Beirut: Qatar’s multi-talented racing icon Nasser Saleh Al Attiyah (pictured) secured the FIA Middle East Rally Championship (MERC) for the 12th time in his career, despite retiring from the fourth round of the season - Rally of Lebanon.
Driving his Skoda Fabia R5, Al Attiyah added six more points to elevate his tally to 123 points before retirement.
The Qatari star and his French co-driver Matthieu Baumel had been running second overall in Lebanon behind Abdo Feghali before retiring at Zandouka.
Abdo went on to win the event, but a penalty saw him dropping to 2nd place. Al Attiyah’s total number of points was 60 more than what his compatriot Khalid Al Suwaidi achieved.
The final two rounds in Oman and Dubai have been cancelled, so the MERC season will finish with the Cyprus Rally next month, guaranteeing Al Attiyah’s victory since there are only 39 points left to collect.
The Peninsula
