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Tag: Oman Rally Sohar International
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Nasser Al-Attiyah cruises to massive lead after Leg 1: Oman Rally Sohar
Nakhal (Oman), 28 Jan 2022: Qatar’s Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah and Spanish co-driver Alba Sánchez González cruised into a massive lead of 8min 39.5sec after the opening leg of Oman Rally Sohar International on Friday.
Following the premature retirement of both Hamed Al-Wahaibi and Abdullah Al-Rawahi just before and on the first run through the Misfah special, the Qatari managed his pace to protect his Autotek Volkswagen Polo GTI. He won every stage on the day and is firmly on course for a seventh victory in Oman and a 79th career MERC rally win.
Czech Petr Kačirek and co-driver Václav Kopáček reached the night halt in second place in their Duck Racing Škoda Fabia and Nasser Khalifa Al-Atya and Italian co-driver Giovanni Bernacchini rounded off the podium places in third in a Ford Fiesta R5.
Premature retirement for Hamed Al-Wahaibi on Friday. Photo from Oman Rally Sohar Media officer. Al-Attiyah started strongly and was able to extend his advantage over Al-Wahaibi from 3.3 seconds to 28.2 seconds after the first pass through the 21.98km of Al-Khoud when Al-Wahaibi lost power towards the end of the stage. The FIA field had already been whittled down to eight after the retirement of Oman’s Jarah Al-Touqi before the restart.
The Qatari’s cushion grew to a massive 3min 54.7sec after the subsequent Misfah stage: Al-Rawahi stopped with extensive rear suspension damage and Al-Wahaibi retired with turbocharger issues before the start of the Misfah special. Their demise lifted Kačirek and Al-Atya into the podium places. Al-Attiyah’s lead then grew to five minutes after the Saal special and he reached service in relaxed mood.
The Qatari noticeably eased his pace on the re-run of Al-Khoud and headed for the last two stages of the day with an advantage of 6min 44.5sec. He continued to ease away from his rivals and had built up a comfortable cushion at the end of the day.
Oman’s Zakariya and Mohammed Al-Aamri lead the MERC2 category in their fourth-placed Subaru Impreza and the Jordanian pairings of Issa Abu Jamous and Emad Juma and Ihab Al-Shorafa and Yousef Juma are fifth and sixth overall.
Al-Wahaibi and Al-Rawahi will now need to regroup and refocus in time to restart under the Rally2 ruling for the remaining six special stages on Saturday.
“This is the fourth Oman Rally that I have retired from,” reflected Al-Wahaibi. “I have entered four and retired from four. Three I was leading and retired because of mechanical problems. Today it was a turbo. It was an engine one time and a ball joint, one time.
“All those retirements have been purely cruel luck and not driver mistakes. They have all been technical. I was excited for today’s stages. They were really fun and enjoyable to drive. Unfortunately, I only drove the first one. Especially through the wadi and the water splash, it was something pretty special. The car was performing well and Tony (Sircombe) was completely in sync.
“I am obviously disappointed for the fans and the team. I am here for fun. I am back in the sport. I have no targets and just love driving fast. I adore rallying. It is passion-based, so it is not a problem.”
Oman’s Haitham Al-Hadidi had been the overnight leader of the Oman National Rally, but Haitham Al-Soomar snatched the advantage in SS2, where Musab Al-Soomar retired with technical issues.
Al-Soomar continued to lead as the day progressed in his Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VII and reached the end of the leg with a lead of 18min 6.5sec. Lebanon’s Alain Nawfal moved up to second in a T3 Yamaha YXZ 1000R after Al-Hadidi hit trouble on the seventh stage.
2022 Oman Rally Sohar International – positions after SS7:
1. Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah (QAT)/Alba Sánchez González (ESP) Volkswagen Polo GTI R5; 1hr 20min 09.0sec;
2. Petr Kačirek (CZE)/Václav Kopáček (CZE) Škoda Fabia R5; 1hr 28min 48.5sec;
3. Nasser Khalifa Al-Atya (QAT)/Giovanni Bernacchini (ITA) Ford Fiesta R5; 1hr 29min 30.6sec;
4. Zakariya Al-Aamri (OMN)/Mohammed Al-Aamri (OMN) Subaru Impreza; 1hr 40min 47.6sec;
5. Issa Abu Jamous (JOR)/Emad Juma (JOR) Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX; 1hr 41min 18.2sec;
6. Ihab Al-Shorafa (JOR)/Yousef Juma (JOR) Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX; 1hr 45min 54.6sec;
Abdullah Al-Rawahi (OMN)/Ata Al-Hmoud (JOR) Škoda Fabia R5; RETIRED SS3;
Hamed Al-Wahaibi (OMN)/Tony Sircombe (NZL) Škoda Fabia R5; RETIRED SS3;
Jarah Al-Touqi (OMN)/Issa Al-Wardi (OMN) Subaru Impreza; RETIRED SS2;
2022 Oman National Sohar Rally – positions after SS7:
1. Haitham Al-Soomar (OMN)/Wael Al-Shabani (OMN) Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VII; 1hr 37min 25.7sec;
2. Alain Nawfal (LEB)/Bashar Qassimi (OMN) Yamaha YXZ 1000R; 1hr 56min 12.2sec;
3. Haitham Al-Hadidi (OMN)/Saif Al-Hinai (OMN) Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VIII; 2hr 02min 29.4sec;
Musab Al-Soomar (OMN)/Bassam Al-Qasmi (OMN) Kia Rio; RETIRED SS2;
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Nasser Al-Attiyah tops SSS with stand-in co-driver Alba Sanchez
Nakhal (Oman), 27 Jan 2022: Qatar’s Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah and stand-in Spanish co-driver Alba Sánchez González began their new partnership in winning style by setting the fastest time of 3min 42.8sec through the opening super special stage of Oman Rally Sohar International on Thursday afternoon.
Bidding to win a remarkable 18 FIA Middle East Rally Championship titles since 2003, the recent Dakar Rally winner flung his Autotek Volkswagen Polo GTI through the narrow dusty corners of the graded opening test and moved into a 3.3-second lead over Oman’s Hamed Al-Wahaibi and Kiwi co-driver Tony Sircombe in their Motortune-run Škoda Fabia Evo.
“There were a few stones on the track, so we had to be a little careful to avoid tyre damage, but it was a straightforward start,” said Al-Attiyah.
“Good first stage and getting back into it without taking too many risk,” said second-placed Al-Wahaibi. “The car was working well and the team is perfect. Tony is fantastic. Everything is smooth. I am here to compete with myself and enjoy the rally. I am not here to compete with anyone else. I am not registering for the championship and I am not worrying about the championship.
“I just want to enjoy myself. If I beat Nasser, fantastic. If Nasser beats me and I finish second, fantastic. We know Nasser’s capabilities. I am very proud of Nasser and what he is achieving. He is a good friend.”
Nine FIA entrants and four cars running in the Oman National Rally Championship were flagged away from a revised ceremonial start at Nakhal before crews tackled the opening 3.90km super special stage with the spectacular backdrop of the rugged mountains to one side and the urban Nakhal area to the other.
Sunny and slightly windy conditions prevailed, as the defending Oman Rally champion Abdullah Al-Rawahi and Jordanian navigator Ata Al-Hmoud carded the third fastest time in their Škoda Fabia. The youngster finished just 5.4 seconds adrift of his local rival to set up the prospect of a thrilling tussle for the podium places over the weekend.
Nasser Khalifa Al-Atya teamed up with the experienced Italian co-driver Giovanni Bernacchini to hold fourth place in a Ford Fiesta R5, despite picking up a flat tyre and doing the last portion of the stage with a deflating tyre.
MERC debutant Petr Kačirek and co-driver Václav Kopáček safely negotiated the opening few kilometres in their Duck Racing Škoda Fabia in fifth.
The opening stage ran in reverse order and the Jordanian pairing of Issa Abu Jamous and Emad Juma were the first crew into the stage. They carded a target time of 4min 15.3sec and that put them into sixth at the night halt.
The local crew of Jarah Al-Touqi and Issa Al-Wardi were second quickest of the MERC2 contingent in their Subaru Impreza and held seventh overall.
Oman’s Zakariya and Mohammed Al-Aamri were eighth and Jordan’s Ihab Al-Shorafa and Yousef Juma rounded off the FIA contingent in ninth place.
Oman’s Haitham Al-Hadidi and Saif Al-Hinai drew first blood on the national rally that ran behind the main field.
The bulk of the competitive action takes place over 12 timed special stages on Friday and Saturday before the ceremonial finish and post-event press conference take place at Nakhal from 15.25hrs on Saturday afternoon.
2022 Oman Rally Sohar International – positions after SS1:
1. Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah (QAT)/Alba Sánchez González (ESP) VW Polo GTI R5; 3min 42.8sec
2. Hamed Al-Wahaibi (OMN)/Tony Sircombe (NZL) Škoda Fabia R5; 3min 46.1sec;
3. Abdullah Al-Rawahi (OMN)/Ata Al-Hmoud (JOR) Škoda Fabia R5; 3min 51.5sec;
4. Nasser Khalifa Al-Atya (QAT)/Giovanni Bernacchini (ITA) Ford Fiesta R5; 4min 09.9sec;
5. Petr Kačirek (CZE)/Václav Kopáček (CZE) Škoda Fabia R5; 4min 11.0sec;
6. Issa Abu Jamous (JOR)/Emad Juma (JOR) Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX; 4min 15.3sec;
7. Jarah Al-Touqi (OMN)/Issa Al-Wardi (OMN) Subaru Impreza 4min 26.3sec;
8. Zakariya Al-Aamri (OMN)/Mohammed Al-Aamri (OMN) Subaru Impreza 4min 32.5sec;
9. Ihab Al-Shorafa (JOR)/Yousef Juma (JOR) Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX; 4min 35.7sec.
2022 Oman National Sohar Rally – positions after SS1:
1. Haitham Al-Hadidi (OMN)/Saif Al-Hinai (OMN) Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VIII; 4min 18.7sec;
2. Haitham Soomar (OMN)/Wael Al-Shabani (OMN) Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VII; 4min 23.1sec;
3. Alain Nawfal (LEB)/Bashar Qassimi (OMN) Yamaha YXZ 1000 R; 4min 25.4sec;
4. Musab Al-Soomar (OMN)/Bassam Al-Qasmi (OMN) Kia Rio; 4min 54.7sec.
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Super Special Stage (SSS) introduced for Oman Rally Sohar
Muscat (Oman), 26 Jan 2022: The cream of the Middle East’s special stage rally drivers will take the start of Oman Rally Sohar International 2022 on Thursday afternoon.
The Oman Automobile Association have made a couple of late changes to the itinerary for the opening round of the FIA Middle East Rally Championship (MERC). Most notably, the pre-event press conference and ceremonial start venue have moved from Al-Mouj to Nakhal and will start at the earlier time of 14.15hrs and 15.00hrs, respectively.
Event officials have also introduced a timed 3.90km super special stage at Nakhal, with the first car in action from 16.00hrs.
Qatar’s Dakar sensation and multiple regional champion, Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah, tops the entry in his Autotek Volkswagen Polo GTI and is bidding for a seventh win in Oman. His regular French co-driver Mathieu Baumel should have been trying to earn a third win in Oman, but was unable to make the trip for personal reasons.
His place alongside Al-Attiyah has been taken by 29-year-old Spanish female co-driver Alba Sánchez González, who is a regular navigator on the Spanish national and international rallying scene.
Last year, she partnered Surhayen Pernia in a Hyundai Motor España-supported i20 R5, with the crew finishing seventh overall in the ERC Rally Islas Canarias and claiming outright victory at the Rallye La Nucía-Mediterráneo and Rallye Valles Pasiegos. Oman will be Alba’s first rally in the GCC region, although she did sit alongside England’s Catie Munnings to take 40th overall in the 2018 Cyprus Rally in a Peugeot 208 R2.
“Mathieu was not able to come to Oman, so Alba has stepped in at the 11th hour,” said Autotek Motorsport’s Ken Skidmore. “We met her in Spain, where she co-drives as part of the official Hyundai team.”
Standing in Al-Attiyah’s way are the formidable Omani duo of Abdullah Al-Rawahi and Hamed Al-Wahaibi in a pair of Škoda Fabia Evos, the Qatari’s cousin Nasser Khalifa Al-Atya (Ford Fiesta) and the Czech dark horse and MERC debutant Petr Kačirek in a third Škoda Fabia.
“The stages are quite technical,” said Al-Rawahi, after Tuesday’s recce session. “We made sure that our notes are quite precise and as detailed as possible. We have done these stages before, so we are quite ready for the first day of the rally. Day two is quite different from the first day. I think we are happy. Hopefully this weekend we will come strong and try and give our best.”
Al-Wahaibi carried out three days of pre-event testing before the rally and is relishing the start after an impressive performance that saw him finish fourth overall and take a class win at the Oregon Trail Rally in America in early November.
“The new Evo is brilliant and easier to drive,” said Al-Wahaibi. “We’ve spent three days getting the driving style working. We spent some time with the diffs and the suspension and it all went well. We tested in the Hatat region where my ancestors are from. We tested in three different villages and one of them is where I am from. So we had lots of spectators in the mountains and some family and tribes from our region.
“The first day of recce went very well. The stages are really good. They need a bit more cleaning, a few rocks, but really good. Some roughness, but it is a Middle East rally and has to have that. That’s the character. I’m excited and looking forward to a good rally.”
With the quintet of R5 cars sure to dominate over the fast and flowing gravel special stages that have drawn praise across the world, there will be a separate tussle for honours in the MERC2 category for showroom production-type machines.
Four Omani and two Jordanian drivers will take part:. Zakariya Al-Aamri, Faisal Al-Rashdi and Jarah Al-Touqi lead the way for the host nation in a trio of Subaru Imprezas. Joining them on the entry are the Jordanian duo of Ihab Al-Shorafa and Issa Abu Jamous in Mitsubishi Lancers.
Five crews will also tackle a national status event behind the main FIA rally.
The bulk of the competitive action takes place over 12 timed special stages on Friday and Saturday before the ceremonial finish and post-event press conference also move to Nakhal from 15.25hrs onwards on Saturday afternoon.
2022 Oman Rally Sohar International – leading entries (unofficial):
1. Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah (QAT)/Alba Sánchez González (ESP) Volkswagen Polo GTI R5
2. Abdullah Al-Rawahi (OMN)/Ata Al-Hmoud (JOR) Škoda Fabia R5
3. Hamed Al-Wahaibi (OMN)/Tony Sircombe (NZL) Škoda Fabia R5
4. Nasser Khalifa Al-Atya (QAT)/Giovanni Bernacchini (ITA) Ford Fiesta R5
5. Petr Kačirek (CZE)/Václav Kopáček (CZE) Škoda Fabia R5
6. Zakariya Al-Aamri (OMN)/Mohammed Al-Aamri (OMN) Subaru Impreza
7. Faisal Al-Rashdi (OMN)/Waleed Al-Rashdi (OMN) Subaru Impreza
8. Jarah Al-Touqi (OMN)/Issa Al-Wardi (OMN) Subaru Impreza
10. Ihab Al-Shorafa (JOR)/Yousef Juma (JOR) Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX
12. Issa Abu Jamous (JOR)/Emad Juma (JOR) Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX
2022 Oman National Sohar Rally – leading entries (unofficial):
20. Haitham Soomar (OMN)/Wael Al-Shabani (OMN) Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VII
21. Ghaith Al-Qassimi (OMN)/TBA Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VIII
22. Haitham Al-Hadidi (OMN)/Saif Al-Hinai (OMN) Toyota Yaris
23. Musab Soomar (OMN)/Bassam Al-Qassimi (OMN) Kia Rio
24. Alain Nawfal (LEB)/Bashar Al-Qassimi (OMN) Yamaha YXZ 1000 R
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Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah starts favourite: Oman Rally
OMAN RALLY SOHAR INTERNATIONAL GETS UNDERWAY ON THURSDAY EVENING
Muscat (Oman), 1 Dec 2021: The 17-time regional rally champion Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah is the firm favourite for overall honours in the main FIA event, the Oman Rally Sohar International 2021 that gets underway with a ceremonial start at Al-Qurum from 6pm on Thursday.
Organised by the Oman Automobile Association, the 12-stage event is the final round of the 2021 FIA Middle East Rally Championship has attracted a dozen crews in the international section and a further 11, who will tackle the second and third rounds of the Oman Rally Championship.
Slight revisions to the route mean that competitors will now tackle 214.38 competitive kilometres in a route of 685.97km.
Repeat runs through three gravel special stages make up the route for Friday’s action with the 22.04km of the Al-Khoud stage getting the on-stage drama underway at 09.33hrs. A first run through the Misfah and Saal specials precedes a lunchtime return to service before the three tests are repeated in the afternoon.
Runs through Abyad (13.09km), Qalqal (17.17km) and Nakhal (19.26km) are on the agenda for Saturday morning, before another regroup and service stop. The three specials are repeated in the afternoon before the prizegiving and podium finish take place at Al-Qurum from 16.52hrs onwards.
Four Mitsubishi Lancers, a pair of Toyota Yaris’, a Kia Rio, two Can-Ams and as many Yamahas grace the national entry.
Seeded at 20 and topping the list is Hamid Al-Qasmi in his Mitsubishi. He faces competition in the N4 group from Haitham Al-Soomar, Hamood Al-Touqi and Ghaith Al-Qasmi.
The Toyotas of Waheeb Al-Kharusi and Yaqdhan Al-Rashdi are categorised in Group A, while Musab Al-Soomar’s Kia is the sole entrant in the RC3 class.
With the FIA T4 and T3 sections becoming increasingly popular around the world in cross-country events, it is no surprise that four vehicles are entered in Oman. Rally veteran Nizar Al-Shanfari wheels out his Can-Am alongside the similar car of Khalid Al-Shanfari and a pair of Yamaha YXZs, driven by Lebanon’s Alan Nawfel and local driver Mohammed Al-Shanfari.
