AJERBAIJAN: Abdullah al Rawahi and Ata Al Hmoud were presented with their 2023 FIA (Federation International Automobile) Middle East Rally Championship titles at the official FIA Regional Championship Prizegiving in Baku, Azerbaijan, on Saturday.
The Omani and his Jordanian co-driver created history by becoming the first crew to share a championship title, after they tied for points in a dead heat with multiple champion Nasser Saleh al Attiyah and his French co-driver Mathieu Baumel.
With two wins and two second places apiece and a non-finish, there was nothing in the FIA’s Regional Rally Sporting Regulations to separate the two crews and a specially appointed FIA Commission decided that the 2023 titles should be shared.
Al Rawahi and Al Hmoud competed in a Škoda Fabia Evo run by Autotek Motorsport.
They won the Oman International Rally that was organised by the Oman Automobile Association (OAA) in January, and also claimed outright success in the Jordan Rally for the first time in May. After retiring from round two in Qatar, they finished as runners-up behind Al Attiyah and Baumel at the last two rounds in Lebanon and Cyprus.
The 2024 FIA Middle East Rally Championship gets underway in Qatar on February 1-3.
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