Sohar: Qatar’s Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah and co-driver Candido Carrera overcame two slow punctures to take the lead after a punishing opening leg of the 29th Oman International Rally on Friday, the first round of the FIA Middle East Rally Championship (MERC).
Partnered by Candido Carrera, Al-Attiyah steered his Škoda Fabia RS to victory in five of the six gravel stages run in the rugged Hajar mountains, building a day-end lead of 41.2 seconds despite suffering two slow punctures initially.
“We kept up the pace and tried to manage the punctures,” Al-Attiyah said after returning to Sohar. “There is still a long way to go.”
Fellow Qatari Nasser Khalifa Al-Atya also enjoyed a strong day, holding third place overnight with Lebanese co-driver Ziad Chehab in a Ford Fiesta after a series of retirements shook up the leaderboard.
The opening leg proved unforgiving, with several crews falling victim to accidents and mechanical problems. Early front-runners Hamza Bakhashab and Lorcan Moore were forced out when their Toyota suffered suspension damage, while engine issues ended the rallies of Jordan’s Sheikh Bader Al-Fayez and both QMMF Peugeot crews of Qatar’s Mohammed Al-Marri and Rashid Al-Muhannadi.
Despite the setbacks, Al-Attiyah remained in control throughout the day, absorbing pressure from home favourite Abdullah Al-Rawahi, who impressed on his return from injury to finish second overall alongside Jordanian co-driver Ata Al-Hmoud.
In the supporting categories, Qatari involvement remained prominent, although the challenging stages took a heavy toll. Only eight of the 14 starters were classified at the end of the day after a series of high-speed incidents.
The event is being staged with the support of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Youth, the Al-Batinah North Governorate and Toyota Oman.
The rally concludes on Saturday with two passes through the Al-Akak, Yanboa and Rahab stages, with the final run of Rahab serving as the Power Stage and offering additional championship points.
