Saturday, February 08, 2025 | Sha'ban 8, 1446 H
overcast clouds
weather
OMAN
21°C / 21°C
EDITOR IN CHIEF- ABDULLAH BIN SALIM AL SHUEILI

Oman International Rally to kickstart in Suhar today

Rashid Al-Muhannadi tests his new Peugeor 208 near Sohar this week.
Rashid Al-Muhannadi tests his new Peugeor 208 near Sohar this week.
minus
plus

SUHAR: The Oman International Rally kickstarts another season of Middle East rallying when it gets underway from the Suhar Entertainment Centre (SEC) on Thursday afternoon.


Organised by the Oman Automobile Association (OAA), the opening round of the 2025 FIA Middle East Rally Championship (Merc) has attracted a field of 16 teams and competitors from nine countries, in addition to six crews competing in the Oman National Championship.


The event is being run under the chairmanship of Brigadier Jamal Said al Tai, organising panel member Suleiman al Rawahi and Rally Director Anwar al Zadjali. Three recent Middle East champions head a star-studded regional field, who will tackle 13 special stages and 232.39 competitive kilometres over the coming three days.


The Merc event has moved to the Al Batinah North Governorate and the city of Suhar for the first time, although a national event did stages in the region 12 years ago. All six gravel stages to the west of Suhar are brand new but have not lost the legendary fast and flowing nature of the stunning terrain on offer in the Sultanate of Oman.


As Chris Hodgson, the Chairman of the Organising Committee, explained: “This is a completely new route but it is very typically Oman, with wadis, hills and loose gravel. The stages are located half way between Muscat and Dubai. Suhar is the main shipping centre for Oman and, perhaps, the fastest growing city in the country.


“The stages may look easy but they aren’t. There are a lot of places that could catch people out. In places, it is quite narrow and punctures are always a risk out there. We are the Oman Automobile Association and not the Muscat Automobile Association and we wanted to take the sport to the people.


“The Suhar Municipality have been massively supportive and have done everything they can to make it happen. We have worked closely with them and called upon their support for the supply of around 2,500 tonnes of recycled gravel for stage grading.”


Top seed Abdulaziz al Kuwari finished his first ever Dakar Rally in fourth place in the Challenger category last week, but the defending regional champion will need to revert to special stage mode quickly this weekend. He wheels out a QMMF-backed Citroen C3 and has recruited the services of Irish co-driver Lorcan Moore.


Likewise, Nasser Saleh al Attiyah took part in the recent Dakar Rally and finished fourth with his French navigator Edouard Boulanger. The pair retain their partnership for the Qatari’s quest for a record eighth win in Oman in an Autotek Motorsport-run Skoda Fabia RS Boulanger is making his Merc debut.


Rakan Al-Rashed
Rakan Al-Rashed


AL RAWAHI ON TRACK


Oman’s Abdullah al Rawahi and his Jordanian co-driver Ata-Hmoud are also running an Autotek Skoda, as the local hero and 2023 regional champion attempts to complete a hat-trick of wins on his home rally.


The QMMF has also supported an entry for Rashed al Muhannadi and he runs a Peugeot 208 Rally 4 with backing from the Qatar Motorsports Academy. Irishman Gary Mcelhinney has competed in countries as diverse as the USA, Spain, Tanzania, Zambia and Barbados and will read the pace notes for the Qatari for the first time.


Rakan al Rashed is one of the leading rally drivers in the Middle East but has carved his recent reputation away from the Merc. The 35-year-old Saudi teams up with Portugal’s Hugo Magalhaes in a new Toyota GR Yaris Rally 2, as he tries to upset the regular contenders in the series on his return to regional action. In 2024, the duo tackled rallies in Sweden, Portugal, Finland and Latvia and won the Finnish Jari-Pekka Ralli outright in their Printsport Toyota.


A fifth Rally 2 machine will be in the hands of Qatari veteran Nasser Khalifa al Atya and his Lebanese co-driver Ziad Chebab.


Six teams will be chasing Merc2 honours in a fleet of Subarus and Mitsubishis. The Jordanian duo of Shadi Shaban and Issa al Shorafa lead the way against Oman’s Abdullah al Zubair and Zakariya al Aamri, Lebanon’s Ahmad Khaled and India’s Mohamed Mansoor Parol.


Shadi al Fakih wheels out last year’s Merc5-winning Renault Clio and Rally 4 competition for Al Muhannadi comes from the Indian pairing of Payyaakkal Panikkaveettil and Musa Sherif in their Ford Fiesta.


There are also a pair of eligible T4 Can-Ams in the field for Saudi Arabia’s Ibrahim al Muhanna and Yosra Jazzar.


Neither Hamza Bakhashab nor Issa Abu Jamous registered for the pre-event reconnaissance sessions, although they were present on the original entry list.


On Thursday, the official pre-event press conference (15.00hrs) precedes the ceremonial start at the Sohar Entertainment Centre (15.30 hrs). The start will take place indoors for the first time under the giant dome on site. Competitors will then tackle the opening 2.55 km Super Special stage, starting at 16.43hrs.


2025 Oman International Rally — updated entry list:


1. Abdulaziz al Kuwari (QAT)/Lorcan Moore (IRL) Citroen C3 Rally 2


2. Nasser Saleh al Attiyah (QAT)/Edouard Boulanger (FRA) Skoda Fabia RS Rally 2


3. Abdullah al Rawahi (OMN)/Ata al Hmoud (JOR) Skoda Fabia RS Rally 2


4. Rashid al Muhannadi (QAT)/Gary McElhinney (IRL) Peugeot 208 Rally 4


5. Rakan al Rashed (SAU)/Hugo Magalhaes (PRT) Toyota GR Yaris Rally 2


6. Nasser Khalifa al Atya (QAT)/Ziad Chehab (LEB) Ford Fiesta Mk II Rally 2


7. Shadi Shaban (JOR)/Samer Issa (JOR) Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X


8. Ihab al Shurafa (JOR)/Ahmad Jankout (JOR) Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X


10. Abdullah al Zubair (OMN)/Taha al Zadjali (OMN) Subaru Impreza


11. Ahmad Khaled (LEB)/ Samer Sfeir (LEB) Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X


12. Zakariya al Aamri (OMN)/Mohammed al Mazroui (OMN) Subaru Impreza


14. Shadi El Fakih (LBN)/Joseph Kmeid (LBN) Renault Clio Rally 5


15. Mohamed Mansoor Parol (IND)/Joseph Lenin (IND) Subaru Impreza


16. Payyaakkal Panikkaveettil (IND)/Musa Sherif (IND) Ford Fiesta Rally 4


17. Ibrahim al Muhanna (SAU)/Faisal al Suwayh (SAU) Can-Am Maverick X3 (T4)


18. Yosra Jazzar (SAU)/TBA Can-Am Maverick X3 (T4)


2025 Oman Rally Championship — entry list:


Haitham al Zadjali (OMN)/TBA Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VII


Zakariya al Aufi (OMN)/Ammar al Balushi (OMN) Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX


Salim al Tauqi (OMN)/Issa al Wardi (OMN) Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VII


Bashar al Qassmi (OMN)/Bassam al Qassmi (OMN) Toyota Yaris


Mus’ab al Zadjali (OMN)/Nasr al Qassmi (OMN) Kia Rio


Muhanna al Salmi (OMN)/Saif al Hinai (OMN) Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VII


SHARE ARTICLE
arrow up
home icon