(MENAFN– The Peninsula)

Chinthana Wasala
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The Peninsula

Doha: Qatar’s Abdulaziz Al Kuwari today, October 20, clinched his maiden FIA Middle East Rally Championship (MERC) title while his compatriot Nasser Saleh Al Attiyah secured his 9th overall victory at the prestigious event.

Al Kuwari and his co-driver Nasser Al Kuwari finished in third position at the Cyprus Rally in their Skoda Fabia RS to seal the title in style. The pair headed to Cyprus with a considerable lead, just needing to finish the rally to achieve the historic milestone of becoming the fifth Qatari driver to lift the MERC title after Saeed Al Hajri, Hamad bin Eid Al Thani, Misfer Al Marri and Al Attiyah.

With Al Kuwari seizing the title, the five-time Dakar Rally winner Al Attiyah missed the opportunity to clinch record-extending 20th MERC crown, but signed off in second spot in the MERC standings.

Yesterday, Al Attiyah showcased his dominance in the 12-stage event alongside Italian navigator Giovanni Bernacchini, driving a Skoda Fabia RS as they completed the Rally with a total time of 2:47:00.0.

Local favourite Panayiotis Yiangou, with co-driver Aristos Nicolaou, secured second place in their Hyundai i20 R5, finishing +8:19.3 behind Al Attiyah.

Rounding out the podium was Al Kuwari, who, despite finishing third – +9:46.2 off the winner, was crowned the champion of the MERC season. He was impressive throughout the season, finishing fourth in the Qatar International Rally in February, before securing the second place behind Al Attiyah at the Jordan Rally in May.

Petros Panteli and co-driver Charalambous Laos, both from Cyprus, finished fourth overall in their Renault Clio Rally3 at +10:59.9. Rounding out the top five were Qatar’s Rashid Al Muhannadi and his Jordanian navigator Ata Al Hmoud, who finished the 12th and final stage at +17:57.8 in their Skoda Fabia RS to make it an all Qatari podium in MERC standings.

With the Oman Rally (November 21-23) already cancelled, the 51st Cyprus International Rally also marked the conclusion of the MERC season which saw only three out of five rallies run.

Cyprus International Rally 2024 – Final standings (Top 5)

1. Nasser Saleh Al Attiyah (QAT)/Giovanni Bernacchini (ITA) Škoda Fabia RS 2:47:00.0
2. Panayiotis Yiangou (CYP)/Aristos Nicolaou (CYP) Hyundai i20 R5 +8:19.3
3. Abdulaziz Al Kuwari (QAT)/Nasser Al Kuwari (QAT) Škoda Fabia R5 +9:46.2
4. Petros Panteli (CYP)/Charalambous Laos (CYP) Renault Clio Rally3 (Not registered for MERC) +10:59.9
5. Rashid Al Muhannadi (QAT)/Ata Al Hmoud (JOR) Škoda Fabia RS +17:57.8

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