SUHAR: Nasser Saleh al Attiyah and Candido Carrera laid down the gauntlet with the fastest time of 2min 27.3sec through the opening 2.52km super special stage of the 28th Oman International Rally at the Suhar Entertainment Centre (SEC) on Thursday afternoon.
The Skoda Fabia RS crew were 3.5 seconds quicker than Abdulaziz al Kuwari and Lorcan Moore in their QMMF-backed Citroen C3 ahead of two further days of competing across new terrain in northern Oman.
Sixteen crews took the start of the opening round of the 2025 FIA Middle East Rally Championship (Merc) hosted by the Oman Automobile Association (OAA), with an additional five running in the Oman National Championship at the rear of the field.
A last-minute co-driver change saw 44-year-old Carrera team up with Nasser Saleh al Attiyah in the Autotek Motorsport-run Skoda Fabia RS. The Spaniard has been the regular partner for Dani Sordo in the FIA World Rally Championship in recent seasons, and the pair finished on the podium together seven times in Greece, Portugal, and Sardinia over the last three years.
As Al Attiyah explained: “We have a new car and I have a new co-driver. He is very high level. We start together from Oman for the rest of the Middle East season. This is his first race. He has managed a lot of things in his teams. He is a good friend for a long time. During Dakar, he was helping Nasser Racing team, and I asked him, and he said he was free to do the Middle East Championship.
“The new stages are fantastic. Thanks to the organisation. These stages remind me of Oman rallies in the past. I will try my best to win.”
Abdullah al Rawahi and Ata Al Hmoud won in Oman last time out and are chasing a third success on the driver’s home terrain. They began their title challenge with the third quickest time.
Rakan al Rashed has returned to tackle a full programme of Merc events with Portugal’s Hugo Magalhães in a new Toyota GR Yaris Rally 2, and the Saudi clocked the fourth quickest time. Rashed al Muhannadi and Gary Mcelhinney held fifth in their Peugeot 208 Rally 4.
First blood in the six-car tussle for Merc2 honours went to Shadi Shaban and Samer Issa in their Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX. It was a bad start for Lebanon’s Ahmad Khaled: he stopped for around five minutes after getting stuck on a mound of gravel and slipped to the foot of the rankings.
Nasser Khalifa al Attiyah hit a banking and damaged a light on his Ford Fiesta, and local driver Abdullah al Zubair lost time when the red flag was raised on the stage to warn him of Khaled’s problems, and he ceded valuable time to his Merc2 rivals.
Saudi Arabia’s Ibrahim al Muhanna is competing in Oman for the first time. He intends to tackle all rounds of the Merc now that an event in Saudi Arabia has been included in the championship for the first time since Yazeed al Rajhi won the last event in the Eastern Province in 2010. His regular co-driver Faisal al Suwayh switched to partner Yosra Jazzar, and Emirati Ali Hassan Obaid joined forces with the winner of the 2014 Hail Rally before the start. He finished the stage in 10th.
Leading drivers joined event officials at the pre-event press conference. This and the ceremonial start were held inside a giant planetarium-style dome at the Suhar Entertainment Centre and marked the first time a round of the Merc has begun indoors.
On Friday, competitors will tackle two loops of three gravel stages to the west of Suhar. Action gets underway with a first pass through the new Ar Rusays (23.56km) stage at 09.18hrs, and this precedes runs through Ar Rassah (19.45km) and Al Uwaynah (13.94km).
The three speed tests will be repeated in the afternoon after a midday return to the Suhar Entertainment Centre for a regroup and service.
2025 Oman International Rally – positions after SS1
1. Nasser Saleh al Attiyah (QAT)/Candido Carrera (ESP) Skoda Fabia RS Rally 2 2min 27.3sec
2. Abdulaziz al Kuwari (QAT)/Lorcan Moore (IRL) Citroen C3 Rally 2 2min 30.8sec
3. Abdullah al Rawahi (OMN)/Ata al Hmoud (JOR) Skoda Fabia RS Rally 2 2min 31.6sec
4. Rakan al Rashed (SAU)/Hugo Magalhees (PRT) Toyota Yaris Rally 2 2min 36.3sec
5. Rashid al Muhannadi (QAT)/Gary Mcelhinney (IRL) Peugeot 208 Rally 4 2min 50.4sec
6. Shadi Shaban (JOR)/Samer Issa (JOR) Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X 2min 51.0sec
7. Zakariya al Amri (OMN)/Mohammed al Mazroui (OMN) Subaru Impreza 2min 55.5sec
8. Ihab al Shurafa (JOR)/Ahmad Jankout (JOR) Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X 2min 58.3sec
9. Mohamed Mansoor Parol (IND)/Lenin Joseph (IND) Subaru Impreza 2min 58.8sec
10. Ibrahim al Muhanna (SAU)/Ali Hassan Obaid (ARE) Can-Am Maverick X3 (T4) 3min 01.7sec
11. Saneem Payyakkal (IND)/Musa Sherif (IND) Ford Fiesta Rally 4 3min 02.3sec
12. Shadi El Fakih (LBN)/Joseph Kmeid (LBN) Renault Clio Rally 5 3min 04.0sec
13. Abdullah al Zubair (OMN)/Taha al Zadjali (OMN) Subaru Impreza 3min 08.7sec
14. Nasser Khalifa al Attiyah (QAT)/Ziad Chehab (LEB) Ford Fiesta Mk II Rally 2 3min 21.9sec
15. Yosra Jazzar (SAU)/Faisal al Suwayh (SAU) Can-Am Maverick X3 (T4) 4min 12.6sec
16. Ahmad Khaled (LEB)/Samer Sfeir (LEB) Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X 8min 47.6sec
2025 Oman National Rally – positions after SS1:
1. Zakariya al Aufi (OMN)/Mutasim al Balushi (OMN) Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX 2min 47.5sec
2. Haitham al Zadjali (OMN)/Wail al Shaibani (OMN) Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VII 2min 54.4sec
3. Salim al Tauqi (OMN)/Issa al Wardi (OMN) Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VII 3min 04.9sec
4. Mus’ab al Zadjali (OMN)/Nasr al Qassmi (OMN) Kia Rio 3min 25.5sec
5. Bashar al Qassmi (OMN)/Bassam al Qassmi (OMN) Toyota Yaris 4min 11.8sec
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