the one-day round of the Oman National Championship. Salim al Toqi and Saif al Harthy fell by the wayside after the eighth stage and Mohammed al Mazroui retired his Yamaha on stage nine. Musab Soomar was the next retirement on SS11.
Action in the regional rally series continues in Qatar on February 16 to 18.
2023 Oman International Rally – positions after SS13
1. Abdullah al Rawahi (OMN)/Ata al Hmoud (JOR) Skoda Fabia Evo 2hr 37min 30.1sec
2. Petr Kacirek (CZE)/Petra Rihakova (CZE) Skoda Fabia 2hr 44min 05.7sec
3. Nasser Saleh al Attiyah (QAT)/Mathieu Baumel (AND) Volkswagen Polo GTI 2hr 44min 38.0sec
4. Meshari al Thefiri (KWT)/Nasser al Kuwari (QAT) Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X 2hr 46min 45.7sec
5. Nasser Khalifa al Atya (QAT)/Giovanni Bernacchini (ITA) Ford Fiesta R5 2hr 52min 41.2sec
6. Shaker Jweihan (JOR)/Nancy al Majali (JOR) Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X 2hr 54min 07.0sec
7. Yousef al Dhefiri (KWT)/Carlos Hanna (LEB) Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X 2hr 56min 39.1sec
8. Sheikh Bader al Fayez (JOR)/Emad Juma (JOR) Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X 2hr 58min 13.8sec
9. Shadi Shaban (JOR)/Samer Issa (JOR) Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X 3hr 15min 17.1sec
10. Ahmad Khaled (LEB)/Samer Sfeir (LEB) Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX 3hr 21min 22.0sec
11. Abdullah al Zubair (OMN)/Taha Soomar (OMN) Subaru Impreza STi 3hr 24min 13.4sec
Note: 13 starters, 11 finishers
2023 Oman National Rally Championship – positions on round 2
1. Ghaith al Qasmi (OMN)/Ahmed Salim OMN) Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VIII 1hr 29min 23.5sec
2. Faisal al Rashdi (OMN)/Yaqdhan al Rashdi (OMN) Subaru Impreza STi 1hr 31min 39.3sec
3. Mutasim al Balushi (OMN)/Nofel al Balushi (OMN) Yamaha YXZ 1000 R 1hr 32min 03.4sec
4. Issa Abu Jamous (JOR)/Yazan Juma (JOR) Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX 1hr 32min 32.6sec
5. Abdullah al Toqi (OMN)/Ilka Minor (AUT) Toyota Yaris 1hr 39min 53.8sec
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